The most beautiful natural sites to discover Fort-Dauphin – Taolagnaro

Founded in 1870 by Marchal Auguste, taken over by the French state in 1888, recovered by the Malagasy state in 1961, then finally by Aziz of Air Force Services in 1997, this park of 50 ha deserves a visit. You can see 6 species of lemurs, four of which are diurnal (the Sifaka verreauxi, the Lemur Catta, the Lemur Fulvus, and the Bamboo Hapalemur), 2 Nile crocodiles after the nursery, a dozen radiated turtles on the side of the bungalows, beautiful vanilla pods, and a superb alley of camellias (the second largest collection in the Indian Ocean), an albizia prized by primates, Brazilian cherry trees, mimosa pudicas, niaoulis, elephant ears, as well as a bamboo forest that will impress even the most hardened, with its huge specimens of giant bamboo (they grow 25 cm per day in January-February, the period of growth!)... A circuit makes it possible to gain a small cascade where it is good to picnic. We can make a small tour in dugout (about twenty minutes). A good day in the fresh air.The park provides 6 bungalows. Five of them (three double and two family) are located in the main structure, built in 1912, at the end of the magnificent central alley. The whole is rustic but rather comfortable, with private terrace and hammock. Not far from there, the dining area is dominated by a row of five hundred-year-old lychee trees. Nearby, a photo stop in front of the triangular palm tree with its three symmetrical branches: the tree is endemic to Fort-Dauphin.

The history of the reserve is that of the De Heaulme family, arriving from France in 1919. At that time, Henry and Alain were mining operators in mica mines and sisal producers in Fort Dauphin - a production continues today in an area of 5,000 hectares in Berenty, despite fierce competition from Sweden and Poland. It was in 1936 that they decided to invest in nature protection by creating the Berenty Reserve. Covering a surface of 1,000 hectares, the reserve attracts researchers from around the world from the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia to study the famous primates. In this way, we had once again known the famous American primatologist Allison Jolly. Everything is done to facilitate the observation of the lemurians. Three groups dominate the reserve: the makis (ringed) first. We can observe their very "human" attitude when they sit on their back train and put their "arms" on their "knees"; every morning, they expose themselves to the sun to warm up. The sifakas (white, tinted with brown) are incredible acrobats that jump to 6 m from tree tree in the thorny forest of the dry forest. They are mostly an extreme grace when they take a few steps of dance on the ground. The gidros (brown) are mostly very chatty and very curious. They descend from heights to meet the visitor who feigns to try their language. At night, you can, with a light lamp, go to search for nocturnal leds nestled in the hollow of the trunk (Lépilémur and microcedar). In the forest, giant bats (the famous frugivores), balls, spend all day sleeping the head at the top of the top trees. From time to time, this calm is disturbed by a quarrel of lovers between these amazing animals with acute cries. Birds, also abundant in the forest (there are no fewer than 102 species), are another observation subject. At the end of the southern winter, one of the most moving moments is the one where all the lipped females carry their newborn babies in their movements.

Finally, a museum invites the traveler to dive into the history of the local place and population.

Accommodation: Lodges and bungalows await you in the park, to take full advantage of the various circuits and wake up in the morning with a lemon on its terrace. An unforgettable experience. The newer lodges offer optimal comfort with lounge, air conditioning and refinement.

How to access it: transfers from/to Fort Dauphin or Lavanono (ideal for a break on the road) with Aloalo Tours, the agency's agency.

40 km from Fort-Dauphin in the direction of Ambovombe (1h20 by road), this arboretum opened in 1971 has recently been rehabilitated. On 2.2 ha, no less than 360 plant species are discovered (60% of which are endemic to southern Madagascar). It is also a centre of botanical expertise. Interesting to get acquainted with the flora of southeastern Madagascar, the time of a nice walk (about 1h30), to meet the lemurs, not at all fierce. possibility of picnic on site.