A 2,500-kilometre road trip across Madagascar gives travellers a chance to see some of the world’s most unusual animals.
Madagascar is the place where lemurs live in the wild. Than 110 different species have been found on the island.
A three-week trip starting from Antananarivo and ending on the coast passed through eight national parks and protected areas.
Travelers used rented 4×4 vehicles to move along roads that cut through rainforests, rice fields, deep canyons and the strange spiny bushlands that are unique to Madagascar.
One of the big wildlife stops was Ranomafana National Park. There visitors saw bellied lemurs, greater bamboo lemurs and the very rare golden bamboo lemur.
The journey also included Mitsinjo Reserve, where the indri—critically endangered and the biggest lemur in the world—was seen up in the trees.
South, at Anja Community Reserve people spotted ring-tailed lemurs. In Isalo National Park visitors came across Verreaux’s sifaka.
This lemur moves, by hopping sideways which has earned it the nickname “dancing lemur.”
The many types of lemurs show how Madagascar’s habitats are broken into pieces. Each species has adapted to its forest type.
Conservation is still a serious problem. Trees are being cut down for firewood and farming. This destruction is shrinking the forests. Leaving lemurs trapped in smaller patches of land.
The trip shows how rich Madagascar’s wildlife is. It also reminds us how important it is to protect these spaces before they disappear.
