Our Madagascar trip is live! + 👋 Survey closing!

Hi Reader,

How is your week going?

I am still in Malta where Xmas is a bit strange, to me, because it is not very cold :)

They have put up some Xmas markets in Valetta but they feel a bit artificial, since they are mostly about selling mass produced items or fast food, and not tradition. Malta doesn't have a tradition of Xmas markets, so while the spirit is there, it feels a bit like consumerism has taken over.

At the same time, I love the decorations in the street and the Xmas carols playing all around.

Every evening sees people strolling in the sparkly streets, laughing, holding hands and generally enjoying a more generous and warm time of the year. Nevermind that it is 15 C at night :)

📩 On this week's email

Our new tour to Madagascar is now live! This trip is part of the Pioneer series of tours that take you to the world's most incredible destinations like Ecuador and the Galapagos or Antarctica and that are designed for those who crave untouched nature and the wild world. I am so happy to be able to offer it once again. AND if you want to see what the tour was like, go follow us on Instagram stories where I will be sharing a behind the scenes of what we did and saw for the next few days
Last chance to fill in the survey. We are closing it in a couple of days so go fill it in now, we would REALLY really love to hear from you.

Our new Madagascar Trip is live!

Fewer than 400,000 people land in Madagascar every year.

Compared to the 90 million who visit France or the 4 million who visit La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona or the Empire State Building in NY, it is nothing.

It means that, on a given day, there are 1,000 people in the entire country. You can go a week without seeing any other tourist. To say it is an uncommon destination would be an understatement.

This is a pristine wildlife and nature paradise thriving with endemic species not found anywhere else, from lemurs to chameleons, orchids and birds, happy to make nature lovers' dreams come true.

Our tour is an luxury eco-conscious active expedition.

We will be hiking in the forests and parks looking for lemurs, zip-lining and abseiling, and spending time up and close with whales, shale sharks, turtles, lemurs, chameleons and more.

We will stay at luxury hotels, resorts and lodges on most nights, so you can retire to a glorious room at the end of an amazing day that won't even feel real.

We will also meet the women who make Madagascar special and learn about its local gastronomy and culture, shaped by Asian, African and European influences.

We ran the tour this year and everyone loved it. We have improved it a bit for 2027 by extending it by 2 days so we can properly enjoy the magnificent Nosy Be Archipelago.

If this all sounds like THE best holiday for you, continue reading.

>> SEE TRIP DETAILS & BOOK

The details

When: 20 September to 3 October, 2027

How long: 13 days / 12 nights

Who: Maximum of 11 guests, we are keeping this one small

Inclusions: 13 nights of accommodation and most meals, excursions, a local host and local guides at each of the 4 parks we will visit.

>> SEE TRIP DETAILS & BOOK

The highlights

Here's what you can expect on the trip:

1. Eco-conscious luxury accommodation

We will be staying at eco-conscious lodges and resorts that are low impact, respect the environment they are in and are sustainable to the local communities.

This means that some of the luxury accommodation will use solar panels and provide all the comforts in a way that does not abuse local resources.

Let the sea breeze lull you to sleep at Tsara Komba (pictured above), and the wind that blows in northern Madagascar wake you up in Ankarana. Our lodge in Andasibe National Park will be covered in the mist of the rainforest in the early morning and we will hear the call of lemurs. In Tana, the capital we will stay at the fabulosus Radisson Hotel 5*, with its infinity rooftop pool.

2. Island paradise in whale season

We will end the trip with 4 nights in Nosy Be Archipelago, a paradise for animal lovers, where we will arrive at the best time to swim with turtles and whale sharks that will be so close you could reach out and touch (but will not). See pictures below from the last tour.

We will also go out looking for humpback whales and curious lemurs will not be too far either.

Two of those nights will be at the luxury Tsara Komba Resort, with bungalows spread over the hillside with the most incredible views over the Indian Ocean. The best way to end a magical trip.

3. Perfect timing

Did I mention we have timed the trip perfectly for weather and wildlife sightings?

We have scheduled our trip to not only coincide with the whale migration but also with the best conditions to spot wildlife.

We will visit Madagascar during the dry spring season, when our chances of spotting chameleons (who hide in winter when it is cold) and all the different species of lemur are highest and hiking isn't hindered by muddy paths.

Temperatures should be warm in the north but not hot, and evenings will cool down a lot in the rest of the country.

PS It should also be the right time to see bay lemurs (spotted above) ;)

4. Culinary explorations

Malagasy food, like its culture, is a unique blend of Asian, African and European influences that helped shape its recent past and its traditions.

Throughout the trip, we have planned several opportunities for you to learn more about what this means with a culinary tour of the country with a female chef, market visits, a cacao plantation visit and lunch and several locally infused meals.

5. Luxury accommodation and comfort

Tourism infrastructure in Madagascar is incipient.

Roads can be bumpy and potholed and traffic in Tana is a nuisance. Domestic flights are limited and often change last minute. Short distances can take excruciatingly long to cover.

We will be traveling by plane, minibus and comfortable 4x4 cars with 3 guests to a car, so you can enjoy the journey as much as the destination, and observe life all around us on your way to the next spot.

We are staying at the best available lodges and resorts, often incredible properties in remote places that may be the most amazing places you have stayed at.

This is why we plan this tour 2 years in advance, to make sure the accommodation we have hand picked is available (sometimes the entire resort needs to be free for us to take over) and we schedule the trip at the most optimal time to visit.

If we need to wait 2 year for the stars to align, it is worth the wait.

See trip details and BOOK your spot

6. Hiking and adventure activities

This is an active trip, designed for those who love to be outdoors, hike in the forests, immerse themselves in nature and have a vacation where they get moving.

We will hike almost every day, for 2-3 hours, in thick forests, going off-path to get closer to lemurs and chameleons. We may slip and fall on our bottoms, and we may have to hold on to trees to pull ourselves back up, but we will have the best time in nature.

We have also built-in adventure activities such as via ferrata climbing, abseiling, caving and zip lining. And there will be plenty of time for water activities such as diving, snorkeling, sailing, swimming and more.

7. Get up and close to wildlife

This is a trip for animal-lovers, especially the friendly and adorable lemurs, endemic to Madagascar and only living here, and the funny chameleons, but also birds, reptiles, and more.

We will spend time tracking and getting close to them, observing them from the distance or from a few inches, listening to their morning calls and their jumping around the forest canopy.

This trip is like a walking safari and requires stamina, a bit of patience and a lot of excitement for seeing wildlife in its natural habitat.

8. Support women

In true Solo Female Travelers spirit, we will be supporting several initiatives that help employ women and provide them with economic opportunities.

We will visit a silk cooperative, a handicraft association that embroiders souvenirs for sale in the park, eat at several women-owned restaurants, employ more than 20 female guides at the parks and go on a market and cooking class with a famous female local chef.

If you are looking for your vacation to make a difference, all our tours aim to do that, and Madagascar will be no exception.

9. Incredible landscapes

As an island that separated from the continent millions of years ago, Madagascar evolved into completely different landscapes that can't be found anywhere else.

We will spend time in various eco-systems, from the red limestone and clay landscapes of the Red Tsingy to the sharp Tsingy of Ankarana, the tropical forests of Andasibe, the thick rainforest of Montagne d'Ambre and the white sand beaches of Nosy Be.

See trip details and BOOK your spot

What previous guests had to say

The tour was the most amazing trip of a lifetime experience.
The details that had been thought of was everything. Nothing was left to chance. I felt so cared for.

Tracy

There aren't enough adjectives in the world to describe my trip to Madagascar with Solo Female Travelers

Rebecca

Got questions? We have answers!

Reply to this email or book a time to speak to us live here.

Last chance to fill the survey!

We are closing submissions to the survey in a couple of days and we would really appreciate anyone who would like to join in and share their opinions.

Everyone's point of view counts and now more than ever, we need to continue working towards making sure Solo Female Travelers needs are understood and met.

Pick one of the 2 surveys below: