Can I visit a national park alone on my own? A visit to a national park together with a “local forest guide” is obligatory everywhere in Madagascar – with one exception: Lokobe on Nosy Be. The local guides have completed a two-year training and are licensed by Madagascar National Parks (MNP). They earn their living sustainably with ecotourism, which is …
LesenSchlagwort-Archiv: National park
Amber mountain national park
Amber Mountain: The name comes from the flowers of certain trees that cover the mountain and shine amber from afar. Location: The Amber Mountain National Park is located in northwestern Madagascar in the Diana region. The nearest major city is Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) on the coast, about 30 km away. From the capital Antananarivo, the park is located about 1000 …
LesenAnkarafantsika national park
Ankarafantsika: The word itself means “spiny mountains” and alludes to the famous gorge of the park. Ankarafanstika is also called “the Kingdom of Birds“. Location: Ankarafantsika National Park is located in northwestern Madagascar in the Ambato Boeny region. It is located 420 km north of Antananarivo and 115 km west of the port city of Mahajanga. The RN4 connects both …
LesenNosy Hara national park
Nosy Hara: The name means “mountainous island” (hara comes from the Malagasy harana = mountains), which goes back to the characteristic needle stone rock formations. The island belongs to a small archipelago of twelve uninhabited islands surrounded by coral reefs. Location: The island of Nosy Hara is located in northern Madagascar in the Baie de Courrier, which belongs to the …
LesenZahamena national park
Zahamena: Zahamena means „red trees“, which hints at a tree species scientifically called Diatum unifoliatum. It occurs only in Zahamena and has a typically reddish-orange colored bark. Location: Zahamena national park is located in the northeastern highlands of Madagascar, in the region Alaotra-Mangoro. This area is famous for Madagascar’s largest lake, Alaotra, which is about 25 km away from the …
LesenNosy Tanikely national park
Nosy Tanikely: Nosy Tanikely means “island of little earth”, which alludes to the small area of the island. The often-used spelling “Tanihely” with h instead of k is not a spelling mistake, but only the name of the park in the dialect of the local people, the Sakalava. Location: Nosy Tanikely National Park is located in northwestern Madagascar off the …
LesenMasoala national park
Masoala: Masoala means “eyes of the forest”. The national park owes this name to the Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), whose eyes ghostly glow like two large yellow spheres in the light cone of the torch at night. Unfortunately, night walks in national parks are currently forbidden, so that only the name testifies to this magnificent experience. Location: The Masola National Park …
LesenRanomafana National Park
Ranomafana: Ranomafana owes its name to its thermal springs, which constantly pump warm water (in Malagasy rano mafana) into the valley. Location: Ranomafana National Park is located between the two regions of Haute Matsiatra and Vatovavy-Fitovinany, about 420 kilometers south-east of the capital Antananarivo. For the journey via the RN7 from the capital, you need about one and a half …
LesenMarojejy National Park
Marojejy: Marojejy National Park is one of the most biodiverse and beautiful in Madagascar, but also one of the most difficult to travel to. An “advanced paradise”! The Malagasy words maro and jejy have various meanings, including “many stones” and “much rain”, but also “many animals” and “many ancestral spirits”. Location: Marojejy National Park is located in the northeast of …
LesenAndasibe-Mantadia National Park
Andasibe: Formerly, this national park and the village Andasibe had the french name Périnet, which derived from French Henri Périnet, who built the train station nearby at the beginning of the 20th century. Today it is a complex of national parks wearing the Malagasy name Andasibe-Mantadia. The Malagasy name Andasibe means as much as “big camp”, which points to the …
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