Situated in the middle of the capital Antananarivo, it is the center of all events: The Street of Independence, French Avenue de l’Indépendance. It is located in the lower town, in the district Analakely, and is a former boulevard from French colonial times. Even today it is still considered a Malagasy promenade. Restaurants, cafés, shops, and bars line up here …

If you drive in Antananarivo via Rue Ravelojaona in the direction of Rova, a red-and-white building with four striking towers will immediately catch your eye. It is the palace of the prime minister. It was built under Queen Ranvalona I for the then Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony. The first palace was still made of wood but was replaced by the present …

Madagascar has many fascinating animals. There is only one thing the island in the Indian Ocean does not have: large, colorful parrots. Instead, evolution has come up with something very special here. In the Malagasy tropics, parrots are completely black. The unusual birds are called Vasa Parrots. There are different species: One is the Greater Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis vasa). It …

Why it is called “great” is not known exactly. In fact, it is only slightly taller than his closest relative, the smaller hedgehog tenrec. Perhaps the term derives from its area of distribution: it covers almost all of Madagascar. Only in mangroves and marshes, the greater hedgehog tenrec does not occur. You can meet the greater hedgehog tenrec regularly in …

Anyone who has ever been on the road in Andasibe-Mantadia will surely have discovered it at night: Boophis viridis, the Green Bright-Eyed Frog. Most specimens have a lot of red dots on their body, which is especially noticeable at night. They only grow to 29 to 35 mm, with the females occupying the upper size places. You can easily distinguish …

The Betsiboka River is one of the longest rivers in Madagascar with 525 kilometers. It has its source at around 1600 meters above sea level in the central highlands. From there it flows in a north-western direction, passes the capital Antananarivo and continues in a meandering course. The Betsiboka has a water catchment area of around 11,800 km². Some areas …

You have to look very closely to discover this Malagasy camouflage artist. Achrioptera impennis, that’s the scientific name, looks like a dry branch. But in fact, it is a living animal. Achrioptera impennis belongs to the stick insects (Phasmatodea). These are herbivorous, harmless insects that camouflage themselves perfectly in the middle of their own food by their extremely deceptive appearance. …