Madagascar national parks and spectacular scenery

Isalo National Park

Today is the seventh day of our ten day trip and we explore Isolo which is one of Madagascar’s prime National Parks established over 50 years ago. Isolo features sandstone mountains eroded by wind and rain into ridges and features impressive gorges and canyons. The rugged terrain attracts hikers from all over the world.

Climbing to the top of the canyon

After our encounter with the dancing lemur we leave the Tapir Forest and start our ascent to one of the peaks in Isolo. The park is home to a thousand species of plants, sixty per cent of which are used by the local people for medicinal purposes.

There are many caves dotted along the mountainside which are still used to bury the dead of the local Bara tribe. This is regarded as a very spiritual place and our guide tells us that we must not point anywhere in this area as it is disrespectful. Instead, if we see anything of interest we should gesture towards it with a closed fist. Pointing is a common reaction but none of us want to offend the local tribesman so we curb our excitement and indicate as requested if we see anything interesting.

The sun is already high in the sky so we start our climb to one of the highest points in the park before it becomes too hot. It takes a while but we arrive at a great viewpoint across the park and surrounding area. And what a view !!! It is truly spectacular and we stop for a few minutes to take in this splendid, isolated area which looks like it probably hasn’t changed much for thousands of years. I have to keep reminding myself how lucky I am to be having such a unique experience and hope that the increase in tourism does not destroy this beautiful landscape.

Cirque Du Namaza

We leave our viewpoint and head down a spectacular canyon known as Cirque Du Namaza. The temperature cools as we go lower, clambering over small rocks and walking down steps cut from the natural stone. We head for a clearing in Tapia Forest where our picnic lunch is being prepared for us by the local villagers. They have carried all the food and drinks on foot from outside of the park which would have been quite a challenge for us, but they make it look very easy. A selection of meats is being cooked on the BBQ so we order a beer and tuck in to the plate of fruit laid out on the table under a small thatched canopy. We are surrounded by a large group of ring tailed lemurs which have realised that this is an area with easy pickings for food. They are so used to people that if we turn our backs they brazenly jump on the table and try to steal our food. Whilst we want to see them close up, they are wild animals and we know not to feed them so the guides shoo them away. However, they never go too far away, climbing on the roof or sneaking under the tables waiting for any food scraps to drop onto the ground. They certainly are very cheeky !!

A break from the heat

After lunch we head along the track at the bottom of the canyon, through beautiful green vegetation towards the waterfall for a dip in the pool. It is a bit slippery underfoot and the path is narrow in places so we grip onto the rocks in the canyon walls to avoid falling. It is still hot but the temperature has decreased by at least ten degrees since we were at the top of the canyon so it’s a welcome break from the searing heat. We reach a natural cave at the bottom of the waterfall and jump into the pool. The water is ice cold and quite a shock to the system but it’s very welcome. We spend a few minutes in the cool water, laughing and joking and enjoying the moment before clambering back out, drying ourselves off and making our way back along the base of the canyon.

We arrive back at the picnic area and collect the rest of our possessions then head out of the park back to our hotel.

What an amazing day this has been one which I will never forget.