Sustainable development

The Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge is a showcase for the concept of Caring Luxury: creating magical moments in a special and magical environment, giving its guests the possibility to relax and enjoy themselves as close as possible to nature and benefiting from top of the range services, attentive staff and assistance, while also respecting the local environment and populations.
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Caring Luxury is a state of mind, an art of living and a very real philosophy driven by an ethical vision based on the strong conviction that the comfort, wellness and happiness of our guests can be successfully combined with respect for the dignity of the local population and an uncompromising approach to environmental protection.
A determination to propose a level of luxury which upholds the values of rarity, authenticity, respect, elegance and discretion.

To protect and preserve this precious environment, the Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge has developed a number of eco-responsible, community-spirited and socially-minded initiatives.

Construction

Some 90% of the materials used are ecological: locally grown wood and plant varieties, flat stones, granite and slate, Ravinala leaves for the roofs.

Energy

There are no televisions or telephones in the lodges. Solar energy is used for the hot water and an Internet connection is available in the main lodge. Water travels down by the force of gravity from the spring to the lodges. The fishing activities are also environmentally friendly: 100% of the fish are line-caught in dugout sailing canoes.

Recycling

Strict compliance with recycling procedures for metals, plastics, packaging and waste. Glass bottles are reused by local rum producers.

Trade

Fair trade with local producers (vegetables, fish, fruit, miscellaneous supplies, etc.), using local labour and craftsmen.

Water

The island’s water is a precious asset and we respect it by using biodegradable detergents. The guests are also advised to use water sparingly. This comes from a natural spring. The waste water is also subject to natural filtration and then used to irrigate the gardens, which are also nourished using compost produced on-site.

Social aspects

Almost all of our employees are inhabitants of the neighbouring village. We provide high quality training and healthcare provision for our team through the creation of a health fund specific to the hotel in addition to the local social welfare measures. At the Tsara Komba Lodge, social responsibility is a day-to-day reality.
A genuine local economic powerhouse, the Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge works to ensure that the living conditions of isolated populations improve and that progress is achieved with efforts in the field of nature preservation and social well-being.

We believe that our guests and travellers in general are all stakeholders in the sustainable development process.
Their stay at Tsara Komba Lodge provides an opportunity to meet another culture but also to take part in its activities, its survival and harmonious development.

Des Villages et des Hommes

As the leading partner of the NGO “Des Villages et des hommes”, Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge supports the following projects:the construction of 25 new homes, toilet blocks, an infant school, access to water, healthcare and education in the nearby village of Antrema.

In the Zafimaniry area on the high plateaux, newbuilds and the renovation of historical homes, produced entirely from wood and carved using ancestral techniques, with this know-how being listed as World Heritage by Unesco…

Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge also organises charity events to raise money to finance the humanitarian projects run by the NGO Des Villages et Des Hommes. As an example, in January 2013 an exhibition followed by an auction was organised at Christie’s in Paris.
Learn more about the NGO
Des Villages et des Hommes
Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge has performed a carbon assessment and the results are very impressive! The internal energy balance linked to the hotel is very low:
265 teq of CO2 excluding air transport (the equivalent CO2 of a European is 10/12 tonnes and more than 20 tonnes for an American).
Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge has set itself the objective of achieving a carbon footprint of zero as soon as possible through the introduction of a “Low Carbon Attitude” plan.

Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge has also developed a nursery for baobabs and pachypodiums, endemic to Madagascar.