After a great visit to Ranomafana National Park and Mount Vatovavy, it was time to leave the rain forest for good. The rest of my trip would take me from the east to the west across the high plateau and to the spiny forest. My next major stop would be to climb Pic Boby in…
Mount Vatovavy and Ifanadianae, Madagascar
Ever since I became hooked on palm trees, one genus instantly became my favorite. That genus was Dypsis and it is located almost exclusively in Madagascar. During my early periods of palm research I would read articles or online posts about about a single mountain in Madagascar that was loaded with amazing palms. Many of these palms…
Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
Having spent the the entire trip down RN7 away from the rainforest, it was time to drop off the high plateau for a few days. Destination? Ranomafana National Park, a place loaded in biodiversity and a must-see location for anyone visiting Madagascar. Ranomafana National Park is made up of 161 square miles of tropical rainforest that is literally located just…
Antoetra and Ambositra, Madagascar
Antoetra is a small village about 40km southeast of Ambositra. It is not a very touristy place due to its remoteness and lack of interest when it comes to wildlife. However, it does get the occasional hiker or person wanting to homestay. My friend Jason (visiting for a week) and I happened upon Antoetra by accident. While in Ambositra and setting…
IPS Annual Board Meeting on Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar
The first part of my month-long trip through Madagascar was spent around Andasibe. I’ve blogged about those four days over the last few weeks here. The second stop of the ten key areas I would visit was to Sainte Marie Island (now known as Nosy Boraha) for the annual Board of Director’s meeting for a non-profit organization I serve on….
Maromizaha Reserve, Andasibe, Madagascar
After an amazing visit in the Mantadia National Park the day prior, I awoke early to the sounds of the Common Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus) walking outside my bungalow at the Hotel Mikado. What a great way to start my Maromizaha Reserve adventure. I had arrived at the Hotel Mikado at night, so I didn’t see this Dypsis ‘Black Stem’ out…
Mantadia National Park, Andasibe, Madagascar
After a full day of touring the Analamazaotra and Mitsinjo Reserves the day prior, and a good night’s rest at the Vakona Forest Lodge, I was ready to visit the much larger Mantadia National Park. Mantadia National Park and the Analamazaotra Reserve were once one large entity many years ago. Sadly, private logging and slash-and-burn agriculture have since divided the two….
Analamazaotra and Mitsinjo Reserves, Andasibe, Madagascar
It only took one day in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, before I was antsy and wanting to get away from the traffic and crowds. I was ready to start my month-long adventure of living off the beaten track. My first stop of the ten key areas of Madagascar I planned to visit was to Andasibe and its surrounding…