Visiting the baobab forest outside Ifaty
Visiting the Baobab Forest
On my fourth day in Ifaty I decide to leave the comfort of my daybed and go on a trip to the baobab forest. Baobabs are deciduous trees which are found in arid areas of the world with six of the nine species endemic to Madagascar. I have never seen a baobab close up although we did see a few along the roadside as we traveled so I’m excited to see them.
The trip has been booked through the hotel and my guide Marc is waiting to greet me at reception at 9am sharp. I recognise Marc as one of the fishermen who I’ve seen often on the beach outside the hotel, chatting with the hotel staff. This might seem strange in other countries but Madagascar is like no other I’ve visited, so a fisherman, wearing no shoes and doubling as a tour guide does not seem at all out of place.
Marc takes me outside the hotel where we meet the driver who will take us to the baobab forest. I didn’t read the tour transport details and knowing it is outside of town I assumed that we would be travelling in a four wheel drive. However, as I say this is Madagascar, so instead of a luxury air conditioned car there is a brightly coloured two wheel cart with two zebu cattle harnessed and a herdsman ready outside to transport us to our destination. It’s quite a surprise but I try not to show it and climb up onto the wheel and clamber into the back where Marc has put a blanket down to stop me from getting splinters from the rough wood.
And we’re off …… at such a slow pace that it would probably be faster to walk but I sit back and enjoy the experience. Marc talks constantly in French. I understand most of what he is saying but some words go completely over my head. It makes for an interesting trip as I’m not totally sure that I understand all of the facts he reels off at me but I smile and nod and when I really don’t get the meaning I just ask him to repeat slowly until I do.
We see a few baobabs at the side of the track. They are huge trees which tower above us but are soon are diminished by the giant specimens we find when we reach the forest. Baobabs really are such strange looking trees. Many of them seem to have faces carved into them but this is not an act of random vandalism but a natural phenomenon. It’s truly bizarre.
The locals use almost all parts of the baobab nothing goes to waste. The roots below the ground are used to make drums, the fruit is crushed and used for face masks, the husks of the fruit are used for maracas and the wood from some varieties is used to make boats.
We come into a clearing and Marc points out the largest tree I have ever seen in my life. It is the biggest baobab tree in the forest, over fifteen hundred years old and fifty metres in circumference and it takes seven people to join hands to reach fully around the base. Marc starts to climb this huge monster of a tree using footholds carved into the bark to move quickly and expertly to the top. He waves down at me grinning from ear to ear and I can tell he has done this many times before.
I take a few more photos then Marc climbs back down and we head to the cart for our return trip to the hotel.
