Hotel Review: Mandrare River Camp, Madagascar.

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Overview

Our first trip to Madagascar was just incredible. Madagascar Classic Collection has two properties (same amazing standard of accommodation, service and facilities but very different locations); the Mandrare River Camp and also the Manafiafy Beach and Rainforest Lodge. Couldn’t fault either property and both were an amazing highlight for a magical trip.

You can check out Madagascar Classic Properties here http://www.madaclassic.com

Would I stay here again?   Would go back in an instant because of our fabulous stay, but equally I would want to try different experiences in different places, so only for that reason would be unlikely to return too soon. Will definitely go back to Madagascar though to visit other locations.

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 Location

Mandrare River Camp is set on the banks of the Manampanihy River in the Ifotaka Community Forest, in the south of Madagascar.  We flew direct by the MCC (Madagascar Classic Collection) private charter direct from Antananarivo - this meant that when we arrived at the local Ifotaka airstrip, we were driven to the camp in only a few minutes.  Had we taken a scheduled flight to Fort Dauphin (with the incredibly unreliable Air Madagascar then we would have had a 3hr 30min drive to the camp.  The flight was expensive, but the aircraft had recently been changed to a dual engine plane which meant the flight was much quicker.  It was also a really nice experience to leave from a private hangar adjacent to the municipal airport in Antananarivo - the flight we took only had two other passengers.  Arriving at Ifotaka we were able to see the runway emerging out of the expansive sisal fields, major produce of the area.

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Accommodation

There were only five luxury tents at Mandrare when we were there (although the website now says seven), these are very well spaced out from each other, all with their own entrance walkway from the main path which gets illuminated at night.  As well as the tented part, which houses a luxurious double bed with mosquito netting, seating, vanity unit and wardrobe space this connects to a walled structure at the back which houses the (full) en-suite bathroom with ample hot water supplied from a solar tank.  To the front is a large deck area with further seating options and has the most spectacular view to the river.  Being far enough from the other tents and the main camp itself, you feel as if you are away from it all.  This is not normal camping by any means, the four-poster bed was incredibly comfortable and the bathroom was always stocked with very fluffy bath towels.  Housekeeping was of an excellent standard and the tent had solar power sockets for charging phones, cameras etc. and decent lighting throughout, inside and out.

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Food & Drink

All meals and drinks were included in the daily rate - food was excellent, they took account of all dietary requirements and used lots of delicious local ingredients. There was also a mix of locations - one night under the canopy down at the pool/river edge, another night in a clearing near the main entrance and the highlight on the final night - a private dinner for the two of us in a hidden area that we didn’t realize was there. Breakfasts were great - served on the large deck in the open air adjacent to the small bar, buffet style with everything you could possibly want but also with other options available for order too.

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Facilities & Service

Everything was so great, out with Antananarivo (the capital of Madagascar) this was our first location in Madagascar. All activities were included too within the package, you could do as much or as little as you wanted. This would include river and forest walks, birdwatching, visiting local villages etc. We also paid extra for a private meeting with the village Shaman. If we were out into the early evening there would be sundowners set up, once in an amazing location on the dry river bed (what a view). It was also good to have some time to relax by the small pool or sitting on the large deck of our tented village.

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ThePrivateTraveller’s top tips (any areas for improvement?)

• Was such an incredible experience - not sure if there is anything that could have improved this.

ThePrivateTraveller’s absolute highlights:

• Arriving by private plane then being “in camp” within only a few minutes.

• Visiting some of the local villages and seeing the happy children.

• Just enjoying relaxation down-time in the camp itself, sitting on the lodge deck watching the world go by (villagers and bird/animal life).

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Useful website links:

• Find out loads of information about the camps and Madagascar on the Madagascar Classic website information page http://www.madaclassic.com/information

• Madagascar Ministry of Tourism  https://madagascar-tourisme.com/en/ministry-of-tourism/

• South African Airways https://www.flysaa.com

• Air Madagascar (book at your peril, but no other options really for internal flights) https://www.airmadagascar.com/en

• Constance (Hotels) Tsarabanjina https://www.constancehotels.com/en/hotels-resorts/madagascar/tsarabanjina/

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