INFORMATIONS
Read morePractical: There are now only two entrances. The most common one, and the easiest to access as well (all year round), is located in the village of Mahamasina, on the RN 6 that leads to Ambilobe (eastern entrance), it is here that the entrance tickets are on sale. Count on at least 4 hours of taxi-brousse from Diego (the road gets worse every month), 3 hours by 4x4. A round trip for the day is therefore to be avoided if possible.
Another entrance is located in the west, near the village of Amboandriky: access by sedan from June to December and by 4x4 from December to May by a track that leaves from Isesy, a few kilometers before Ambilobe. We then reach the Iharana Bush Camp.
Fady. It is advisable to respect certain prohibitions in the park. Discuss them with your guide.
A little geology and etymology. This massif emerged from the sea more than a hundred million years ago (quaternary volcanic activity). Since then, erosion has dug an incredible network (networks, we should say) of underground waters (more than 110 km!). A more recent telluric movement is at the origin of the presence of basaltic rocks and eruptive ashes. During this time, the rain, by eroding the limestone top of the massif, formed in the long run these strange sharpened crests, like a chaos of discordant organs, which one names "Tsingy".
Some people say that this word means "walking on tiptoe", because it is very difficult to walk on the ridges, and this theory seems the most credible..
The fauna and flora. In the park, one can see 11 species of lemurs, notably the crowned lemur(Eulemur coronatus) and the bushy lemur(Eulemur sanfordi), near the campsites and early in the morning or late in the afternoon; about a hundred species of birds, among which the variegated mesire(Mesitornis variegata), one of the rarest of the world. Bats (14 species, about half of all species in Madagascar), chameleons and crocodiles (60 species of reptiles and amphibians) are also part of this fascinating animal world.
The flora is not in rest, the canarium of Madagascar or the pandanus giving it to heart joy; the rupicole vegetation (adapted to the limestone rocks) is present everywhere. We can also admire the adenia, an extraordinary liana, or the taimpapango, with its white bark.
To finish, let us add that the caves are here privileged places of meeting between the living and the ancestors, for the inhabitants of the region. Every year, ritual ceremonies called " Fidirana an-davaka " take place in homage to the ancestors. And every five years, another ceremony, " Tsangan-tsaina ", is dedicated to the "change of mast": in fact, of the mast on which the flag of the Antakarana flies. It is held in the village of Ambatoharana. These ceremonies are very important for the inhabitants. There is no problem to attend, as long as you come with a sound mind and a desire to learn, discover and share. Note that shoes and hats are fady.
Beware: the park is infested with scorpions. Don't go barefoot, be careful where you pitch your tent, and don't forget aspivenin and serum if you are camping.