Blogs from Madagascar, Africa

We now await our plane home at Tana's modern airport. It has been a whirlwind tour and finished with trips to famous rain forest parks and on our last day a tour of Tana's reconstructed royal palace. We drove back from Manakara on the coast and before reaching the top of the escarpment stopped at Ranomafana National Park. Ranomafana means hot water and the town was originally created as a colonial thermal spa. The National Park is a popular destination for tourists, especially those just focused on the wildlife, because it is within striking distance of Tana. It has had a lot of support from NGOs and academics and there is an on site Research Station that also has programs for overseas students. It is a rainforest and lived up to its name. There is a ... read more

As we drove up N7 towards Ranohina large escarpments of sandstone started to appear either side of us. This was Isola National Park. Our official NP guide, Jose, was a member of the local Bara tribe. He spoke excellent English in measured tones and had exceptional knowledge of the local wildlife and traditions. The Isola is a long range of sandstone escarpments created by tectonic forces as Madagascar separated from mainland Africa. There are steep cliffs and gorges with wonderful natural swimming pools below crystal waterfalls. When you climbed up the escarpments there were spectacular vistas. The local Bara people bury their ancestors high up on the cliffs so they are close to the sky. Ancestors are very very important to all Malagasy and many of the local traditions revolve around them. After three days mourning ... read more

We have hit the beach. I write this at the Shangri-la Hotel in Ambatomila on Madagascar's South Western coast. There is a reef that follows the coast about a kilometre offshore which calms the biggest breakers. We got to the coast at Morondava and the next day we drove 4 hours down to Belo sur Mer. The track has now turned to sand. We have another 4x4 (I hesitate to say new as all cars are second hand imports from France, Dubai, Korea etc) and another driver, Ando, who seems equally as skillful as Jacko. Outside the town are vast salt flats where they still harvest salt from evaporated pools using Zebu carts for transport. The only cars we see are the odd 4x4 taking Western tourists on the same route as us. In Belo sur ... read more

A quote famously said by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher. To be fair our destination wasn't bad. It is just that you really had to want to get there. Our destination was the Parc National de Bemaraha and the gateway village of Bekopaka. The Parc is known for its wildlife but particularly for the once-sacred limestone pinnacles called Tsingy. In the case of the Big Tsingy the pinnacles are like stick bundles 100m high. Below are jungle oases with tarzan vines and caves with a cooling breeze. The access route was via a series of rock steps, ladders and safety lines so you can climb to the top and get a panoramic view across the eroded massif. Biero, our local Sakalava guide, moved with such elegance through the narrow gaps and across the traverses. I ... read more

I had better start writing before I start forgetting. It is probably still too late. We are lying in an oasis of luxury in a new hotel in Miandrivazo heading West. We could be anywhere in the world. The reality is outside. This is the start of a 30 tour of Madagascar. In the end we decided not to travel independently and have used JeanBe Tours. Even though we are only early in our visit we have no problem recommending JeanBe. He has been travelling with us and arranged all. For a short trip like this it makes all the difference. See www.jeanbetours.com The first part of our trip has been a two day drive to the West to the first of the nature areas. It has introduced us to life on the central plateau of ... read more