This tour will take you from Antananarivo to the best parts that symbolize Madagascar:
About ten trees 30 meters high border this avenue, of the species Adansonia grandidieri, endemic to Madagascar. Baobabs, over 800 years old, known locally as renala (in Malagasy for “mother of the forest”), are a heirloom of the dense tropical forests that thrived in Madagascar. The trees did not grow in isolation in this dry and bushy landscape but were part of a dense forest which has now disappeared (only 10% of primary forests remain in the country). Over the years, with the increase in the country’s population, forests have been cut down for agriculture, leaving only baobab trees, which locals preserve both out of respect and for their value as a source of food and materials of constructions.
The Kirindy National Park is located in the Menabe region, Kingdom of Sakalava located about 70 km south of Morondava on the edge of the Mozambique Channel. Kirindy amongs the 20 new UNESCO Biosphere Reserves! A total of 669 representing 120 countries. Terrestrial National Park and RAMSAR Site and BIOSPHERE RESERVE. It is the transition between the biodiversity of the West and the South: dense dry forest that occupies 70% of the park, thorny thicket Didiereaceae and Euphorbiaceae, brackish coastline lake, habitat of many species, birds, reptiles, lemurs. Endemicity of biodiversity: 97%.
Located in the western part of Madagascar, about 200 kilometers from Morondava, the protected area of Bemaraha covers more than 150,000 hectares. It is home to the famous Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, one of the most spectacular landscapes of Madagascar and even of the world. The famous Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is the first tourist attraction that makes the western destination of Madagascar a popular destination for tourists.
Indeed
The Tsingy are a group of limestone rocks whose formation began several million years ago when the sea still covered the region. Thus, corals and shells have stacked and welded together to form thick layers which have subsequently raised. In the open air, the limestone cracked to give rise to diaclases and canyons. Rainwater that has an acid characteristic has also contributed to erosion by shaping tapered slats and deep tunnels with concretions on the surface. It is a true limestone cathedral characterizing one of the most spectacular natural landscapes of the Great Island and even of the world, hence it’s inscription to the world natural heritage and national cultural heritage of UNESCO.
National cultural heritage
Tsingy de Bemaraha is strongly regarded as a place of endemism because of their richness in plant and animal species where scientists have recorded a high level of endemism of around 80-90%. The protected area of Bemaraha is a true refuge for rare and endemic animal species. There are 17 rare species of reptiles, including the very small chameleon scientifically called the Brookesia perarmata and a species of rodents, Nesomys lambertoni, found only in the park. There are also 11 species of lemurs, six species of birds, and two species of local endemic amphibians. On the flora side, the park abounds with more than 600 species of plants, but the baobabs, aloes and flamboyants remain the first stars.
The park is between the Betsiboka River to the west and the Mahajamba River to the east. Originally there were two parks on either side of Route 4 national road, but they were combined in 2002. The park occupies about 135,000 hectares and consists of patches of thick dry tropical forest interspersed with less dense areas. There are also savannah, scrub and sandy eroded rock areas and some land is farmed by the indigenous Sakalava people.
There are a number of lakes and the park is criss-crossed by tracks and paths
There are lodging facilities and guides are available to help visitors appreciate the wildlife and scenery. Ankarafantsika National Park is mostly woodland, and the tree species are typical of dry tropical forest. Over 800 species are present, many of them endemic to Madagascar. Notable examples include the flowering bush mpanjakabenitany (Baudouinia fluggeiformis), the katrafay (Cedrelopsis grevei) used in traditional medicine, the small tree lohavato (Hymenodictyon occidental) and sakoanala (Poupartia silvatica), a large tree with conspicuous flowers.
Plant
The native fauna of Madagascar are well represented. Ten species of amphibian and 44 reptile species are present. These include the rare Madagascan big-headed turtle (Erymnochelys madagascariensis), the rhinoceros chameleon (Furcifer rhinoceratus) and the dwarf chameleon (Brookesia decaryi). There are two ground-dwelling boa constrictor snakes Acrantophis madagascariensis and Sanzinia madagascariensis, and the rare terrestrial snake Liophidium therezieni. Mammals include eight species of lemur, two of which are mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.), the world’s smallest primates. The greater big-footed mouse (Macrotarsomys ingens) is a recently described small rodent known only in the park and its vicinity.
Madagascar fish eagles:
One hundred and twenty nine species of birds have been recorded in the park, more than half of them endemic to Madagascar. They include the Van Dam’s vanga (Xenopirostris damii), the rufous vanga (Schetba rufa), the elusive banded kestrel (Falco zoniventris) and the more easily observed Madagascar fish eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides) which can often be seen at Ravelobe Lake. The endangered Madagascar heron (Ardea humbloti) can be seen at Lake Ravelobe.
Manongarivo Special Reserve is one of Madagascar’s protected areas that possess natural beauty. The reserve was created in 1956, it is located in the mountain range not far from the northwest coast of the big island, about 40km south of Ambanja. The site constitutes 33 km2 of humid evergreen and humid semi-deciduous forests, and represents an excellent example of Malagasy tropical forest. Its landscape is exceptionally formed by various waterfalls surrounded by lush vegetation, altitude forests varying from 20m to 30m in height. With a very high endemicity rate, the area is considered one of the richest in biodiversity on the island.
The Ankarana Special Reserve is part of Madagascar’s network of protected areas. In addition to its fauna rich in endemic species of the island, this reserve is of geological interest, due to karstic erosion, as well as cultural with its sacred lake and a set of Antakarana tombs in the caves. The region is made up of a limestone plateau which does not exceed 300 m in altitude and which slopes gently towards the east. To the west, where it is highest, it ends in a mirror fault.
Plateau
The latter constitutes a cliff called “wall of Ankarana” which extends over 25 km from north to south. The plateau is composed of Jurassic limestone, chalky in the upper part and more siliceous at the base. Due to the heavy rains, these rocks have been strongly eroded: the whole forms a karst where the majority of the erosion phenomena are located on the surface (turreted karst, corresponding to a very evolved lapie, chasms, etc.).
The Montagne d’Ambre National Park is a national park located near the town of Joffreville (Diego-Suarez province) in the northern part of Madagascar. The park is home to a tropical rainforest. There are several Oleaceae of the species Olea ambrensis, Olea capensis subsp. macrocarpa and Olea lancea. The park shelters an important tropical fauna, including seven species of Lemurs out of the 70 Malagasy (2 nocturnal and 5 diurnal), 75 species of birds and 59 of reptiles. The visit to the park, managed by Madagascar National Parks (MNP) is organized around 18 sites made up of sacred waterfalls (Antakarana, etc.) or paths through the forest (Chemin des Mille Arbres, etc.).
Masoala National Park is created in 1997, in the northeast of Madagascar, in the province of Diego-Suarez on the granite peninsula of Masoala. It is the largest of the island’s protected areas with its 235,000 ha of tropical rainforest. The park was created to manage, protect and restore the Malagasy natural heritage which is on the island subject to strong pressures (15 species of lemurs as well as dozens of other species have disappeared since the arrival of Man). Masoala has preserved remarkable landscapes, the last memories of what was the green island (one of the old names of Madagascar);
Relic of the dense ombrophile forest
As the botanist Martin Calmander recalled, filmed on site by Yann-Arthus Bertrand, “this forest so dense that 90% of the light never reaches the ground! ». This makes it one of the best places for ecotourism and sustainable tourism, as well as for the study of ancient rainforests and marine environments. You will be able to appreciate the richness of the fauna, mushrooms and flora (partly endemic) of the Big Island, even of the peninsula
