Magnificent Madagascar by Leo Bear

“Wow, Madagascar. I’ve always wanted to go there,” says the pharmacist as he hands my anti malaria tablets over the counter; the other people in the queue are nodding in agreement. This is a typical reaction. It seems everyone has Madagascar on their ‘things to do before I die’ list.

For one thing, Madagascar has the highest number of unique plants and animals anywhere in the world. It’s also got cities bursting with life, beaches to rival the Maldives and all kinds of weird and wonderful customs. It’s a massive landmass – two and a half times the size of the UK; you need a bit of time if you want to see it properly. I’m heading away from the five-star resorts of the capital, Antananarivo, south to Toliara, along the country’s famous RN7; one of the few good roads.

A Blooming Capital

Antananarivo (or Tana as its known), the capital and largest city, is a good place to get acclimatised. Zuma Market seethes with locals selling shredded vegetables of every colour. Baskets overloaded with crisps are doled out in old tin cans and everything from Barbie satchels to smoked anchovies is for sale. The flower market is abuzz because a Mazda 6 is being decorated for a wedding under the shade of a blooming Jacaranda tree. Cream Renault 4 taxis line the streets ready to whisk passengers off to Chez Sucett’s and Sakamang: the best restaurants in town.
 
Tana is also where I meet my fellow travellers for the next 15 days. I’ve signed up on a group tour to save on the stress of maps, logistics and having to book hotels with my limited French. As soon as I meet the rest of the group though, I wonder if I’ve made a mistake: they are re all grandparents. And Madagascar’s full of them; groups of nifty, agile European grey-hairs in their sensible walking boots and breathable fabrics, comparing the size of their camera lenses. But don’t let this put you off.

Native Primates

Leaving the capital behind, the RN7 leads us first to Perinet National Park: lemur territory. Our guide Pascale hops round snaking tree roots and razor-sharp palms to bring us face to face with the rare primates native to Madagascar. The Diademed Sifaka is a caricature of an orangutan and the Indri look like skinny panda bears. It’s the bamboo lemur that is the sweetest though; a nervous little grey fur-ball with imploring eyes. Adorable.
 
Back on the road, we travel from village to village, national park to national park, staying a few nights here and a few nights there. The scenery changes dramatically from one day to the next; from electric-green rice fields to baobab-strewn wildernesses’ striped black by slash and burn. Passing though villages, we watch young ones pick their way through corn drying on the side of the road and half-dressed children totter around on makeshift stilts. We stop off at Madagascar Exotic nature reserve to check out spineless hedgehogs and the world’s smallest reptile; a miniscule chameleon that eluded David Attenborough for many years; a miracle in itself.

On other stops, we watch craftsmen mould zebu horns into ornaments, and children casting cooking pots from vats of bubbling hot aluminum. In larger towns, men trot past hauling rickshaws of chattering ladies and wherever you go there are people touting sweet-scented vanilla pods. Further south, towns have a darker feel to them; the shadow of sapphire dealing prevents us from stopping at a couple of places.

Tropical Paradise

Stopping off at Ranomafana National Park, we find giant bamboo arches spanning the road like bionic spider legs. We’re told it grows 5cm a day. Our guide Theo plunges us into the primary rainforest to point out red-fronted brown lemurs and red-bellied lemurs and we take it in turns to spot camel coloured woodlice the size of my feet.
 
At last we reach the place I’ve been looking forward to most, a tropical paradise by the name of Isalo National Park. It’s famous for its palm-shrouded natural pools which, crucially, have sandy bottoms.

After 15 days of coaching it on hot dusty roads, it’s just what the doctor ordered. One member of our group can’t resist the urge to skinny-dip in the water gushing from a high waterfall; luckily we have the place to ourselves. As I stop to catch my breath, I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. It’s a family of lemurs leaping past us. Each one bounces onto a rock inches away from me before bounding off into the distance. It’s an unengineered sighting and truly wonderful moment. Just one of many that make Madagascar high on my must-visit list.

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