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Emron Grover
emrong@gmail.com | Date :07-01-2014 13:01
This entry is a bit delayed, but I was feeling nostalgic for our trip to Madagascar. My partner and I went to Madagascar in July of 2012. We booked everything with Rija Tours and it was absolutely amazing. We flew to Morondava and spent 5 days working our way to and from the Tsingy, stopping at Kirindy where we saw a Fossa, and through the Avenue of Baobabs. Our guide was Rodrick, Rija's nephew. He was perfect! Great English, great personality, and really cared about us having a great time. The second half of our from from Tana to Andasibe, we had a driver who didn't speak any English. We had a bit of a mishap with a broken down bridge on the way up to Saint Marie island. It was difficult to know what was going on as he only spoke French, and my French is not much better than my Malagasy. We managed to make it to Saint Marie, and everything was booked as expected. Overall we had an amazing trip and would recommend Rija any day for an amazing adventure in Madagascar!

Krishna & Rudi Buhle
rkbuhler@tpg.com.au | Date :29-12-2013 19:12
Dear Rija and Jean Claude and Team - thankyou for the great memories. We made it home in August. Best wishes for 2014 Krishna & Rudi. We would like to send A DVD of the trip - where can we post it?

Gazelle5
mheathcote@hotmail.com | Date :03-10-2013 06:10
I have just returned from a tour which Rija organised for me to visit Andasibe, Ampefy and the surrounds. Rija was fantastic to work with and he took into consideration all my requests and made some great suggestions too. Every detail was confirmed and a contract signed before setting out, I would highly recommend using Rija Tours to anyone visiting Madagascar. Thank you so much Rija.ss

Bienchris
bienchris@hotmail.com | Date :08-08-2013 12:08
Nous contactions Rija par internet. Il nous présente ses meilleurs circuit: descente de la tsiribihina, tsingy de bemaraha, allée de baobab, morondava, tournée vers le sud et vers le nord. Il nous détaille la spécificité du circuit de l'Est de Madagascar pour Sainte-Marie, Manambolo, et le spectacle de baleines. Et nous choisissons le circuit de l'ouest: Tsiribihina et Tsingy. Visite de tsingy de bemaraha et fleuve de tsiribihina. 10 jours de voyages à Madagascar, c'est tout à fait genial avec Rijatours. Rija est un guide fiable à Madagascar. Aller avec Rija

Sarah and Richard Mo
sarahamorrison448@gmail.com
We visited Madagascar in August and arranged our whole trip through Rijatours. It was great. Rija responded promptly to all of my emails in the run up to the trip, even the ones where I was worrying about silly little things. Our personal guides, Angelo (for the Tsiribihina/Tsingy trip) and Mamy (for the South trip), were attentive, knowledgable and friendly. They found us good guides for the national parks and generally looked after us really well. We saw great wildlife and interesting culture. A great trip. Thanks!

Bryan Chen
bryan.chen@uts.edu.au | Date :09-06-2011 02:06.
Hi Rija and Mamy, My God I can't believe it is already June and I haven't written, but finally I am here. I went with my friend on a personally organised trip to Madagascar with Rija in December 2009 - what a fantastic trip, what a marvellous country and a stupendously hospitable people. Rija, without too much notice, put together a tailor-made trip for us from Tana south to Tolear. We saw extraordinary sights, lemurs of course. All the hotels were top notch - especially in Tana (keep it a secret!). And the beach stay at the end was just what I needed. Loved the train ride from Manakara up to Fia- you get to see the real Madagsacar and rub shoulders with real peple not just tourists. The guides in the parks were excellent and knowledgeable and the food everywhere was wonderful. All I can say is - go to Madgascar! - and let Rija organise it for you, you won't regret the experience. Thanks mates and best wishes.

Julie
serengeti2005@yahoo.com.au | Date :28-01-2011 23:01
In Dec 2010 I booked a 2 week trip with Rija and had a fabulous time. I simply emailed Rija with the places I wanted to go and he worked it all out for me, including internal flights. As a single female, booking an 'un-known' on the internet I was naturally a little apprehensive at first but quickly felt completely safe and relaxed with Rija's lovely driver Olivier. Olivier looked after me like a big brother. He was fun to travel with and nothing was too much trouble - even my countless photo stops. After the 6 days with Olivier in a clean comfortable car I then did a few side trips alone (but still organised by Rija). There was a seamless transfer to another short term car and driver to Ifaty and then flights to visit Morondava and Berenty. I was met punctually by a driver and guide each time and it all flowed perfectly. All the guides and drivers were happy to stop for me whenever I wanted and help me buy whatever I needed and were nice friendly guys. Rija has it all very well organised and I have no hesitation in recommending Rija Tours. Madagascar is beautiful and colorful -full of amazing scenery and cute lemurs and wonderful chameleons. I loved it!

Tim Stranske
stranske@gmail.com | Date :17-08-2010 11:08
I spent two weeks in Madagascar this summer traveling with Rijatours. They delivered everything that they said they would and provided excellent, personal care all the way through. The first week we spent trekking to the Manambolo river, and then being rowed down the river. The trekking was efficiently organized, and it was good to see life in a fairly remote place. Jean-Claude was our guide for the trip, and he is an excellent cook, which is very nice after a long day walking. I especially appreciated how well he worked with the porters (and the boatmen on the river) to take care of everything when we camped. Taking the local canoes down the Manambolo river was a very special part of the trip. Our boatmen had eagle eyes for spotting wildlife, and were careful to stop and allow us to enjoy some of it. Jean-Claude also did an excellent job of explaining local customs and practices. It was very relaxing to not have to do anything all day except for look at wildlife and enjoy the river. Because the river is shallow (although it is usually very wide) you need to get out and walk in the river at times, but this was never a problem for us. And again, Jean-Claude did an excellent job of cooking. We had the best zebu of our trip the last night we camped along the river. Camp sites were on sand bars in the river, and we had some of the nicest views of the Milky Way I've seen at night. During the second week we left the river and visited the Tsingy, Avenue of the Baobabs, Morondava and Belo Sur Mer. Rijatours did a good job of picking out places to stay that were nice, even though we didn't pay a fortune for the trip. The Tsingy are amazing, and Belo Sur Mer is a very slow-paced, relaxing place to finish a trip. Jean-Claude helped us to arrange a day trip out to two small islands, on one of which quite a few families live for the winter by fishing (even though there isn't water on the island and they have to bring it all from the mainland). At the end of our trip we hadn't paid close enough attention to our schedule, and so had about a day to spend in Antananarivo. We asked if we could pay extra and have someone to take us around town, but Rija arranged this for us free of charge. All through the trip I especially appreciated how Rijatours did what they said they would do and didn't do anything to encourage us to spend extra money. Providing an English speaking driver free of charge at the last minute was a very nice gesture. If you are looking for someone who will keep their commitments, provide knowledgeable guides (and if you want someone who is a good cook too ask for Jean-Claude) and who will allow for a great experience of Madagascar, I can strongly recommend Rijatours.

Arlene Mattera
arlene.mattera@earthlink.net | Date :26-05-2010 08:05
My boyfriend and I just returned from a truly amazing trip to Madagascar. We arranged our Madagascar trip through Rija Tours. I highly recommend Rija. He took great care of us, and his prices were considerably less than all the other travel services we investigated. We spend three weeks traveling in Madagascar. It is a really large island and roads are a challenge, so my advice is to plan plenty of time for getting from one place to another. Our trip included visits to the National Parks in Andasibe, Bemaraha, Isalo, and Ranomafana, and visits to the private park at Anja (well worth the visit), and the towns of Ambalavao (paper making), Ambositra (wood carving), and Antsirabe (stone market). The National Parks are fantastic and the guides were incredibly knowledgeable. Climbing the Grand Tsingy at Bemaraha is a once in a lifetime experience and worth the long trip involved in getting there. If you would like any additional information regarding our experience, please feel free to contact me (arlene.mattera@earthlink.net).

Paul and Erin
erin_h26@hotmail.com | Date :2008-06-30
We found Rija to be a professional and friendly guide who had our trip well planned during our recent two weeks in Madagascar. It would be hard travelling in the more remote regions without a reliable guide who can speak both your language and the native Malagasy, and we found that Rija and Angelo helped us to enjoy the experience by bridging the cultural and language divide. Rija also seemed to have a lot of local contacts and friends in the areas that we travelled and looked after them (e.g. delivered rice to remote river villages after a cyclone). You really have to place a lot of trust in your guide, a daunting task with someone you have never met before in a developing country, but we found Rija reliable and honest and we were comfortable with everyone he employed along the way. NB - ask Rija to organise Richard as your driver if travelling between Antananarivo and somewhere else without Rija. Richard is a cool dude, and though he speaks mainly French and Malagasy, is a really nice and flexible bloke who will also make your trip enjoyable. He is also always spot on time if this is important to you, something not so common in \'Mora Mora\' Madagascar. Thanks for a great holiday Rija (and Anglelo, Richard and Mame). Paul and Erin from Australia.

Carole et Christophe
carole.beloeil@free.fr | Date :2008-05-19
Nous revenons de la route du Sud avec Rija tours 9 jours entre fin avril et le 6 mai de Tana à Tuléar en passant par Andasibe, et Ifaty. Guidé par Naivo, nous nous sommes régalés, bien marrés avec Naivo, qui nous avait concocté un programme sur mesure et nous guider dans les restos les plus sympas, ou autre lieu de pique-nique. Du sur mesure, je vous dis ! Il connait les guides dans chaque parc, afin d\'avoir les commentaires d\'un guide expérimenté, sans avoir à attendre. Le timing a été super respecté. Vraiment vous pouvez leur faire confiance en toute sérenité. Pour un rapport qulaité prix excellent, vous pouvez ballader en amoureux par exemple dans la super nouvelle 406, sans vous sentir obliger de partir pour + cher en groupe. A faire !

Hannah and Sarah
hannahsumm@hotmail.com | Date :2008-05-06
We toured with Rija for 7 days to the west. It was the perfect way to experience Madagascar. Rija is very knowledgable and taught us everything about the culture and the wildlife. He also organised another shot trip for us with a friend of his to the east so we could see one of the national parks. Madagascar is beautiful and our trip was hassle free thanks to Rija.

Bernard et Jacquelin
jberfaure@free.fr | Date :2008-01-23
Que dire de Rija? Souriant, sérieux(presque trop), efficace, professionnel... Avec lui, dès l\'aéroport nous avons commencé à découvrir Madagazcar, les premiers mots idispensables,ses moeurs, charme de ses habitans. Tout au long du voyage en pirogue; Très attentif, il sait raconter son île, les histoires et petites histoires du pays. Des connaissances sur la faune et la flore(nom latin en plus!)est tres grande, est cerise sur le gâteau. Très bon cuisinier, filets de zébus grillés, poulet sauce, poisson sont ses spécialités. En bref un séjour inoubliable avec un ami incotournable. Merci Rija. Jacueline et Bernard.

Bart and Tim
tim.heupink@gmail.com | Date :2008-01-16
Ook wij hebben erg veel plezier gehad van de reis door Madagascar. Eind vorig jaar begonnen wij (twee studenten) onze reis met een toer van Rija, aangezien wij erg weinig ervaring hadden met reizen was het geweldig om een gids te hebben voor de eerste week. Wij kozen voor de reis over de Tsiribihina met de kano, hier hebben we erg goede herrineringen aan over gehouden; de locale mensen waren erg vriendelijk en de natuur is adembenemend. We hebben tijdens onze reis veel landen en streken bezocht in Afrika, maar Madagascar was toch wel het meest indrukwekkend, met weinig toerisme of westerse invloeden is het een geweldige ervaring. Wij raden het absoluut aan om met Rija een reis te maken. Awesome trip Rija! :grin

Pam & Frank Smith
pam.smith55@ntlworld.com | Date :2008-01-13
Had an amazing trip for a month in October 2007 with Rija as our extremely helpful and informative guide. We travelled along the Tsiribhina river with Rija who kept us informed and delighting us with his tasty cooking. He then left us in the capable hands of one of his tour guides Mamy who was extremely entertaining and informative. A really enjoyable trip throughout. Would definitely recommend Rija tours to anyone visiting Madagascar. Rija also went out of his way when disaster struck. We lost a large sum of money and he went to great lenghts helping us retrive it and when this failed he made sure we had a police certificate for our insurance. This was no easy feat in Madagascar and took up a lot of Rija time and effort. We were extremely grateful to him for this. He gave 100% and more!! Thanks again for a fantastic trip. Hope to see you again in the future. Pam & Frank Smith (England) :)

Sara and Giulio
sdagostini@scarlet.be | Date :2008-01-11.
Dear travellers, in november 2005 we spent two weeks in the wonderful \'Red island\'. We spent only 8 days with Rija in the wonderful tsibirina river, with a visit to the tsingy. we have travelled to several countries around this big world but Madagascar remains the best trip ever. Thanks to Rija, we were able to forget completely about who we are and be totally immersed in the nature.Madagascar is still avery authentic country, and with him you can enjoy every moment of your trip. Rija is not only a reliable and very knowledgable guide, but became also a good friend. I strongly reccomend rija tours to all of you . I posted some pictures of the trip in www.flickr.com/photos/sarazen Thanks Rija you are a great guy!!!!Good luck Sara & Giulio Bruxelles

Luke Skinner
lukeskinnerr@hotmail.com | Date :2008-01-10
Easily the most amazing holiday in my life. Couldn\\\'t have asked for a better guided experience through one of the most stunning countries in the world. Thanks so much Rija, you are a legend! I\\\'ll be back...

Martijn
mpwillems.net@gmail.com | Date :2008-01-04
Rija is an excellent guide for anybody who wants to explore Madagascar! In may 2007 we have had a great time on the Tsiribihinia River / Tsingy trip with Rija. Have a look at http://www.mpwillems.net for pictures and a travelogue (in Dutch) about our tour with Rija

Sophie and William C
sopdinkel@yahoo.com | Date :2007-12-29
We spent a wonderful month in Madagasacar on our honeymoon. Rija organised the first part of our stay there with a memorable river trip on the West Coast of the island near his home town of Morondava. We then spent the rest of our time climbing through the central highlands and visiting the islands off the East coast. Rija was a fantastic guide and extremely knowledgable. We felt his tours offered a much more relaxed and authentic Madagascan experience than some of the other tour companies and Rija was definitely more competitive price wise. My abiding memory will be paddling down the river at sunset listening to Rija singing John Denver\\\'s \\\"Take Me Home, Country Roads\\\"...Good Luck with everything Rija. With Love Sophie and Will

Henny Lafleur & Miek
hamlafleur@home.nl | Date :29-12-2009 11:12
We want to thank Rija and his team for the unforgettable effort they gave to make our trip so good. Rija organized our Madagascar travel for four weeks in Nov/Dec 2009, even the domestic flights. First we did the river trip in the West and visited the Tsingy with Rija himself. He's a very good cook even for vegetarians ! Later we travelled from Toliary to Soanierana Ivongo with Mamy, one of his drivers. They both are very experienced, friendly and helpful. We know there are also other tour operators Madagascar that might be good but we can only speak of our own experience and we must recommend Rijatours. You will not regret it! If you want more information about our trip with Rijatours you can mail us hamlalfleur@home.nl The Netherlands

Michal & Alena
nekula@seznam.cz | Date :2007-12-07
We spent three weeks in Madagascar during 09-10/2007. Most of the time we were accompanied with Rija\\\'s guides and I must tell that these guys (Jean-Claude, Dyna, Arsene & Mija) work very professionally. During our three trips (Tsiribihina+Tsingy, Ranomafana NP, East Coast) we got loads of new information that massively exceeds standard picture of an ordinary life on the island described in Lonely planet books and much more. Last but not least - since knowledge of french remains essential in most areas, you won\\\'t come in trouble as all Rija\'s guides speak very good english.Thanks!

Jelle en Magali
jelleclement@gmail.com | Date :2006-11-01
Salame; October 2006 is marked as wonderful in our memory. Looking back we couldn\'t have made a better choice then let Rija help make our trip to Madagscar worthwhile. Not only is he a great cook (with enough food!!), he also appeared to be recognized as an authority by other guides. His knowledge on both fauna and flora made it more then just a lovely trip.

Rolf Tore Thomassen
rolftt@student.sv.uio.no | Date :2007-01-01
Together with a friend I had the great pleasure of visiting Madagascar from December 24, 2006 to Januray 8, 2007. The idea of how to do the trip and organize the whole thing was inspired by a great description of a tour that we found on http://www.8thcontinent.nl . On this site there is a superb diary including pictures from journeys to Madagascar. We found it very inspirational and started planning a route. We took the advice from the site and I contacted the guide Rija at www.rijatours.mg, in order to organize something similar. We suggested a route to him based on what we thought would be interesting to see, and Rija had his suggestions based on his experience. Together we reach an agreement. His suggestions turned out to be very good. He was also very flexible when we came to the issue of money, so we easily reached an agreement. He also booked our inland plane-tickets, and gave superb advice on hotels etc. He is knowledgeable guide, and he even turned out to be a great coock and a skilled reflexologist. I would recommend contacting Rijatours. We felt completely secure and relaxed with them. They were relaible, friendly and full of knowledge about the country, its people and the nature. It would have been impossible for us to organize what he did, and to experience what we did without him. In short - we went for a trip on the Tsiribihina River, stayed in Morondava, flew to Toliary and spent some days at Ifaty Beach, and from there we went over land by car visiting national parks Isalo and Ranomafana before ending up in Tana. The trip on the river is absolutely a must. Its simply fantastic, and you will get real close to both people and the nature. My friend and I have travelled a lot over the world, and have to say our journey to Madagascar was the best experience so far. The island is stunningly beautiful and the people are welcoming. It's a wonderful country. Don't miss it! Rolf Tore Thomassen Oslo, Norway

Rolf Tore Thomassen
rolftt@student.sv.uio.no | Date :2007-01-01
Thank you very much for the fantastic trip in Madagascar in December 2006 and January 2007. Rija took very good care of us at the river, which was an extraordinary experience! He organised everything concerning the trip, he was a great guide, and he also cooked the best meals. Dina was our driver and guide on the last part of our trip, and he was both excellent and interesting company. To all you that might read this and are thinking of going to Madagascar: I strongly reccomend Rija. He will take care of you in the best possible way , and so will Dina. This is a very thrustworthy and realiable company, that will fix any problem you might have. We felt very secure with them, and we learned a great deal about the country. So we will go back to Madagascar again. Its a fantastic country. When we go there next time it will absolutely be with Rijatours. Thank you for your excellent and friendly service.

Fiona
fiona_green@handbag.com | Date :2006-11-01
We spent 3 weeks in southeast Madagascar in October and November 2005. We went from Tana down the Tsiribhina River, the Tsingy de Bemehara, then flew south to Tulear from Morondava and then up via Isalo, Andringtra and Ranomafana to Tana, and then off to then to Andasibe.We\'d definately recommend him as a guide - he\'s organised, trustworthy good company, and speaks excellent English. Don\'t be put off if his itinery doesn\'t match exactly what you want to do - he seems happy enough to modify them to fit your requirements. Rija is pretty thoughtful, and without being a heavy number about it he ensures that much of the money you pay is distributed through the local community during your trip - by hiring local drivers, boat men etc, sharing medicine with locals along the river etc.We travel extensively, and I was a bit \"luke warm\" about the prospect of having a guide and driver as I was worried about loosing a feeling of freedom. In practice this wasn\'t a big issue with Rija - and he never seemed to get tired of my requests to stop for photos (many of which I notice on this site - if you want to see more try www.wildernessphotography.co.uk!)One more tip - if you\'re visiting the South East I REALLY recommend Andringta National Park - not on his standard itinery, but easilly incorporated into it. Beautiful place - even more so than Isalo.

Tom and Kim
tom.delfos@orange.nl | Date :2006-12-02
Rija organised our whole trip through the fantastic landscape of Madagascar, including the Tsiribihina river and Tsingy. We did and saw everything we expected en had the best holiday ever. Rija and his helpers were really good company. Best regards, Tom and Kim

3William en Suzanne
smb75@dds.nl
Rija tours arranged the Tsiribihina river trip and a visit to the TSingy Bemaraha for us. Three days on the river and in a pirogue is very relaxing. The landscape changes during the trip and is very fascinating. The night at the sandbanks is special. The TSingy is an unique landscape. The grande Tsingy was very quiet, there were no other visitor. After he walking and climbing we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the Tsingy. Rija takes care of you very well. The whole trip is well organised. The transport is very good and during the trip he takes care of good food and drinks. The travelling was very efficient; sow could see a lot of things is short time. Travelling with taxi-brousse wand haven taken much more time! Rija knows a lot about the nature, the culture and the history of Madagascar. During the river trip he was cooking very good meals for us. Rijatours is 100% Malagasy, so you support the local inhabitants instead of a foreign tour operator. We had a very good trip. Thanks Rija! Veloma! William en Suzanne(Amsterdam, Netherlands)

2joshua.hardie@edcoms.co.uk
We had a great time with Rija for two days and hid colleague Dina for five. they were friendly, informative and efficient, and madagascar is fantastic. very much recommeded

Groetjes
1ebrock@zonnet.nl
Hi Rija. Great website!! Thank you very much for your fantastic guidance during our Honeymoon in Madagascar. We had a wonderful time. There is soooo much to see in your country and we only experienced so little of it. This means that we will definately have to come visit again. We loved the river trip and interacting with the people in the west. The east with the rainforest and hiking and especially the indri was also fascinating. Although the east coast is more commercial we still loved every moment of our final week on St Marie, Ile aux Nattes. Hotel and Restaurant Maningory can definately be recommended. Some peace and quiet before returning to the Netherlands. Wij wensen jou en je familie heel veel geluk toe. Met zo\'n mooie website zul je het vast erg druk gaan krijgen. Heel veel succes met de leren van de Nederlandse taal.