I awake to the sounds of the Antandroy singing songs along the riverbank, just down the hill from my custom-made canvas tent outfitted with locally hand-carved four-poster bed, and me wrapped in a heavy duvet, perfect for the cold nights in Ifotaka. The locals farm sweet potatoes on the banks of the Mandrare River, which is seasonal and currently about 1 foot under at its deepest. I hear a "good morning" from our gracious host, Edward Tucker Brown, managing director for Madagascar Classic Camping (MCC). He is dropping off a jug of hot water for me. My boss and I are occupying the only two tents in camp this morning, the other 4 having been taken down after a heavy storm prior to our arrival.
EDWARD TUCKER BROWN; SISAL PLANTS AND BAOBABS OF IFOTAKA © Madagascar Classic Camping
In a country where running water is still a "unique selling point" of some, typically 2-star, accommodations, MCC's Mandrare River Camp and its English proprietor offer a breath of fresh air. Coming from nearly a decade of work in East Africa, Edward has brought with him a higher standard of "safari" that Americans are used to. Ironically, Edward's camp currently does not have running water (this will likely be changing as the camp evolves), but it's a different type of luxury that is on offer. You find this in Sub-Saharan Africa as well - luxury is not about running water, air-conditioning, plasma TV's, and Internet access. It is about location, service, food and accessibility to some incredible wonderment that you cannot find just anywhere. It is about comfortable adventure, but adventure nonetheless. You don't have running water, but before you can ask, someone is at your tent at first light with a jug of hot water for washing. A 40-litre hot "bucket" shower is there to greet you each evening. You are given the comforts you need. It's about exclusivity coupled with first-class attention, and every effort is made to see to your enjoyment. Forget DVD's and iPod docks, you have a rare biodiversity and the sights and songs of the local Antandroy people filtering through your tent at daybreak.
As I exited the crowded confusion of the Toalagnaro Airport on arrival, I met Edward - it was as if I knew him instantly: a youthful, believably English, very polite man wearing khakis, a plaid short-sleeved button down shirt and his trusty 9-year old boots. One of the first things I learned was that he was an avid surfer, which I knew would please my fellow-traveler (my boss and President of Cox & Kings USA, Nathaniel Waring) who had yet to exit with our bags. When finally ready to depart, Edward's first act of business with us, his only 2 guests for the next few days, was to buy an enormous, freshly-caught lobster from some fisherman in the airport parking lot - Toalagnaro, also know by its French name of Fort Dauphin, is a coastal town, so it's not rare that Edward has lobster in camp. That evening was one of the best meals of our journey.
Now settled into camp, I can see why one would venture the journey nearly half way around the globe, a further 1-hour flight and nearly 4-hour drive to get to Ifotaka. The people are my favorite encounter, always. There are only 2 lodges in the area - there is Berenty, which has been here for many years, a backpacker style, rustic lodge, and there is MCC's Mandrare River Camp. Locals are employed as staff, paid for guiding in the sacred and gallery forests, and invited into camp to sing and dance for guests a few times a week. You encounter them everywhere, herding their Zebu, washing in the river and nursing their sweet potato gardens scattered along the riverbank. This is their home, and it's a rare, genuine cultural experience for those with the fortitude to get here.
TRAVELING MUSICIANS; VERREAUX'S SIFAKA © Megan Bryant
In Ifotaka, you also find the wildlife for which Madagascar is known: lemurs, reptiles, birds and funny plants. The spiny forest is the main attraction here, and you will also find Verreaux's Sifaka and Ringtailed Lemurs, among other species. When you find one of these intriguing little creatures up in a tree, you feel like you've really achieved something special.
MCC's Mandrare River Camp is really the most characteristically "eco" operation in the south of Madagascar. It has a delicate carbon footprint, is run mostly on solar-charged batteries, is semi-mobile and is contributing to the preservation of vital ecosystems in this area and in a country otherwise ravaged by deforestation. By bringing interest and economic growth to this area, the Antandroy culture and their sacred, spiny forest, and the creatures in it, are strictly protected and preserved, there is employment for locals outside of the sisal plantations, and local goods and services are purchased by the camp.
To learn more, contact Megan Bryant at 1-800-999-1758. See our Mysteries of Madagascar private journey or our Special Group Departure preview for 2010.
