Madagascar was once a French colony and is now a republic and the second largest island nation in the world after Indonesia. The island located off the coast of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean also includes some offshore islands, of which Nosy Bé is known as an important holiday center. Near the largest city on the island – Andoany – there are ruins of an Indian village from the 17th century. However, Madagascar itself also has plenty of sights to offer… even along the impressive 4,828 km of coastline, where you will find many beautiful beaches. In general, the island’s nature is worth discovering, because it can be described as very independent. If only about 4% of the original rainforest is still present today, so this “rest” still gives a good impression of the biodiversity of Madagascar. The landscape also includes savannas of various kinds, the centrally located plateau with an average of 1,100 m in height and the Tsarantanana, the highest mountain in Madagascar at 2,880 m. The Masola Peninsula with its large rainforest area is an invitation to extensive forays through Madagascar, tropical lowland rainforest can be explored in the coastal zone, Ampefy, on the other hand, is a volcanic area with a volcanic lake, waterfalls and geysers, and the Montagne d’Arbre National Park is to the north. The caves near Anjohibe in the interior are also worth seeing. However, the island also has a lot to offer in terms of culture. Antsirabe is worth a visit, the “place with a lot of salt” and with a colonial past, the queen’s palace and the royal village (rova) in Antananarivo, the Analakely market or Taolanaro, which was the first French settlement. Fianarantsoa is also recommended as a center for viticulture in Madagascar or one or the other foray into Malagasy cuisine.
Isalo National Park
Where the pepper grows too
High plateaus alternate with steep, lush mountain slopes, craggy peaks occasionally protrude over wide plains. The Isalo National Park on the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa, designated in 1962, is suitable for trips to fill spectacular photo albums as well as for targeted study trips.
Geologists and botanists can still learn a lot here, and landscape architects look for unusual models. With a size of more than 800 square kilometers, the terrain belonging to the Ihorombe region in the southern part of the island reaches altitudes of a few hundred to over a thousand meters, centrally equipped with the Isalo massif.
Bizarre rock and sandstone formations
Bizarre formations surround numerous gorges in which fresh water gushes out of the earth. Some of the stone structures are similar to mythical figures, others rise up in terraces in gently curved arches. If you want to go on an exploration trip here, you have to entrust yourself to one of the local guides and pay the fees to the administration beforehand. This benefits both the population and the visitors’ thirst for knowledge, as there is a lot that can be experienced in this way that cannot be found in any travel guide.
People who live here know better than others what it feels like to be constantly surrounded by an unspoilt landscape of giant stone and overgrown meadows. They have set up their huts in a row construction, architectural elements duck into the rock. Flora and fauna are endemic in nature, food and drinks for the most part no less colorful than the tempting flowers.
Heavenly diversity of plants
Here and there there is a lookout in the middle of the rock, sandstone hills appear changing in the course of the day. At night it can also be spooky, as well as when thick clouds come in through which a sometimes merciless sun breaks. That doesn’t bother the lizards, on the contrary: They enjoy their bath on a heated stone. Numerous mango trees join with exotic plants by European standards to create a paradisiacal diversity, of which one can indulgently dream in this country during the preparation of the trip and afterwards.
Mangoky
Whoever visits the enchanting island state of Madagascar feels like in a real paradise. In addition to the world-famous dream beaches, you can also explore breathtaking landscapes and spectacular flora and fauna. When on vacation in Madagascar, you cannot miss the Mangoky River. At 564 kilometers, the longest river in the country rises in the interior of the island state near the city of Fianarantsoa and flows into the Indian Ocean on the west coast in a huge delta. The banks of the Mangoky are characterized by an unforgettable landscape with an extraordinarily diverse flora and fauna that is almost unique. The river is lined with countless huge baobab trees, among other things. Countless lemurs frolic in the treesand ring-tailed lemurs. The lively little monkeys are a real highlight for both tourists and locals. The river can be explored, among other things, as part of a leisurely rubber dinghy tour.
Explore the river with a pirogue
A very special experience on the Mangoky River is a trip on a pirogue, a historic fishing boat typical of Madagascar. There are also some idyllic sandy beaches on the shore, where you can simply enjoy the idyllic landscape. The Mangoky can only be crossed by ferry because there are no bridges over the river.
