"Madagascar, South Africa & Namibia – Unforgettable experience"

My 5th grader and a small group middle school and high school students along with educators and a few parents went to Madagascar as a part of a school organized trip in Northern Virginia. We wanted to extend the trip for a total of 4 weeks (2 weeks – Madagascar/School trip and 2 weeks – Family trip with 2 boys 14 yrs and 11 yrs – South Africa/Namibia), and decided to work with Chalo Africa for the entire trip (as they were recommended by the school).

From start to finish – and they were incredible. They by far exceeded all of our expectations and went above and beyond anything we could have ever imagined. We are last minute travelers, so booking safaris and other unique experiences in such short notice is incredibly difficult to do alone. But they have many connections & contacts and were able to provide us with top notch accommodations in less than a month before our trip. We are not typical touristy travelers, as we tend to enjoy non-obvious type vacations that create long lasting memories and experiences.

Sangeeta listened to our needs and from talking to us – she suggested traveling to Namibia (which wasn’t even on our radar), and created an itinerary that fit perfectly with our travel style. She recommended that we participate in Rhino conservation where a group of scientists sedate the endangered rhino and perform rhino notching. I didn’t know what to expect, and had never heard of this before. I have to say that being a part of this experience of Rhino darting/notching is something our family will never forget. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

We received a leather bound journal and itinerary, information guides on animals – geared for the kids, a safari cross-body bag and binoculars. They provided us with detailed information about clothing, what to bring, what to expect, helped us figure out immunizations/shots etc. Madagascar was organized by teachers from the school and they worked with Sangeeta and her team to create the itinerary. My husband and my 11 year went to Madagascar and really enjoyed the trip.

We were also able to communicate with the team and the ground team through Whatsapp during our entire stay. Any questions or concerns were handled immediately. It was such a pleasure to work with them. Our trip was complicated, with several stays, flights, and requests – and I’m so impressed that they were able to figure it out in such a short time. I have already recommended Chalo Africa to several of our friends who were amazed when they saw our pics of our accommodations and destinations. We will definitely be using them again.

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