IMPRESSIONS Interview with Jaume Gaxas

Jaume Gaxas, our specialist in western Madagascar.

He traveled for the first time in 2004 touring one of the less touristic areas of the country, our Great South Expedition that goes through the southern cone of Madagascar from Tulear (Toliara) to Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro), an untouched coast full of small fishing villages and paradisiacal beaches. Love at first sight made him decide to settle in the country and take part in IndigoBe’s great adventure. Since then, he has been product manager and guide for special groups wishing to tour the west coast of which he is a great specialist and lover. Every year he discovers new routes suitable for very experienced travelers. We encourage you to sign up for our Prospecting trips, a unique opportunity to share an unpublished trip in Madagascar with our specialists.

jaume_tsingys

Why Madagascar?
Because it is unique

What is your favorite area of the island?
The West Coast

Are you a …. lover?
Off road driving

A smell?
Cinnamon

A taste?
Vanilla

A peculiar celebration you have attended?
Famadihana (return of the dead)

Your favorite restaurant?
Le Rossini in Antananarivo and Mad Zebu in Belo Sur Tsiribihina, I couldn’t name just one…. 🙂

A hotel that you highlight?
Isalo Rock Lodge, in Isalo National Park

A curiosity of the island?
It is home to seven different species of Baobabs

A beautiful word in Malagasy?
Masoandro (sun)

The best-kept secret?
A primitive ethnic group hidden in western Madagascar

Your favorite Malagasy dish?
Hena’kisoa Tsaramaso (Pork stew with local legumes)

Beach or national park?
National Park

A word or phrase that defines Madagascar?
Spectacular

A book?
The Baobab Man, by David Cantero

A movie?
Memories of Africa

Other destinations that have seduced you?
Argentina, the Danakil in Ethiopia, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado and the Redwoods National Park in the United States and all the deserts of the world !

A tip for traveling to Madagascar?
Doing it outside the high season, from December to April, is a totally different country.

 

 

Discover our selection of circuits

THE ISLAND CONTINENT
THE ISLAND CONTINENT
BEST SELLER MADAGASCAR
South + North + Highlands + Nosy Be
Group trips . Comfort . Wildlife .
14 days
2.995
REMOTE RIVER EXPEDITION
REMOTE RIVER EXPEDITION
EMBLEMATIC MADAGASCAR
East + West
Group travel flights included . Adventure . Wildlife .
BAOBAB EXPEDITION
BAOBAB EXPEDITION
EMBLEMATIC MADAGASCAR
South + East + West + Highlands
Group travel flights included . Adventure . Wildlife .
ESSENCES OF THE SOUTH
ESSENCES OF THE SOUTH
BEST SELLER MADAGASCAR
South + East + Highlands
Group trips . Comfort . Wildlife .
12 days
2.300
Following the Green Heart
Following the Green Heart
BEST SELLER MADAGASCAR
North + East + Nosy Be
Group trips . Comfort . Wildlife .
10 days
2.222
Sylvia Pallarès

Sylvia Pallarès #indigo_team

Co-founder and Marketing Director of Indigo Be, a travel agency in Madagascar that is pure inspiration. A space that combines creativity, passion and love for things well done, based on respect, balance and collaboration between people and their environment.

Since 2007 I have been permanently settled in Antananarivo, although my journey through the island began 4 years earlier, guiding travelers eager for new experiences in a destination that was very unknown at that time.

This chaotic city has seen my 8 dogs grow up, and 5 of them continue their journey... I brag about being a dog mom.

I studied photography at the Institut d'Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya and my work was reflected in several travel magazines. Art Director of Nomads Magazine and Director of Islands of the World magazine, both now defunct. Tireless traveler, I have had the enormous privilege of visiting places that I could not even imagine in my best dreams.

I have lived and shared the immensity of the desert with the Tuareg in southern Algeria, my host country for four intense years that brought me unique experiences and magical moments.

I set foot in Africa for the first time in 1996 and since then I have never left the mother continent. More than 20 years designing experiences, conscious and responsible travel that transform both travelers and destinations, including myself.

An unconditional animal lover and passionate about photography, I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Communication at ENEB.