Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute

I had the pleasure of spending 8 weeks with MRCI last year and it was a wonderful experience. I spent a few weeks in the village of Ampangorina doing some community construction work and then the remainder of my time with the marine conservation program, where I was able to get my PADI DiveMaster and learn about coral conservation, marine population surveys, etc. The location is splendid and the people are friendly. You're not going to change the world by coming here but you'll surely learn a lot. I also ended up with a few opportunities to teach english on Nosy Komba and Nosy Be. Headed back to Nosy Be on my own later this year to pursue some projects locally.

Kathelijn van Heusden, 23 (Marine Program, MRCI)

My four weeks at MRCI have flown by in a complete whirlwind of wonderful new friends, a heap of marine related knowledge and above all, many scuba diving adventures. As I was not PADI certified before joining the Marine Program, my stay at Turtle Cove on Nosy Komba started off with meeting my instructor Jacques, who I would be spending most of my mornings with over the first week here (lucky for him, somehow the Madagascan sun has turned me into way more of a morning person than I am at home…;) ) Being able to do my confined open water dives, not in a pool somewhere, but in the shallows of our very own beach has been amazing, and Jacques is a wonderfully kind and patient instructor. My fellow Mariners waste no time in filling me in on which are the nicest creatures to find on our reef (Nudi’s and Boxfish for the win!), their weekend plans on Nosy Be and how to make sure you can be first in line for seconds at dinner. Since we get the weekends off we plan a Whale Shark trip (Snorkeling with these majestic creatures should truly be on eveyone’s bucketlist) and an excursion to Nosy Iranja (A beautiful tropical island Jack Sparrow would gladly finish a bottle of rum on). I seriously am beginning to wonder why I even packed clothes for this trip as I am spending every day morning till evening in my swimsuit or wetsuit, participating in dives or on one of the many dry activities that are organised, beach cleans and turtle watch being two of my favourites. The time here flies by and you’ll find yourself wondering why you even booked a ticket home in the first place in no time at all…

Before this program most of my knowledge of the place came from the rather inaccurate movie Madagascar. The lemurs I had the opportunity to work with did not sing but oinked not unlike a pig. Obviously they didn't talk either. I loved them regardless. Despite it not being quite what I expected I enjoyed my trip in Madagascar. I learned the different species of frogs, skinks, snakes, birds, chameleons, and geckos present in the island of Nosy Komba. I got to conduct surveys on the wildlife present in order to aid forest conservation efforts. Not only did I feel that what I did was impactful but it was also extremely interesting and fun. The hikes through the incredible scenery, both beaches and forests, are experiences I shall never forget. The people, both staff and locals, were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Put simply Madagascar is amazing and this program was a great way to get there and learn about Madagascar (the place not the movie).

I was volunteering in the forest project for 4 weeks and I thought it was amazing. During my time here I got to see wild lemurs, chameleons, and tons of snakes and geckoes. We would hike on Nosy Komba in the morning, these hikes are though, but they are also beautiful and I think it was absolutely worth every drop of sweat and mosquito bite. I started studying my species before I got here, and that really helped me when I got to camp. It is so much more fun when you know what you are spotting in the forest and you also feel like you are doing more of a difference

The huts are basic, but that lets the ocean breeze in, which is nice on the warmer nights. The food is good and carb based. Most volunteers go to Hellville in Nosy Be on the weekends. Form there you can go different islands, se the sacred waterfalls and do some shopping, and much more.

My time spent on Nosy Komba has been unreal. As a marine volunteer, I would typically start the day with a dive along the reef about 100 meters off the shore from camp. After the dive there are typically dry activities, like data entry, turtle monitoring, or snorkeling available to the volunteers as well as activities with the other programs such as hikes with the forest program or construction and teaching with the community program.

Camp itself is an isolated location off the bigger island of Nosy Be. It is nestled on the beach with the forest directly behind it. The location of camp is perfect, and I enjoyed relaxing on the hammocks or going swimming on the beach. In addition to camp there are activities such as the sacred waterfall on Nosy Be, diving at Tani Kelly, and snorkeling at the beach of Nosy Iranja.

Overall my experience here has been great, and I would recommend this camp to all potential volunteers. A couple things to keep in mind is the weather during the winter months is still extremely hot and humid, and the camp is quite isolated with limited access to electricity and access to wifi.