Danielos Tony

First, a little information about me and the trip, in case any of it matters: I am a 35 year old female; I have travelled internationally before, though this is my first “solo” trip; Danielos led me on the most epic 10 day road trip: Tana > Tsingy > Andasibe > Tana.

On to the (very long) review: I had the opportunity of a lifetime – to choose anywhere in the world to visit for a whole month. I chose Madagascar and to split my trip in half: part volunteering, part strict tourist.

For what it’s worth, the best way to help a developing country is to be a tourist and spend money. Don’t volunteer, or bring non-monetary donations. I had a terrible experience volunteering, and though it did teach me a lot, I will never do it again and will forever advise people against “voluntourism.”

Wanting to help the locals as much as possible and experience “hidden gems,” I decided to hire a local tour guide. The alternative was going through a large company and in a group trip, though I did learn that the larger companies often hire out local tour guides, so they’re not all that bad… I wanted 100% of my money going to a local small business and to help the Malagasy economy.

I searched online for quotes from local tour guides. I received a few and decided to Internet stalk them (Facebook, Google reviews, personal websites, etc) to see what they were all about – I wouldn’t’ want to spend 2 weeks with a creep, be ripped off, etc.

Most of the independent guides (all male) seemed young, disorganized, and unprofessional.

Thankfully, Danielos had also responded.

Reasons I chose to work with Danielos:

1.He told me about himself with his initial quote

2.Professional photographs of himself, showcasing his authentically kind personality and confirming to me that he takes his job seriously

3.Photographs of himself leading clients on tours

4.Photographs of himself with female clients who look like they felt calm, comfortable, and like they were genuinely enjoying themselves

5.He owns a company he guides people through.

6.Fair pricing – for what I would have paid for a group tour, I received a fully custom private tour and stayed in some of the nicest hotels and went to wonderful restaurants

7.Communicating with him online was great. He is easy to understand, asked the right questions, and responded very quickly to my messages

8.I didn’t have my plan and specific dates set in stone. When I came back to him (I think twice) with a change in dates, he was open, understanding, and quick to come up with a new itinerary. I left the trip basically open to whatever he suggested we do, as long as we went to see the Tsingy de Bemahara. I am so happy that I did because I would have missed out on so much

9.I shared with him my worry of being ripped off or put in dangerous situations. He was understanding, kind, thoughtful, and genuine in his responses, which calmed my fears

All of the above reasons for choosing to go with Danielos were confirmed and validated soon upon arrival to Tana: he picked me up at the airport with his wife; they talked about and showed me photos of their children; and the last sentence of the tour guide services contract that we executed in the car reminded me of something my father would say, which helped to quell my fears.

He is considerate and sincerely cared about my experience in Madagascar. He checked in with me to make sure I was OK, asked if I needed or wanted for anything, let me know the itinerary day to day, was patient with all of my questions, and is extremely knowledgeable about Madagascar – Apparently in Madagascar, guides start on a smaller local level and then increase the regional size: local > regional > national > international. Tony is a national guide – he is able to take tourists anywhere in the country.

Oh, and he cares about the environment. He recycles when possible and makes sure to put trash where it belongs.

The cars, hotels, and restaurants he secured for my trip were all fantastic:

1.He hired professional drivers:

a.The cars were kept clean

b.We never got a flat tire

c.No mechanical failures

d.I had the option of playing music from my phone in the car (I didn’t have any so we played his, the driver’s, and the radio)

e.Working AC when we had to roll up the windows

f.We could stop whenever I wanted/needed: bathroom (“human not chicken”), photo op, just to stretch

g.I could charge my phone in the car if I needed to

2.He chose luxury accommodation:

a.I apparently could have asked for a more budget tour, I was surprised to find out that the majority of the fee I paid went to lodging and not his salary

b.Availability of various levels of accommodation varied by location – some places were SUPER FANCY, others were like a motel back home, all were clean and had fantastic employees

3.We stopped at great restaurants:

a.I wanted some “real” Malagasy food; Danielos told me we would try some at a local restaurant he trusts, who he was sure would cook the food properly, so that I wouldn’t get sick

b.We stopped in small villages to try street food later in the trip so that, if I got sick, the majority of the trip wouldn’t be ruined

c.I did not get sick once while with Danielos

Pro tips for road trips in Madagascar:

·Pack a ditty-bag with TP and hand sanitizer for quick access during roadside bathroom breaks

·Buy bottled water from the small villages (cheaper than at the hotels)

·Save the plastic bottles to give to remote villagers so that they have receptacles to keep the clean water that they retrieve from wells

·The east is always humid – it will take forever to dry clothes. Only wash your clothes while you're in the east if you have at least 2 nights and one full day for them to dry (yes, even with technical and quick/dry gear, ringing it out and rolling it in a towel to remove as much moisture as possible, it still won’t dry in one evening)

·The highlands are MUCH colder than I anticipated and will transition to very warm in one travel day – dress in and bring many layers

·Bring a good external battery pack and charge it up at night in the hotels to use when your devices start dying on the long drives (not all hotels have electricity all night though)

·Hire Danielos Tony to guide you on a custom tour