Madagascar in Depth

Antananarivo

Antananarivo, commonly known as Tana, is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. The name Antananarivo means ‘the City of the Thousands’, a reference to the thousand warriors of King Andrianjaka, who established Tana as the capital city of the Merina tribe and accorded it a sacred status. The city was largely chosen for its privileged location – being on high ground (1,370m) and surrounded by marsh made it easy to defend and thus a natural choice for the capital.

Tana, as the city is often called, has unusual French and Asian inspired architecture with winding cobblestone streets and staircases that create a medieval impression. The large open-air Zoma market has been disbanded, which means there is now plenty of room to walk around Araben ny Fahaleovantena (Avenue de l’Independence), the capital’s main street.

Other attractions include the colourful daily flower market on the edge of Lake Anosy and the botanical and zoological gardens, where you can see the egg and 3m-tall skeleton of the extinct aepyornis, or elephant bird. Sadly, the Rova (Queen’s Palace) burned to the ground in 1996. Though virtually nothing remains at the site, there are nice views of the city from the hill where the palace once stood.

Antananarivo does not have too much in the way of conventional sightseeing, but if you enjoy walking around, watching local scenes and experiencing the laid back atmosphere that is prevalent here, the city is a very pleasant place – interesting markets colonial buildings and many craft shops make it a great place to explore.

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park

This stunning national park was only opened to the public in 1998, and even now is far less visited than some of Madagascar’s other protected areas. The tsingy from which it takes its name are limestone pinnacles, formed by the slow sedimentation of coral and shell, worked by wind and water movements, since Madagascar separated from Africa 165 million years ago.

These strange peaks can tower several hundred metres high and the stone forests that they form contain caves, underground rivers, canyons, where bats, lemurs, birds and unusual plants can be found. The area can be explored by boat or by means of boardwalks and ladders, which allow you to penetrate into the heart of this bizarre region. The park has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and is one of the most unusual places in Madagascar that you will visit on this trip.

Please note: there are two walks that can be done within the park – the ‘Grands Tsingy’ and the ‘Petits Tsingy’. The Grands Tsingy walk can be strenuous for some, and involves walking on boardwalks and fixed ladders between the rock pinnacles – on occasion you will be harnessed for safety reasons. Should you not be comfortable with this then we would suggest the Petits Tsingy walk, which is more leisurely, although it does involve steps and some ladders.

Fianarantsoa

The Fianarantsoa Old City occupies a dramatic hilltop setting once topped with a palace used by the Merina royal family during state visits. While the palace is no longer there, some 500 homes built between 1870 and 1900 by those affiliated with the royal retinue still line the city’s picturesque cobblestone streets.

The Old City is the only place in Madagascar where nineteenth-century buildings form a coherent architectural ensemble. The pride of the inhabitants is evident in the pocket gardens and flower bedecked balconies. However, the aging charm of the site belies the significant threats to its future. Victim of age and neglect, many of roofs no longer protect the vulnerable adobe walled houses. Each year several houses simply melt during the heavy rains as a pillar collapses, the roof caves in, and the structure crumbles…leaving a hole in the landscape and usually several families homeless.

The World Monument Watch listed Fianarantsoa’s Old City as one of the 100 Most Threatened Historic Sites in the World on its list for 2008-9, asking us all to lend a hand to saving the site before it is too late.

Tsaranoro

Tsaranoro is situated in the highlands of Fianarantsoa Province, just outside Andringitra National Park, which is home to Madagascar’s highest mountain. The surrounding area with its imposing granite mountains is a rather magical, and extremely tranquil, place. The mountain and forest below were named in honour of two sisters, Ratsara and Ranoro, who tragically died by a cave at the mountainside during an invasion by the Merina tribe. Their death is said to have taken place sometime at around 1820, when King Sahanambo and his followers were hiding in the mountains. Even today, inhabitants of the valley remain somewhat suspicious towards Merina people, and are careful not to break a fady (taboo) in the sacred mountain or forest below.

Isalo National Park

Isalo National Park, in the south of the country, is largely made up of interestingly-shaped sandstone rocks, and is a world away from the lushness of some of Madagascar’s other parks. The park is renowned for the colours of the surrounding terrain and impressive panoramic views, as well as a sense of utter tranquillity. It is also a sacred area to the local Bara tribe, who use caves in the cliffs as burial chambers.

Andasibe National Park

Andasibe National Park is home to some of Madagascar’s most amazing wildlife, including the endangered aye-aye, bamboo lemurs, chameleons, and the indri, which was named by mistake. When Pierre Sonnerat, a French naturalist, was exploring the island, a local guide spotted the animal and pointed at it, shouting “Indri”, which means “look at that” in Malagasy. Sonnerat assumed the guide was giving him the local name and ever since then the largest species of lemur has been known as the indri, even to Malagasy speakers. These beautiful animals have black and white markings and pale green eyes, and live in the tree canopy. The park itself contains montane forest and a wealth of plant and birdlife as well.

Lemurs

Lemurs are a special group of primates found only on Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. There are fifty species of lemurs, seventeen of which are on the endangered species list. Lemurs are prosimians, or primative primates. They are social animals with long limbs, flexible toes and fingers, and long noses. Habitat loss is the main threat to lemurs today, as people clear their native forests for farmland.

How and when lemurs became separated from the monkey family is unclear. Although it was once thought that lemurs were on Madagascar when the island separated from Africa, recent advances have shown that Madagascar was separated from Africa by hundreds of kilometres before lemurs evolved. Accordingly, the ancestors of Madagascar’s lemurs must have crossed over from Africa on floating vegetation early in primate evolution and become isolated from Africa.

Once on Madagascar, the lemurs evolved into about 50 different species. Then, about 2,000 years ago, the first human settlers arrived on Madagascar from the Malaysian-Indonesian area. By the time the Europeans who wrote about the natural history of the island reached Madagascar in the mid-1600s, 15 species of lemurs had become extinct.

The Betsimisaraka People

The Betsimisaraka constitute the second largest (15%) ethnic group in Madagascar’s population and are mostly found on or near the east coast. They are divided into three subgroups: the northern Betsimisaraka, the Betanimena, and the southern Betsimisaraka. Their territory extends along the coast in a narrow band from the Bemarivo River in the north to the Mananjary River in the south, a distance of some 640 kilometres.

The Betsimisaraka, whose name means ‘numerous and inseparable’, have traditionally been traders, seafarers, and fishers, as well as cultivators of the tropical lowland areas. They trace their origins to Ratsimilaho, reputed to be the son of a British pirate and a Malagasy princess, who unified several small coastal states in the 18th century.