Masoala National Park was just superb. It is the largest of Madagascar’s protected national parks and covers an area of 2,300km2 and another 100km2 of marine parks. The park is home to the red ruffed lemur and the elusive aye-aye. Many other species also call Masoala home; the brown tailed mongoose is only found there and humpback whales use the shallow coastal waters as a nursery ground for young. Sadly, many parts of Masoala are still under threat from illegal logging operations that sell rosewood on international black markets.
female digging a hole to lay eggs
blue coua coua
playing dead
small brookesia
We took a small motorboat from Maroantsetra down the peninsula to a small rural village which was to be our home for the next few days. The boat ride was spectacular, with huge peaks of rainforest looming up on both sides and clear calm waters. We had lunch followed by a relaxing swim and an afternoon walk in the park. It was really beautiful, with primary forest and lots and lots of wildlife. We certainly could understand why it is considered one of the best national parks in Madagascar.
amazing rainforest
primary forest
red ruffed lemur
red ruffed lemur
red ruffed lemur
the vanga is endemic to masoala
young vanga
We spent three nights in Masoala, in a very basic bungalow, no running water and cold bucket showers. It wasn’t exactly your typical Christmas experience, but it was really enjoyable. We saw red ruffed lemurs, white fronted brown lemurs, the brown tailed mongoose, many chameleons, frogs and even a few tenrecs (like small hedgehogs). The insects of Masoala were also quite beautiful and the moss camouflaged mantis was one of the highlights.
check out my frills
I see you
white fronted brown lemur family
brown tailed mongoose
tree canopy lets little light in
praying?
butterfly mating
our fantastic guide Bionic
We spent three nights in the coastal village of Masoala and trekked to different parts of the park over the three days. This was a good amount of time to spend in the same place. Those with more time (2 weeks) can trek the coastal route around the peninsula from Antalaha to Maroantsetra. Don’t forget your mosquito repellant and malaria meds.
We were supposed to fly from Tana to Maroantsetra on 18 December 2014. We were about 3-4hrs away from the airport in Andasibe. We’d booked a car for 8am to take us to the airport, our flight was supposed to be at 1:20pm so were told we had plenty of time. Air Madagascar (Mad Air) is notorious for cancelling/rescheduling their flights at late notice. We had been previously reassured by them that they would telephone us if their was a change, but in Andasibe we didn’t have any phone network. In hindsight, we really should have made sure to call them the night before. An hour into our drive to Tana, we got network coverage, and we see a text message saying our flight had been brought forward to 9:45am! There was no way we were going to make that flight in time. We frantically tried to call Mad Air, and kept losing phone connection. Finally they advised us the flight had actually been cancelled. In a way, this was much better than early takeoff as we didn’t just miss our flight.
Our little Mad Air plane
The traffic was horrendous through Tana and we only just made it to the airport 45min before the flight was initially scheduled to fly so we would have been cutting it fine in any case. We were advised the flight was cancelled and they would call us later that afternoon. We checked into a hotel. No phone call. We went into the Air Mad office in town and were advised the next flight to Maroantsetra would be in four days! Yay (sarcasm), four days hanging around in Tana. It wasn’t so bad though, we visited Ambohimanga, which is a hill and traditional fortified royal settlement 24km northeast of Tana. We hired a car that took us for half the day there and back. This was an enjoyable day trip. Depending on your previous experiences of royal palaces, this may seem very basic, however this is the best-preserved monument of the precolonial Kingdom of Madagascar and very interesting when you consider what life must have been like for them.
The fortress walls made out of eggshell
Old fig tree a place of public speaking
modest gardens within the palace
Kings quarters to the left and queens (plural) to the right
On 22nd December we arrived at the airport very early before our flight. Once at the counter we were advised the flight was overbooked and we could not get a seat! We were very frustrated by this time, as we couldn’t afford to wait another four days. We explained to the staff that we had already been postponed four days. Luckily they did end up finding us seats, hurray! On the flight, three people sat in the cockpit with the pilot and the air steward sat in the toilet for takeoff and landing, poor guy! We arrived in Maroantsetra safe and sound, it was very hot when we arrived. We were met by Rakotovazah, a slightly eccentric appearing and softly soft spoken man, who arranged pretty much our whole holiday in Masoala. We had a good feeling driving into town. Very basic palm huts lined the road, but they were very neat and tidy. It felt slightly surreal arriving in this rural, faraway town only 90 minutes after leaving Tana. We took a taxi to Coco Beach Motel, which was lovely, and discussed our tour. We were very happy with the price and plans, we were to be picked up by the boat right in front of our hotel the next morning. We had a lovely seafood lunch overlooking the mangroves, and hired bicycles and rode down to the beach for a swim. Alex even joined me for a spot of yoga in the evening! We eventually left on a small motor boat the next morning two hours after we were supposed to, Malagasy time!
Coco beach motel
Coco beach restaurant
After our trip to Masoala and Nosy Mangabe, we returned to Maroantsetra for one night. We were exhausted from our trip and were told the boat we needed to take to Soanierana Ivongo for our Nosy Boraha transfer would leave at 10pm that night. It would be a 10hr boat trip through the night. It was a boat trip to forget. Many boats have capsized on this journey. About 2hrs into the trip I hoped the boat would capsize! I just wanted off! It felt like a riding bull in a sauna with repetitive Malagasy music bursting our eardrums. This was Alex’s worst trip in Madagascar. We recommend to take the 2 day journey by 4 wheel drive down the infamous RN5 or flight with Mad Air before attempting this boat ride. We may not have taken these routes but anything has to be better than that boat!
On our last day in Andasibe we hired bicycles from Marie and rode to Vakona Lodge. Although the bikes looked good we quickly realized they were just holding together. Lets say we had a fun time cycling about 10km to Vakona Lodge from Marie’s Guesthouse. We had lunch there which was lovely, it was a bit more expensive ($10 meals) than other restaurants in the area, but was worth it. The restaurant is set in a lovely garden with a lake, and we sat there for hours just soaking it up.
After lunch we visited the lemur park (15 000Ar). We had mixed feelings about this place. We had heard many rumors from the locals and other tourists about how the lemurs are treated and the way in which the park was managed. The lemurs had been far removed from their natural habitat. Their behavior had changed; they were comfortable around people and had been fed to please the tourists. It was however a great experience to get really up close and personal with the lemurs – they were sitting on our shoulders and climbing all over us. Some of the lemurs you will see at Vakona:
Eastern lesser bamboo lemur
Black and white ruffed lemur
Common brown lemur
Diademed sifaka
There is also a crocodile park that homes a fossa, that we did not visit. We had heard the fossa is locked in a small cage and considering we had seen them in the wild decided not to go. Their hotel is set in lovely surroundings, food was fantastic and seeing the lemurs so close was really awesome. We just couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy about the place considering some of the things we had seen and heard.
A huge thunderstorm started just as we were leaving and we rode home with our hearts in our chests, lightning and thunder sooo close. We didn’t feel too comfortable on metal bikes, but there was nowhere to shelter so we just legged it. To top it off the brake cable snapped on Alex’s bike and sent him flying down the hill. Thankfully we made it back safe and in one piece, phew!
Association Mitsinjo is a community based environmental NGO located in Andasibe. Mitsinjo manages and protects the Analamazaotra Forest Station, Torotorofotsy wetlands and forests connected with but not part of the Andasibe-Mantadia national parks. The organization runs ecological monitoring of endangered lemur species, with special focus on the Indri and Greater Bamboo Lemur. Mitsinjo also run several tree nurseries with an annual production capacity of more than 100,000 seedlings and comprised of approximately 120 endemic species. They are also part of an international amphibian research center created to protect the endemic frogs of Madagascar.
The restoration objectives set by Mitsinjo were developed to comply with guidelines set out in the Kyoto Protocol. The scheme encourages conservation, enhancement and restoration of natural forest corridors between larger forest fragments. The activities attempt to encourage maximum community involvement to develop sustainable livelihoods for the local population.
removal of exotic blackberry and planting of native species
pre-dug holes for seedlings
one year old seedling
We had been in contact with Mitsinjo and they invited us to visit them in Andasibe. We arrived at the reception center in the morning but a large group of tourists beat us there. They had a tour planned that morning called “Plant a Tree and Save Forests! Mitsinjo Forest Restoration Tour”. The visitors receive a presentation explaining Mitsinjo’s mission, current activities, and past successes. After the presentation the tourists went on a quick walk to view the Indri Indri followed by each planting a native tree in restoration. Fortunately after these morning commitments the head nurseryman was available to show us around after an early lunch.
At lunch we met two inspiring Malagasy men called Jean-Noel (Mitsinjo President) and Youssouf (VP and head nurserymen). We discussed some of Mitsinjo’s recent projects and current challenges. They had a thorough understanding of native forest restoration and firm practices in place. We spoke about possibilities for bilateral information exchange between Ny Tanintsika and Mitsinjo. The organisations had similar projects running within the humid forests of eastern Madagascar, although separated by almost 500km.
In the afternoon Youssouf showed us around their very impressive nursery. We were hopeful to see some techniques that could be transferred or adapted to assist Ny Tanintsika with their projects. We discussed a production technique for the critical ingredient in soils for restoration: Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM).
We viewed current restoration areas of the forest. We were fortunate that this area showed the different stages of restoration. The group were restoring an area of forest that had become infested by Rubusalceifolius, a type of blackberry, and very difficult to control. Three years of slashing the blackberry was required before any native seedlings could be planted. Native species were planted with purpose and specific roles to play. Plants from all stages of succession were used in an effort to speed up the restoration process. Seedlings of species with medicinal and other benefits for the local people are planted on the boundary of the national park(s). This helped to keep the local community from entering a park to find these traditional plants and restricted the amount of disturbance within the parks.
inspecting restoration
restoration after invasion of exotic species
The large areas infested by rubus and other exotic species, combined with savoka (abandoned agricultural land), makes the restoration of critical areas in Andasibe seem quite daunting. With limited financial support given to organisations like Mitsinjo, they are extremely successful and fulfill a very important role for restoration activities in Madagascar.
Just opposite of the entrance to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is a local initiative by Association Mitsinjo who manages the Analamazaotra Forest Station. The forest is in excellent condition and the group is working to remove all of the exotic eucalypt and pine from the area. You will see some reforestation plots if you decide to take a walk with Mitsinjo in their reserve. They also have an orchid garden and offer walks through the treetops.
example nursery
orchids
We had been in contact with community group Mitsinjo Association via email and they invited us to see their work. The head nurseryman Youssouf was not available in the morning due to a large tour group so we took a walk through the forest with one of the Mitsinjo guides. He has been taking tours for over 8 years in the Andasibe and the surrounding forests. Within the first 15min of the walk we met our first curious looking but very handsome giraffe weevil. The male has an elongated neck to fight away other courting males while the female uses her shorter neck to roll up the leaf tightly in which she lays her eggs. Its an amazing and very funny looking adaptation. We even managed to spot some have sex.
the curious looking giraffe weevil
Giraffe weevil sex
Only 10min further down the track the guide called to come quickly. We scuttled through the forest to meet our first Indri Indri! The guide had spotted a female with her young and another male further out watching out for them. Throughout the day we saw a few groups of Indri, which was made possible as Mitsinjo’s guides know the Indri’s habits well. There have been several lemur translocations into the forests around Andasibe. The study and tracking of Indri Indri by Mitsinjo provides vital information for the protection and conservation of such species.
part of entrance to reserve
the indri
curious baby
mother and zaza kely
There was a large group of Japanese tourists visiting at the same time. Jean-Noel (president) and Youssouf (vice president) gave presentations in the morning on the progress of restoration activities and conservation projects. The large group are part of a tour called “Plant a Tree and Save Forests! Mitsinjo Forest Restoration Tour” They would have presentations in the morning followed by a guided walk. The group would then plant seedlings that they had funded in a parcel of reforestation.
Pray mantis
forest fungi
common green gecko
always surprised
Mitsinjo are the only guides that offer nightwalks in the forest (and not the usual walk along the road). Tours to the Mitsinjo forest are also cheaper than the national park. Your money will be used for community projects related to health and agriculture for local people living around the forests managed by the association. An organisation that is very worthwhile supporting!
Madagascar has an exponentially increasing population. Currently the number of people virtually doubles every 10 years. This population explosion has put immense pressure on society and environment. Estimates place the amount of land cleared in Madagascar as high as 90% but this figure is likely to be exaggerated. Little ‘intact’ forest remains and the amount of agricultural land available (especially productive virgin land) for further utilization is fast diminishing. New sustainable agriculture techniques are required to assure the people of Madagascar will be able to feed themselves into the future.
Vulnerable people in rural Madagascar are the most marginalised and impoverished and often do not have access to land, especially not their own. The land is usually unproductive and fallow. Soils require intensive ameliorative actions to restore nutrients and organic material in the soil profile leading to increased agricultural productivity. A grant from the Innocent Foundation has enabled vulnerable households to secure agricultural land and Ny Tanintsika Field Agents are teaching them sustainable agricultural techniques.
Ny Tanintsika beneficiaries mostly borrow land from family, neighbours or acquaintances. Continued access to land is insecure. Beneficiaries run the risk of other people claiming ownership of land and crops produced. As such, Ny Tanintsika is attempting to secure formal land tenure for these households, though it is proving a complex and arduous process.
Most vulnerable households and people we have been fortunate to meet are very proud of their achievements. Having been given an opportunity to develop new skills and participate in the agroforestry and alternative livelihoods projects they are eager to demonstrate their success. It has been inspiring to meet with these people that have made so much from this limited opportunity.
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