blueskie

Thanks so much for sharing! It seems wonderful. Getting there seems rather a challenge. If you don't mind my asking, how much were the flights to the property?

blueskie

Thanks for sharing! The beach property looks special. The challenge seems to be getting there. If you don't mind my asking, how much were the tickets?

Cheetah_SA

The rate is given on the web site as 625 Euro return per person.

blueskie

Thanks Cheetha_SA for replying to my question!

When you say website, do you mean Flyertalk.com or the hotel website?

Is 625 euros for the flights from Johannesburg to the property? Per person? Is an overnight en route always necessary? Each way?

bhrubin

3660 euros roundtrip for 2 pax for the charter flights. It was a fairly easy 2 hr flight both ways. Considering the distance, we felt the rate wasn't unreasonable.

blueskie

That's very helpful, thanks!

Cheetah_SA

That price is per person as per the hotel's web site and it's for the flights from Tana to Anjajavy. The 3+ hour flight from JNB to Tana is entirely separate. Because the scheduled flights to Anjajavy leave very early (7am) it isn't possible to avoid an overnight stay in Tana.


Did you choose to fly at a time other than the scheduled flights (which are limited to 3 days a week, I know) and hence have to pay for the full charter? I wonder then if you had any choice about timing and whether that could obviate the need for an overnight stay?

That's not a bad idea anyway: one of the craft they fly has a horrible seat in the back with no windows. An arriving guest joked good-naturedly that she had been put into the boot (trunk). Not sure I would have been as equable about it. I was fascinated by the landscape en route and would hate to have been denied a view of it.

We were fortunate to arrive in a Cessna Caravan which is comparatively spacious and were the only pax on our departing flight (which was the one with the dreaded windowless cubby hole).

bhrubin

Maybe I looked at the wrong invoice charge. I did think it seemed higher than I remembered! But if the hotel website has 625 euro per person return, then that must be what we paid. We did the normal charter, not anything special. The flight up was in a smaller plane seating 6 (with 4 guests and pilot), and the return was in a larger plane seating maybe 12-14 (with 8 guests and a pilot and co-pilot as I recall).

blueskie

Well 625 euros pp is a lot more affordable and in synch with the hotel rates. The overnight in Tara less appealing...

halibahs

Such a wonderful report and the lemurs!!^^
Any idea if there are any luxury operators in Madagascar? Another draw for me are those unworldly Baobab trees, just wondering if there any nice properties as base for exploration?

Cheetah_SA

Touring in Madagascar is problematic is many ways. The interesting places are far flung and the infrastructure ranges from poor to dire. There are a couple of very nice properties but getting to them is quite hard work. Some of the best places to see certain species of wildlife only offer pretty basic hotels and require tedious road journeys to get there.

We had a private vehicle with guide and driver for our visit to the eastern wildlife reserves. So we travelled in as much comfort as was possible but it still felt arduous at times. Further afield it gets much more so, I am told by friends who have travelled there extensively.

This is not to discourage anyone from visiting. Far from it: Madagascar is truly unique and worth any hardships. But glamorous it is not - outside of the cocoon of a few havens like Anjajavy .