We have been there, we know first-hand the places we send you to.

Starting as a simple charter company in June 2008 MadagasCat Charters developed in less than a year into MadagasCaT: Charters and Travel.

 

Mike and Harriet Joao started marketing charter boats in Nosy Be but their clients were demanding - asking for help in planning far beyond just charters. They wanted to travel further, explore more and they wanted Mike and Harriet to do the travel arrangements. Unwilling to send clients where they had not visited they limited their accommodation portfolio to the few hotels/lodges they already knew. Due to huge demand from clients they took five weeks away from the office and travelled the north and the eastern parts of Madagascar in April 2009.

This added a number of great establishments to their portfolio as well as allowing them to experience, first hand, what travel conditions are like by road in these parts. It is for this reason that MadagasCaT is different to other companies - we know, first hand, what we are selling you and we do not have other destinations to fall back on. We work ONLY with Madagascar. Our guarantee of quality and service is a reality and not an empty promise.

Secondly, and probably most importantly, we put Madagascar's interests before our own. If you do not wish to travel with MadagasCaT - no matter; but please go to Madagascar. It needs your tourism - without it there may not be a Madagascar for future generations.

Places on MadagasCaT's Portfolio
Madagascar can be divided into many main areas but thus far we only specialise in the east and the north. We do not like sending clients to places we have not visited although we can do the arrangements if required. All the establishments and destinations referred to on this website have been tried and tested by us but in a few cases by our Ground Controller in Tana.

Over the years that we have been visiting this incredible country we have met many wonderful people. Some of these people have been brought on board and form what we call our Ground Crew. They are the drivers and guides who have offered us exceptional service. We are confident that our team is reliable and efficient - imperative when planning other people's dreams. They are Liva in Tana, Kekeh and Romeo in Nosy Be and the North, and Zina in the East. (see their pictures in the gallery on left).

Antananarivo, or Tana for short, is the capital of Madagascar and most people do not spend much more than a day here. This is a shame as it is a fascinating and beautiful city - the architecture reminds us of 18th Century France. But where you would expect vines or lavender there are vast rice paddies. In all parts of the city you will find man and zebu (oxen) hard at work in the fields with ducks and geese helping the progress of a healthy rice crop. Women do the washing on the banks of canals and children play with the simplest of toys blissfully unaware of the "civilised" world of electronics. The market here is the original "retail therapy" site and there are restaurants that would pleasantly surprise the most discerning of gourmets. Tana is a departure point for every other destination in the country.

Published articles by Harriet Joao:
No Sailing Experience required - from Travel Ideas magazine, Autumn 2008
Travel Ideas for Everyone
ARTICLE in STRATUS In-flight magazine - long informative article about MadagasCaT and Madagascar, by Harriet Joao.
ARTICLE on Madagascar Coup, from Sunday Times, April 5th 2009