The land that time forgot
11 Mar 2019
The journey can be slow and the roads rough, but with its unique wildlife, baobabs and rock formations, the rewards of a drive through Madagascar far outweigh any minor inconveniences.
Four hours. Eight hours. Six hours. Seven hours. Eight hours. As I scan the driving itinerary for our 10-day visit to Madagascar, it sure feels like we’re going to spend more time in our 4WD than out of it. Still, everyone who’d been before us agreed: it’s more than worth it. Trust them.
We arrive in the capital, Antananarivo (Tana, for short), to a warm greeting by our tour guide and driver, Fano from Malagasy Tours. “Malagasy” is both the language and demonym of Madagascar’s people, and one of which they’re fiercely proud. Geographically, Madagascar is part of Africa, but Fano stresses that they don’t consider themselves Africans. Malagasy culture is very much its own.
We drive towards our first destination, Andasibe National Park, the rainforest home of the iconic Indri lemur. There’s no doubt, it’s slow going. There are no highways
in Madagascar; destinations are linked by single-lane, unpaved roads in various levels of upkeep (or unkeep).
Our first stop is Peyrieras Reptile Reserve, where we get up close with several endemic species of chameleons, frogs, insects and snakes. The island of Madagascar has been isolated for 88 million years; as a result, 90 per cent of its species are found only there. We’re particularly taken with the brilliant colours of the chameleons, which of course cannot be found back home.
Next, it’s on to Andasibe rainforest to spot some creatures in the wild. Chameleons are a little tougher to find here – that’s kind of their thing, right? – but we have a much better time with the lemurs. Fourteen species of lemur occupy Andasibe, but the Indri is the largest – and loudest. Their eerie wailing calls, used to unite families and mark territory, can be heard up to two kilometres away, so when they’re directly above, you’ll know about it. We look up and spot a family of five, agile and majestic as they swing from branch to branch.
The trade-off seeing animals in the wild is that you can’t get too close. A short drive from the nature reserve, however, is Lemur Island in privately owned Vakona Forest. Here, domesticated lemurs, encouraged by guides, interact with humans daily. Whether that’s your cup of tea depends on your ethical views on human-animal interaction, but the lemurs certainly don’t seem stressed, and it’s an undeniable thrill to have these stunning creatures rest calmly upon your shoulder.
The following morning, we begin our three-day drive to Bekopaka via Morondava in Madagascar’s west. If the road to Andasibe was slow, the western roads are positively snail-like. At the start of our second day, we happen upon some unexpected bridge works. “Should be done in a few hours,” Fano advises us. There’s no way around – at least, not by road. We’ll have to wait.
Still, some adventurous 4WDers manage to find a detour through a nearby village’s rice paddies. Soon enough, the entrepreneurial villagers cotton on and begin charging a toll through a choke point in the route. It’s 2,000 ariary (about $1) at first, though we hear they’ve increased it to 100,000 ariary by lunchtime.
The road west, while slow, is magnificent. Otherworldly, even. Hours seem like minutes as we pass, transfixed at the sheer vastness and beauty of the landscape. Life is unhurried here; smiling children wave from their villages, and rifle-toting farmers herd prized zebu (basically, cows with humps) along the roadside.
After two days, we arrive at the famous Baobab Avenue. Just outside of Morondava, this is one of Madagascar’s most recognisable sites. It’s busy – tourists fly to Morondava on day trips just to see these unique trees – but, somehow, the throngs don’t dampen the serenity as we sit back to watch the sun set behind the mighty baobabs.
There’s little time to linger. The next day, we’re back on the road for the toughest drive of our journey – eight hours along the bumpy dirt road to Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, with a couple of ferry crossings for good measure. At one point, our 4WD gets bogged, but with the help of some youngsters on the roadside, we manage to push it out. After high fives all round, we push on.
The Tsingy are needle-shaped limestone rock formations that stretch for miles just north of the town of Bekopaka. In Malagasy, “Tsingy” translates roughly to “place where you cannot walk barefoot”.
It’s not too hard to see why.
Shoes firmly on, we begin our hike to the “Big Tsingy”. It’s like walking through a limestone labyrinth.
The pay-off is arrival at a dramatic suspension bridge 60 metres above a huge chasm. As we gaze across the rocky skyscrapers before us, we comment that every bump on the road was worth it. The Tsingy is truly mind-blowing, and one of those rare sights where pictures simply do not do justice.
Madagascar isn’t for those seeking luxury. It can be a grind – but it’s a grind worth doing. With visions of lemurs, baobabs and Tsingy behind our weary eyes, Fano welcomes us back into the 4WD. It’s a long way back to Tana.
Fact File
- At 587,713 square kilometres, Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island
- Approximately 90 per cent of Madagascar’s plant and animal species are endemic, including lemurs and many birds
- Six of the world’s nine species of baobab trees live in Madagascar
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