More testimonials (3)

Dear team Tanalahorizon,

besides that our travel to Madagascar was beautiful, rich in variety, well-rounded and adventurous (boat trip, all terrain vehicle journeys, hikes, overnight stays in tents, simple and upper accommodations), we would like to emphasize some things we felt very positive and extraordinary.

The tour guide is from Germany and accompagnies the complete travel… for many years yet. He loves and lives Madagascar. The main part of his fixed, experienced and knowledgeable team comes from the island and also accompagnies the travel. You can’t learn to know a country a better way, can you? In any case, we’re enthusiastic about this kind of traveling.

Also the flexibility to adapt oneself to the background of all travelers is so nice. For example, we only had 14 days of vacation for this travel, but the tour itself was planned for 18 days. No problem! Thanks to the team, the travel was reorganized after 11 days; domestic flight, THREE days rainforest in the east, amazing!


Where else can you find such opportunities in grou travels?
S I M P L Y A M A Z I N G !

Hello Thorsten and team,

During Go West tour, I’ve got so intensive insight into the country Madagascar I had never even dreamed of. Endemic plants and animals, very friendly and openminded Madagascans, picturesque and strange landscapes, so bizarre that they can actually only stem from the head of a science fiction author.

On this from A to Z perfectly organized photo expedition, everyone got his monex worth, no matter if he was bloody beginner or professional photographer. With a little chance, you find rare and astonishingly tame animals (I only say mouse lemur!). Small deprivations and sometimes exhausting trips are rewarded by dream beaches and unbelievable beautiful landscapes. What makes this travel an unforgettable great memory was the familiar atmosphere, that I felt from the beginning between guests, tour guides, boat people and drivers.

This travel became an unique experience due to the best people you can imagine to travel to this country of dreams.

Hello Thorsten,

back in reality we want to cordially thank you all and especially YOU. It were unbelievable three weeks with unforgettable impressions and unbelievable beautiful nature. Due to the different climatic zones, nature is very rich in variety and gorgeous. The experience with the lemurs and chameleons were indecribable and the children steadily keep telling us how beautiful and unique the whole travel was for us. The jumping whales and their waving flukes and the whale babies thrilled us utterly.

If one really is up to travel to Madagascar, he should do it with Thorsten and his team. Because I believe that you can’t get more beautiful and more individual impressions of Madagascar. Of cause we hope that we can do another travel with you.

Hello team Tanalahorizon,

the “Masoala tour” led me into rain and foggy forests in eastern Madagascar and offered fascinating insights into the rich fauna of the remaining primary forests of the country. The temporary efforts were rewarded by a variety of encounters, mainly with amphibians, reptiles and lemurs. Sufficient recovery phases and the cosy get-together made it a comfortable travel experience. Thanks to the small group and enough time for each object, photography opportunities were extraordinary and yielded a very satisfying gain.

Shortly said, an amazing experience for every nature and photography friend.

Jurassic Tour…

This sounded like a whopping of reptiles and jungle. And thus I decided after long research to travel with Tanalahorizon. I was only concerned that this trip would be compatible with the fitness level of a chain smoking woman in her early fifties. But Thorsten could still all my fears, and so I entered the flight Paris-Antananarivo with four others.


Already during our three week travel, I stated this would not be the only travel to Madagascar. I’m hooked by Madagascar’s uniqueness, its wonderful people and creatures, like so many before. Encounters with the 80% endemic animals are always highlights, particularly since you have to work for seeing them by doable, but exciting hikes through forests and fields. That’s pure wildlife – and of vital significance for species surviving. Because national parks can only exist with enough visitors, and the local guides nourish their families thanks to your visit. We travelers did not notice anything fom the ongoing political riots – but flora, fauna and the people suffers from the up to date lack of tourists. This kind of traveling shows distinctly and perceptibly that sustainable tourism brings good for all involved.

And the team? Simply said: A dream! Patrick and Mika are symbols of helpfulness in any way, and explain you everything that is to know about Madagascar, the animals and people. Of cause there’s also place to laugh. 🙂 For me, it was especially magic that Patrick offered me to take pictures for me on two journeys that exceeded my fitness level. Those were among the most beautiful of the travel. I meanwhile stayed in the camp and indulged in filming crabs on the beach. Also the other staff members of Tanalahorizon we met during the travel gave us the impression that you can entrust yourself to them unhesitatingly on any slope, in the forest and in the cities

Culinarily, you’re perfectly supplied during camping stages. Traveling chicken and cookers who prepare the best coffee of Madagascar – including breakfast, warm lunch and diner with meat, fish and everything else. All these things are conjured out of many baskets, no matter how solely and outlaying the camp is.

If Thorsten travels with you, it’s time for herpetology knowledge, and you can also approach him with sophisticated technical questions concerning photography. Which aperture do I need for the lemur ass up in the tree canopy? And which to use if it grabs a banana from your plate?


I’ve written enough – get an own idea of this magic island!

I’ve prepared a small multimedia show of my travel here.

Salama Thorsten,

We just came back from a wonderful trip to Madagascar. It’s all fresh in our mind, and our heart is still full of Madagascar. And it will stay full, such an amazing travel we had. Words can’t describe what we have been trhrough during three weeks. Just a few people even know where Madagascar on Earth is. And it ‘s difficult to explain them what Madagascar stands for.

We can tell them that the people are so friendly. Sometimes I felt so small between the poor Malagassy people who even opened their arms for us ‘rich’ white people. They are very curious about the tourists coming to their country. I wished my French would have been better to talk with them. The nature is even more amazing. The Malagasy don’t know what richdom they have.

We enjoyed a lot of the trips in the jungle of Ranomafana and Andasibe. It was great to crawl over the branches and under the trees to see some amazing animals like the lemurs and Indris. You know that we are amateur herpetologists and that we went to Madagascar to see the reptiles in their natural habitat. And we even saw more chameleons, and even a few Uroplatus species, which we even hoped to see. But that’s all thanks to the great guides you’re working with. Maurice in Andasibe was so professional and he did so hard his best to show us some animals. The nigthtrips with him were just great.
But especially thanks to tourleader Patrick, we had such a great time in Madagascar. He did even more than his best to show us what we wanted to see. I don’t know how many times we stopped to watch chameleons, how many hours we looked for animals during the night with the flashlight, he never seemed bored. And not only to find the animals he was the best, but to show us the country, the local people and local restaurants. He did really everything to make from this trip a dream travel. Thorsten, you really have a great guy there.

We will recommend Tanalahorizon to everyone who wants to go to Madagascar. And we will sure make another travel with Tanala in the future!

Hi Tanala and team,

I’ ve been always interested in animals and especially reptiles. I’m keeping reptiles (especially reptiles from Madagascar) in captivity as a hobby for 10 years now. But I always had the dream to see the animals in the wild. From Kurt, i get to hear that Thorsten was creating a special chameleon tour. I was directly interested!! My first trip to Madagascar was planned.

Well, this tour changed my life. It was so amazing, the people, the animals, and the beautiful landscapes! I had the idea to go for the animals (especially the chameleons), but when I was on the island, my interests were much more than only the reptiles. The people were so friendly!! And the amphibians and the insects, the plants, everything was unique!! I was sold!! My heart stays in Madagascar. And I did already know that the next tour was planned.

The second chameleon tour was also amazing!!! Beautifull areas with beautiful special animals. I made a lot of nice pictures. In those two tours, I had a lot of fun with the Tanalahorizon crew. Thorsten, Patrick, Naina, and the drivers are really cool people!

In the future, I’ll go to Madagascar again for sure, also with Tanalahorizon. Because I’m really sure this is (one of) the best organizations. Thanks Tanalahorizon for the great experience!!

Hello,

this statement is a little late, I know, but it took some time to realize all these famous impressions. It was a great tour through the Malagasy wilderness, first part by boat along a river through the rain forest was the best tour I’ve ever had. We have been a small group of three persons (all the best for Sabrina and Marcus) with an experienced guide, who was able to explain a lot of facts about the country, flowers, animals and the inhabitants. It was very impressive to realize that the needs of people could be solved by only a few goods in opposite to the European lifestyle. Amazing to get in touch with a country which is managed in rural and not industrial kind. The main subject for most people is surviving and get enough to eat for themselves and their families.

The final result persists: With Tanalahorizon, it was an amazing trip through another part of world, and it sometimes seems to be like another world.

Where is Madagascar, please?

By an fortunate accident, I learned to know Thorsten and quickly afterwards, I watched a picture/movie presentation from Beppo and Katja about Madagascar. This was the time when I decided I want to go there, wherever it may be. The main point was that I would be able to see and experience all those amazing things.

No sooner said than done – I was part of the travel. And I was not disappointed by Tanalahorizon. Right from the beginning, the group assembled harmoniously and we hat very much fun. Generally, fun was at the cutting edge of this travel. No matter which expectations one had, the team always tried to fulfill them. We did not notice anything from the riots taking place in March 2009 in Madagascar. We could completely addict us to the country and the people. Thorsten, Patrick and the other Madagascans were always helpful and on the spot. The Malagasy people is a very friendly and “curious” one. They loved to show or explain us something, even with hand and feet, it was pure fun. All around, it was a complete wellness, photography and adventure vacation. Sadly the time was over so quickly.

But I promise: Now i know where Madagascar is, and I will return to this island: THIS IS A PROMISE!!!!

Thanks to Tanalahorizon and the rest of this great team for the wonderful vacation.

Why Madagascar?

If you came across this testimonials, you probably already know that Madagascar has a unique diversity of endemic plant and animal species. A paradise for nature lovers, photographers and those who want to develop this art.


By default rather than by purpose I met Tanalahorizon. Lecture of his website and a personal call quickly convinced me, that I would find here exactly what I was looking for and what is rarely offered by other tour operators: Learn to know a new country and its inhabitants in a relatively short time, get interesting motives in front of the lens, intensify photographic knowledge, meet uncomplicated other travelers, flexible travel organization without too much stress, adventure and many, many amazing memories.


I was deeply impressed by the very friendly Madagascans and of cause by the large diversity of reptiles and amphibians. But even the various kinds of lemurs fascinate me. Especially far from well-known touristical paths, interesting encounters are guaranteed – human and animals.


Briefly and succintly: Madagascar with Tanalahorizon is worth more than one travel!

Hi team Tanalahorizon,

You know, the interests of an amateur herpetologist are to observe, keep and breed reptiles and amphibians under best possible conditions at home. At my place, I keep a few chameleons and so I had the idea, or better the dream to go and see them in their natural habitat. For that reason, Madagascar – with its fabulous biodiversity – was my number one destination.

Chameleons, other reptiles, amphibians, tropical forests, beautiful landscapes and white sand beaches… That was what we searched for, that was our dream. So we started to look on the internet to find an organization that could help us to make our dream come true. After a lot of research for a good travel agency we found one – “Thorsten”. Afther some mailing in which he asked us what we wanted to see, where we wanted to go, we got about making our travel under the name “chameleon tour”.

With his team we had in a space of two years we travelled together, a lot of fun on the red island, we’ve seen so many animals, special plants and met so much friendly people, that words cannot describe what we’ve seen on our trips.

My dream became reality, that was why I was so glad that I went back to Tanalahorizon. It was also great to travel with people who share almost the same interests.

Sansibar or the last reason – or yet going to where the pepper grows?

Well, I decided in 2007 to visit the pirates’ island – due to a random question: A genious presentation by Katja & Beppo about South Africa made me jealous and I spontaneously asked if I could accompagny one of their travels? “Of cause”, was the surprising answer, “next spring we go to Madagascar.”

This was how I met Thorsten, who organized the adventure tour. And his Madagascan friends Patrick, Mika & Co. The first travel was a tour to a marvelous nature and culture. I’ve never met so many friendly, happy people anywhere yet. Mainly I wanted to see the lemurs. But soon the whole country “captured” me with Thorsten’s guidance and organization. His enormous knowledge and empathy for Madagascar and the participants let every travel succeed well. In 2007, the tour had a lot of culture and handicraft. This way I gained deep insights into lifesytle and history of the Malagasy people (and also into medicinal herbs – stomach problem 😉 ) . Chameleons and lemurs are “inevitably” part of every tour.

An intensive photographic support by Beppo, Katja and Thorsten cared for unbelievable amazing pictures. Consequently I “had to” joint the next expedition in search of the black Indri in 2008.

Two desired destinations remain: The Southeast and of cause the paradisic place called Masoala. Now I’ve heard and read so much of it, that I will be on the road with Thorsten, Katha & Beppo for the third time this year. More ingenious that Alex and Esther from last year will be there, too. This guarantees excitement and fun!

Hello Thorsten,

it’s now some days ago that we’re home again. We absolutely enjoyed our 12 days round trip and beach holidays at Nosy Nato. We experienced Madagascar as a great country. Everything run smoothly and we could not imagine a better progress.

Patrick with his uncomplicated character told and showed us a lot, no challenge was too large. Nature with its plants and animals as well as the friendly people impressed us deeply. Patrick as guide and Hery as driver contributed with their sympathetic character to fantastic holidays. Thank you again. Traveling with you would be pleasure at any time again.

Dear Thorsten,

Some time has passed again since we came back from Madagascar… We strongly appreciated the travel, everything worked well (except our prolonged stay in Paris 😉 and we were very well guided and safely driven by Patrick and Dimby. The children (and of cause we, too) experienced direct and close contact to various animals. It was a real highlight that the lemurs had youngs on their backs!


So: Cordially thank you and a compliment for the good organization!


It’s quite possible that we approach you once again to visit the other regions of Madagascar (hopefully, there will remain something of the meanwhile depressing rare rainforest!). Even photographically, the travel was a full success, some pictures in attachement.

For sure not a onetime experience…

… because the next tour is already fixed for me. And this is how probably everyone feels, who once experienced and saw this island with its friendly inhabitants, the interesting animals and astonishing landscapes. And this was flawless possible with Tanalahorizon.


I was offered an organized vacation, which never showed any character of a holiday package. I enjoyed an eventful tour with many highlights, that never became boring. Three perfect weeks with a team, who always implemented professionally and easily the best for us, a team that merged together with the participants and was good friends after only few days. A time with a group of similar interests, but so different characters, who conveyed the feeling to have been knowing them for years after a short time yet. And it’s of cause clear that I arrived with a large package of “work stress” and relaxed totally in less than two days.


Many thanks to Thorsten for the whole tour and to Beppo and Katja for photography support, to Patrick for all the fun we had and the great organization, to Miko, Adolph, Odon and George for safe and entertaining off road drives and to Naina for the super-tasty meals!

Dear Thorsten,

I had the most wonderful privilege of touring with your colleague Patrick while I was in Madagascar this past January/February. First I want to tell you what a fabulous guide and human being you have in Patrick. He is so engaging and lively and enthusiastic about his country his people, and the tourists he is working with. His love and knowledge of Madagascar is contagious. He always took the time to stop for photos, bites of local food, explorations down little roads – indulging not only my own interests but adding his own experience. He was happy, funny, delightful and ever so knowlegeable about chameleons and lemurs and the landscape. It was such a pleasure to spend two days with him. The best money I have spent in years.

I had one weekend free in my entire stay. I desperately wanted to see some of the country and am a total beach and ocean child, but that was too far away. Knowing that the wildlife was fabulous and unique to Madagascar, I set my sights on a short trip to the forests of the Haute Terre, as far as I could get in two short days. My residence “the Lapasoe” contacted Patrick for me and arranged my trip to Vakona Lodge and the chameleon “farm” with a french name I can’t remember and the National forest to see the indri. I was packing it in and this was the chance of a lifetime. Patrick gave me everything and more than I expected. He arranged the whole trip, including a guide for the national forest (you see pictured) and the stop at the chameleon farm, which was fantastic. You can see by my photos how many times Patrick took my camera and insisted on taking photos for me to take home. He was so gracious and generous spirited. I have stayed in touch with him and really hope in my own way that I can help boost the American tourism to Madagascar. Word of mouth works well. I have showed my photos to many people and started to stir up interest in a little known country.

Dear adventurers,

who wants to experience (and not only see) and extraordinary Africa,
who wants fauna & flora at its finest and who wants an individually planned tour,
has to travel with Thorsten & Co. to Madagascar!!!


For me, Madagascar with you was adventure, wilderniss, culture, wellness, excitement, a great team, education and surely much more… And actually, holiday is not the right word for it, expedition suits it more. In any case: Unforgettable!


Indeed I still know what was “thank you” in Malagasy, but I can’t write it. So I keep it with the German version, ok?

Hello Thorsten,

I can really recommend everyone to dare such a tour with you. If one really wants to leanr to know people, animals, nature and the whole schmear, there is no other way. I’ve never come across such a diversity in vacations. Partially I had problems to come to terms with all the influences and charms. I just did not know where to look first, or even to smell.


What I liked the most??? Difficult question… actually the whole tour in Madagascar, except my stomach problems. And even those couldn’t really spoil me the adventure. At least we had you as good “nurse”, who cared for everyone well. A great praise to you, it is an art to assemble such a squad. Everything matched perfectly without ever being annoyed by anyone.


It all began really funny in the morning of the departure with Claudia. And since the airport in Paris with Karin and Thorsten, there was only good mood. I also especially liked that you yould explain everything about the country and its animals, and that you gave us an understanding of myths and history. And that we were interested in all this, can be easily seen by the big amount of pictures we made in only three wekks, and of cause by our outstandingung language skills.


Briefly worded, I had a lot of fun, relaxation, adventure and exercise and I’m more than only satisfied with what you offered me.

Hi Thorsten,

We just want to say we had a great time and most importantly that Patrick is the most fantastic tour guide imaginable. He was brilliant. He could not have gone to more trouble to make our holiday unforgettable. It was Antonia’s birthday while we were out there and his wife even made a birthday cake and he invited us to his home.


He is totally professional and a sweet, charming man!!! And thanks to you for organizing such a great vacation. We will recommend your company (and Patrick) to anyone we meet who wants to go to Madagascar.

Dear team Tanalahorizon,

There’s nothing better than being welcomed after a long flight by friendly smiling people. In the end of May 2006, my six year old son and I stood at the airport of Antananarivo at five o’clock in the morning and met Patrick, our guide, and Radu, our driver. Both are relaxed young men who are real experts of the country as we ascertained during the following two weeks together. As first action, they accompagnied us to change money and I was a millionaire in less than five minutes. Madagascan currency makes it possible. After one hour, we arrived in a small farm, where my son and I dared our first approach to the four-legged inhabitants of the islands: Orange coloured miniature frogs, chameleons of all sizes and colours, we even had a boa on our arms.


This way Patrick and Radu had adjusted our first program brilliantly to our wishes – respectively the preferences of my son. And this was how the days continued. Literally every minute we gazed at fauna and flora. We saw hundreds of lemurs, sometimes high up in the tree canopy, sometimes very close at our shoulders. I can lively remember the indris with their unbelievable loud crys.


We swam in freshwater lakes, gazed at crocodiles, laid at lonely beaches, hiked trough rainforests, enjoyed fat crayfishes, climbed lost castles or sailed on catamarans through the sea. The affectionate care of both guides was so nice. We always had something to eat – if you ever traveled with a child, you know the importance of this fact – and everything tasted excellent. Mother and child have become rice experts by now! Because in Madagascar, rice is part of every meal. Our car drives were accompagnied by gorgeous music – rap, pop, even German songs… what especially delighted my son. The hotels were witty and still comfortable. Before the diner, we played billiards, at cards or soccer together with the local youth, enjoyed short discovery trips or simply relaxed at the sea. Few tourists were on the road, which especially I loved and supported the sense of uniqueness. Our feudal and clean jeep drove unswervingly over any potholes without noteworthy breakdowns.


All in all, it was super exciting. My son and I felt safe and felt that we are in good hands every minute. I can only recommend to go for such a travel to everyone who wants to do an extraordinary travel…

“Holidays in my ear”

…this is how I call phoning with Thorsten from Tanalahorizon, and it was like this right from the beginning. Madagascar always fascinated me and after the first time “holidays in my ear”, i.e. the first phone call with Thorsten, it was clear that I will go with Tanalahorizon to visit this amazing country. During many, often hours-long calls with Tanala (that’s how Thorsten is called, too) I was asked to tell him my personal wishes and imaginings. I never knew a lot to answer to these questions. What do you expect from this kind of travel? Madagascar was far beyond my wildest dreams!


Madagascar is much more fascinating than I ever knew. Country, flora and fauna, everything seems to be unique and cast a spell over me. But my most amazing memories belong to Madagascar’s inhabitants. No matter if you’re in larger cities or the smallest villages, you mett sympathetic, openminded and unprejudiced people wherever you go, and they spread a special serenity. During our three weeks travel, we never someone somewhere experienced rush. Fortunately, Malagasy don’t let time influence them. Well, thus it was “moramora” (slowely, slowely) to be the first Malagasy words we overheard, and it accompagnied us the whole travel. At the beginning, it may be difficult to get yourself into this lifestyle and wait patiently half an hour for your drinks, because the waitress is chatting at the moment. But after some time, it is so comfortable to surrender yourself into this amazing country without time and stress.

We also had never stress due to the fact that Tanalahorizon arranged everything very well. There was always a solution for possible (and impossible) wishes and concerns. I never had the feeling to be stuck in an unmitigatedly organized tour with strict timetable. There was always time and place for our concerns and imaginations, and thus I had the feeling to be part of the tour and not attending a travel.

All together, it was just amazing. I cordially want to say thank you. It was so wonderful that I will pack my backpack in October of this year again and discover Madagascar’s north with Tanalahorizon. I’m really looking forward and count the days until I have Madagascar’s red earth under my feet again. To all those, who have opportunities and passion to travel to Madagascar unconventionally, I can strongly entrust Tanalahorizon. You can’t get closer to this fascinating country in three weeks!

Salama dear Tanalahorizon team,

I don’t want to leave my chance unexploited to thank you for the great holidays I had. Madagascar is really fascinating, but the tour became unique by the people involved and your lead. You made me feel not finding my way in my own flat for short, and made me having problems to sleep in my first night in my own bed again. I simply missed a mosquito net and the smell of burned mosquito spirals (completely apart from you guides!!!).

In only two weeks, I could switch off my every day life completely and addict myself to the fascination of Madagascar. :o) This is no problem at all with this individual support and integrated sense for service. An indri’s call in the morning is a thousand times better than any alarm clock in cold Germany. Besides all the animals I’ve seen in such a short time, I still today dream from the small paradisic island Nosy Nato.


Thanks to the fortuity that brought me to you.