Being confined is a concept we have all come to understand far too well, many of us having formulated plans of escape. We now individually and collectively know what it feels like to gaze out the window and daydream of lands near and far, inaccessible and out of reach. Spending a lot of time lost in our imaginations only to find ourselves in the same place, we create fantasy journeys in order to curb our travel appetite.
In a reflection of recently past and partially present times, while discussing and dreaming about our Madagascar tours, the JENMAN African Safaris team likened our experience to Dreamworks ‘Madagascar’ animation. Trapped inside a confined space and hungry for freedom; we could sympathise with Marty the Zebra and his penguin compatriots who scheme to flee from the Central Park Zoo.Â
Marty longs to experience the wild. It is an innate desire, flowing through his bi-coloured coat, meant for a life amongst a dazzle of Zebra upon the African plains. He lives restricted in space and options, desperately dreaming of lands faraway. One evening, an opportunity offers itself to Marty in the form of a waddle of penguins making their escape, a chance too good to miss. An unlikely trio of friends, a hippo, a lion and a giraffe follow him in hot pursuit, attempting to convince him to return to the zoo.
This does not go to plan, and in a turn of events all the animals go on a wild adventure, including an attempted pirate heist by the penguins with the intent to head to Antarctica. The discombobulated foursome of African animals fall overboard their stowaway ship and wash up on the island of Madagascar, a landscape unknown to their kind, even in the ancient corridors of their memories. However, they have survived this far and remain in solidarity through the next stage of uncertainty, faring the unknown as one.
Rainforests, jungles, beaches and shorelines are all a first for these furry friends. Pioneering new lands, they encounter a wilderness completely distinctive to anything they know with animals they have never heard of. They encounter lemurs, chameleons and brightly coloured frogs, winning their trust and creating lifelong bonds through adversity. They fall in love with the island as well as the quest for adventure, tasting the true meaning of freedom through experiencing the unknown, within themselves as well as geographically.
This tale not only made us yearn to explore the landscapes of Madagascar, but reminded us that travel gifts so much more than the destination. It teaches you to assume nothing and expect anything in the form of plans changing, forging friendships, celebrating differences and overcoming challenges. It made us remember how respect and resilience between friends gets you through tough times, riding waves together until the sea becomes calm. Furthermore, it was a reminder of the beauty of diversity, each creature great and small unique and important to the greater web of life.
Whether we are still seated in travel anticipation or we have been able to quench our thirst for adventure, we are left with a beautiful truth. The wild world remains to live free, as it should be, in all its glorious biodiversity.
Email us to sow the seeds for your future journeys, embarking on a wild African adventure. Escape to Madagascar, where a world of weird and wonderful awaits.
