Madagascar, an eco-tourism delight

I was privileged to visit Madagascar in June, and it was an eye opener. Birding and nature enthusiasts, this is the place you must visit! The best time for birding is between September and November, during the breeding season. Isalo, Spiney Forest and Zombitse are good places to go for birding. It is a big island, you need to fly to see a lot in a brief time. North to south is 1580 km, and east to west 590 km. It is a vast island with many national parks and I could merely get a taste of the island in the 8 days I spent there. Here are some of my highlights.

We flew into Antananarivo and visited the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, a UNESCO World Heritage site and discovered all about the Malagasy kings and queens. We had lunch at the La Varangue Hotel, one of the best restaurants in Tana and I can highly recommend it.

We flew to Toliara and headed north on the coast to Ifaty through fishing villages, dunes and mangroves. This is a quaint seaside destination where you can enjoy some peace and tranquility.

The Spiney Forest is perfect for birds like the Madagascar capuchin, one of the smallest birds on the island, and many baobab trees. The contrast of a small twig that has been growing for 5 years to the enormous tree that is around 1490 years old is amazing. It is a nice walk around the privately-owned park and the guide is fantastic in pointing out all the different trees and birds to be found. They used to cut steps into the baobabs and get water from them. They can’t use the wood but it was a reliable source of water before they were protected.

Isalo National Park is 81540 Ha, located 279 km south of Fianarantsoa, the 2nd largest city. It is beautiful to walk through to a blue and a black pool. We got to see ring tailed lemurs and red fronted brown lemurs up close. Lovely picnic spots, kilometers of canyon, lots of birds, a wonderful way to spend a day in nature. Zombitse is located 100 km north-east of Toliara and the Bulbul d’Appert is only found here.

We travelled by road up the backbone of the country to end up back in Tana, the roads are rough so I suggest you fly where possible.

Things you must take with are good walking shoes, sunblock, insect repellant, camera, hat and a power bank. Most of parks are walking parks and the reason for the above. Many the areas work on generators and they are only on from 17:00 – 22:00 and again 06:00 till 08:00 so you must charge everything and use wi-fi during this time.

It is a lovely destination and they have a stunning resort island of Nosy Be, but there is just so much more to see in Madagascar and I am so glad I went. I have not even touched on the fabulous fishing and surfing to be found. Please contact me to help organize a wonderful holiday to this fascinating island.