The great trip to Madagascar organised by Viatges Tuareg with journalists, travel agents and bloggers has now ended, and the whole team has returned home. It is time to reflect on the journey and discover a few more details of what it brought us.
Now we have the perfect opportunity to get to know a little more Carla, the winning blogger of the competition we organized to travel to Madagascar (#MadagascarConTuareg ), and hear about her experience of spending two weeks travelling around the great African island.
We will chat with her about her adventures, without giving away anything she will soon be publishing on her blog.
Thank you all for your support. Now it’s really happening… off to Madagascar! #MadagascarConTuareg https://t.co/TnoIibh49L pic.twitter.com/wRgsS6bkNq
— La Maleta de Carla (@lamaletadecarla) 14 April 2016
Carla, winner of the contest to go to Madagascar
We begin with a couple of questions about the competition in which she won her place.
All the #MadagascarconTuareg finalists were women. Was that chance, or is there a reason?
There are currently many women bloggers, I would say more than men and in this case I think that in total more girls than boys showed up, so it was a matter of proportion. Girls are warriors!
Which competition challenge stood out as difficult, fun, influential or memorable for another reason?
The hardest challenge was undoubtedly asking others for support. In two weeks, we had to collect as many videos as possible explaining why we should win. People were surprisingly willing to help, so collecting them was not too difficult. The real headache was condensing so many kind comments and funny clips into 5 minutes – I did not want my video to be longer.
So even though it was the most complicated, it was also the most fun.
My little lemur and I say hello! Just finished trekking in Antasibé National Park. #MadagascarConTuareg pic.twitter.com/4QrKD9Yb2d
— La Maleta de Carla (@lamaletadecarla) 2 May 2016
Did you expect to win? How did you feel on hearing the jury’s decision?
When I reached the fourth stage, I felt I had a real chance. They called while I was at work. I shivered with emotion and my legs shook. My colleagues knew I would hear that day; when they saw my face, they all jumped for joy with me.
Then I was too nervous even to type!
La Maleta de Carla in Madagascar
Within a few days of the end of the competition, all members of the famtrip to Madagascar departed from various Spanish airports with Turkish Airlines. Once everyone had met in Istanbul, the next flight took them to Antananarivo.
We want Carla’s first impressions, just back home.
What is your overall impression of the Madagascar trip?
It was an introduction to Madagascar, remarkably comprehensive for such a short time, but it left me keen to return and explore the areas we missed. Despite its brevity, I feel I learned a great deal about the destination thanks to the explanations of our guides from Indigo Be. They were undoubtedly a key part of the journey.
The best part of the Madagascar trip with Viajes Tuareg was…
The organization. Everything was so well coordinated and organized between Viajes Tuareg, Turkish Airlines and Indigo Be, allowing me to enjoy the destination fully. The highlights were having lemurs a metre away and challenging myself on the Tsingy trek. Though not difficult, it was my first via ferrata and was impressive! And the magical baobabs left me speechless.
An amazing sunset yesterday, sailing in traditional canoes on the Tsiribihina River. #MadagascarConTuareg pic.twitter.com/ph1HDzX1TU
— La Maleta de Carla (@lamaletadecarla) 9 May 2016
Are you happy with your blogging work during the trip?
Yeah. I got a data card to be able to tweet live (as long as the coverage allowed me to) and I was able to tell everything we were doing. In addition to the usual social networks, I have been able to do some Periscope (live video streaming) and Snapchat.
Have you had a good response from the audience that follows your posts?
Yes, the competition created such excitement that everyone was looking forward to seeing the trip photographs.
Do you think Madagascar was a good introduction to sub-Saharan Africa?
Yes and no. Madagascar could be a continent in itself, with such differences between north, south, east and west. People’s features in the east are more Asian, while in the west they are more African. Travelling here feels like discovering several countries in one. It is wonderful to watch these differences unfold along the road.
Have you ever traveled in a group like this before?
Yeah, but with other travel bloggers.
How did you get along with your fellow travellers?
Very enjoyable. The varied group included people from different parts of the travel industry, so I could absorb their knowledge, ask questions and learn from people who have travelled and written about it for much longer than I have.
Did you expect the trip to be harder or easier?
I had few expectations because there was little time between selection and departure, which I think is positive. The trip was not hard at all: we had time for local encounters, photography, wildlife, sunsets, peaceful canoeing and night swims in the hotel pool. The timing was excellent.
What do you think of the services we offer for travellers? Transportation, accommodations, activities, meals...
Excellent. Transport is essential in Madagascar, where roads are not in perfect condition. Roland, our driver, and the four drivers who took us by 4×4 were professional and knew the roads extremely well.
The route covered so many places that we experienced a variety of spectacular accommodation, often in the middle of nowhere beneath a blanket of stars.
Restaurants and meals offered plenty of variety and generous portions. We tasted island specialities including foie gras, zebu, prawns and banana in every form.
I have excellent memories of the activities, for the reasons mentioned earlier. Indigo Be's organisation and involvement — they know Madagascar like the back of their hand — made everything run smoothly.
A spectacular day’s trekking in the Tsingy of Bemaraha, one of the highlights of #MadagascarConTuareg. pic.twitter.com/RQhKgvfs7C
— La Maleta de Carla (@lamaletadecarla) 6 May 2016
How important is the guide on a trip like this?
Essential. On a trip where so many activities are concentrated it is essential to have someone from the place to explain to you what you are doing, what you are seeing, why things are one way or another, someone who answers your questions and clears up your doubts.
In a country as different from ours as Madagascar, a good guide gives access to unique places and closer contact with people through a shared language.
Do you think that with this duration you could have seen more, less, the same things if you had gone on your own?
No. I usually travel independently and enjoy planning trips, but covering so much ground and so many activities in 10 days in Madagascar would be difficult because of road conditions and limited regular public transport.
I would also recommend it for the reason mentioned earlier: with an experienced guide who knows the country, you can learn a great deal.
Did any unexpected problems arise during the trip?
No, everything ran smoothly.
Tell us some anecdote in Madagascar.
An anecdote or an unforeseen event, following your previous question: on the 4×4 journey to the tsingy, recent rain had left the road in terrible condition, with flooded sections to cross. Before each ‘immersion’, our driver got out, raised the filter with a stick and propped up the bonnet with a brush. A true professional who knew his vehicle!
What did you pack for a trip like that?
Comfortable everyday shoes, hiking footwear and sandals. Shorts for the heat and long trousers for trekking. Short-sleeved T-shirts, a windproof jacket and a fleece (it was already winter in Madagascar, though only the Highlands felt cold; the coast was deliciously warm!). Swimwear for the pool, a towel, sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
For technology, I took a hybrid camera with Wi-Fi, a mobile phone and an iPad.
What do you always pack?
The camera and mobile phone, undoubtedly.
Thank you, Carla, for your answers and your social media coverage of the Madagascar adventure. We look forward to reading the details and emotions of the trip on your blog.