About Indri
Our name Indri is taken from the largest lemur species native to Madagascar. This stunning mammal represents a wonderful example of the spectacular wildlife that we attempt to seek out, and a close encounter with an Indri family unit on this exotic island deservedly ranks as one of our “ultimate wildlife tours”. (Indri is in fact a corrupted version of the Malagasy word “iry” meaning “there it is” – the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat once heard a Malagasy pointing out the animal and took the word to be its name.) In our quest to showcase the world’s iconic mammal species, we hope for many such “there it is” moments as we view yet another splendid mammal on one of our tours!
Our tour leaders are all passionate about mammals and wildlife in general, and are accomplished tour co-ordinators who truly thrive on sharing their wildlife experiences with others. Amongst our team are some of the region’s top guides; and, despite our relative youth, we all have many years of field experience between us, including a wide range of mammal, reptile, birding, amphibian, botanical and cultural expertise. Our team of guides is further complemented by the world’s top mammal experts who co-lead some of our tours. Wherever possible, we also make use of community guides.
Our office in Cape Town, South Africa, has expanded in synchrony with the rapid growth of Indri and Rockjumper Birding Tours (our sister company) in order to keep abreast with the complex arrangements that efficient and organized traveling requires. You will find that your questions will be gladly answered, and with our friendly staff you will see that booking with us is nothing but a pleasure. We do our utmost to ensure that all your requirements and requests are met; whether before, during or after your tour with us.
Our tour costs are very reasonable and we offer excellent value without cutting corners. Our policy is not to earn huge mark-ups on any particular departure but rather to build a dedicated client following who return to travel with us on a regular basis. All prices are quoted in US$: pp refers to “per person” and ss to “single supplement.”
Our tour leader to client ratio is probably the lowest in the mammal safari industry, with most of our tours having a maximum of 6 to 8 participants, thereby offering a very personalized experience. For some destinations, however, larger groups are essential, and on these tours we provide two leaders with an absolute maximum of 14 participants.
Our scheduled departure tours are designed for the keen nature lover who wishes to maximize the wildlife experience without feeling rushed; although the pace does vary from tour to tour. While most departures are focused on finding a particular special mammal, be it Giant Panda, Mountain Gorilla, Jaguar, Blue Whale etc, other mammals are certainly not ignored and we always attempt to observe as many animals as feasibly possible. We include the outstanding highlights of every destination that we visit, be they ornithological, botanical, scenic, historical or cultural. Furthermore, we use only the most appropriate and superior accommodation available, but usually we don’t go above a 4-star rating in order to avoid extravagant costs. We have also introduced a range of Platinum tours with luxury 5-star accommodation ratings that our standard tours do not usually include.
Our customized private tours are for private groups and individuals and comprise over half the tours that we operate. Our office is highly proficient in planning any type of tour, be it chasing a few tough species for the more hardcore mammal watcher, a relaxed family vacation or a big-game safari almost anywhere in the world. We are indeed very flexible and versatile in this regard, and strive to do our utmost to realize your dream vacation according to your specific personal requirements. Our private tours are also excellent value for money and can be arranged for single individuals or large groups alike.
Our conservation initiative includes activities undertaken by the Indri Conservation Fund. A portion of all the fees from each tour sign-up is used solely to conserve the mammals that bring so much fulfillment and joy into our lives.
