Fantastic Madagascar, Oct 2019
– Lotta Sundström, Helsingfors Finland
Over the past 10 years, I have travelled on photography tours around the world with different operators, and in the autumn of 2015 I joined a four-week round trip in Madagascar—which truly sparked something in me. When I later saw that Wild Nature Photo Adventures was offering a trip with a real chance of seeing the aye-aye, or the finger animal, I booked immediately. And Wild Nature Photo Adventures delivered.
On my first trip, we flew between destinations, with all the logistical challenges that came with it—or rather, the lack thereof. With Wild Nature Photo Adventures, we travelled by car, which provided a completely different insight into everyday life in rural areas as well as the landscape itself. We saw extraordinary nature and incredible wildlife found nowhere else in the world, but also witnessed the consequences of human impact on the environment. I gained a deeper understanding of how the combination of extreme poverty and a corrupt government plays out, and how nature-based tourism can contribute to the conservation of Madagascar’s unique wildlife.
We were a suitably small group of six participants, meeting Jan Pedersen in Antananarivo. From there, we packed into a minibus that we used throughout the entire trip—comfortable, efficient, and with plenty of space for everyone and all our equipment. The itinerary was very well planned, the driver was carefully selected for the challenging traffic, and the driving distances were manageable. Because we could stop flexibly to photograph people, animals, and landscapes, the journeys never felt too long—we were able to truly take in the scenery.
The highlight was the nature, which we experienced up close at the lodges we visited. We always stayed several days in each location, allowing time to explore. Early mornings and late evenings meant photography at sunrise and even in the dark, giving us the chance to see nocturnal lemurs as well. Jan generously shared his expertise and ensured that everyone had the opportunity to capture great images. In the evenings, we reviewed our photos and received constructive feedback. It was fascinating to see how differently each participant approached the same subject.
Aye-aye – not a beauty, but highly adapted to its way of life. It was previously thought to be on the brink of extinction, but it has since been shown that there is likely a relatively viable population throughout the country—the aye-aye is simply very good at staying hidden. © Lotta Sundström
Selfie – the children were overjoyed when they saw pictures of themselves. Our local guide, Ghislain, takes a selfie together with the village children. © Lotta Sundström
For my part, there were several highlights, most of which involved the endemic fauna. Primarily the lemurs, and among them the opportunity to see and photograph an aye-aye. I was surprised by how unafraid many of the lemurs were—likely because they are not hunted in many areas. Finally, the fossa, which I only caught a glimpse of on my first trip—this time I was able to see and photograph it up close on several occasions.
The photo tour was exceptionally well structured and gave me far more rewarding experiences than any of the trips I have taken with other operators.
