Travel Guide Parc National D’andohahela

Covering an area of 76,020 hectares, 56 kilometers from Fort Dauphin in the direction of Ambovombe, this national park is home to a wide variety of ecosystems: as the Anosyenne mountain stops the rains on its eastern slope, we find ourselves on the border between the tropical rainforest typical of the east coast (Anosy), and the dry, thorny forest of the west (Androy). This is what we call a "transitional forest". The further west or south you go, the drier and more arid the vegetation becomes, and the journey to the crossroads of these two plant worlds is fascinating. Little known to travellers, this park is all the more attractive for it.Botanists will be interested in the Andasonia, one of Madagascar's 6 varieties of baobab. Its trunk is a veritable water reservoir, its fruit is edible, and its bark is used as a ferment to curdle milk. Try to observe the skilfully suspended nests: they are home to weaverins, passerine birds, and their originality lies in the fact that you have to enter the nest from below.We'll also be interested in the jabihy, whose bark is used after childbirth for the mother's recovery, or to treat the hair; or the famous trihedral palm(lafa), which is made up of three main branches: it's the only place in the world where it can be found in its natural state.In terms of fauna, let's take a look at the Iguanidaes, lizards found only here or in Central America: survivors, perhaps, of the earth's big bang, when the southern continent of Gondwana burst apart.Of course, there are also the lemurs: twelve species frequent the park, but you're likely to see only two on the main circuit: the sifaka with its characteristic jumps, and the maki catta, recognizable by its black-and-white ringed tail. However, the park is also one of the only places in Madagascar where you can get close to the orange-brown ruffed lemur(Eulemur fulvus collaris).Geologists will be studying metamorphic rocks (rocks with a sedimentary base) and all those containing minerals, such as mica, which is abundant in the region.