{"id":605,"date":"2013-07-09T15:45:16","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T14:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madamagazine.com\/de\/?p=605"},"modified":"2025-08-22T14:56:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T12:56:05","slug":"marojejy-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madamagazine.com\/en\/marojejy-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Marojejy National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marojejy:<\/h3>\n

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<\/em> and jejy<\/em> have various meanings, including “many stones” and “much rain”, but also “many animals” and “many ancestral spirits”.<\/p>\n

Location:<\/h3>\n

Marojejy National Park is located in the northeast of Madagascar on the slopes of the sacred mountain range of the same name in the province of Sava. About 60 km to the east is the “vanilla capital” Sambava. The RN3b<\/a>, which passes the park, reaches from there to Andapa in the west. The Marojejy National Park is difficult to reach due to its location and the lack of infrastructure. The only safe way is to fly<\/a> from the capital Antananarivo to Sambava and then travel by car or bus by road to the park office. The land route from Ambilobe to the east via Voh\u00e9mar on the northeast coast and then south towards Sambava has also been passable again since 2022.<\/p>\n

Information about the National Park:<\/h3>\n

In 1948, Prof. Henri Humbert of the Natural History Museum in Paris, founder of the national<\/a> park<\/a>, visited this spot of earth and was so overwhelmed by the flora and fauna that he dedicated his book “Miracles of Nature” to Marojejy. Barely four years later, at his insistence, the area was placed under protection. Only scientists were allowed to visit. Since 1998, Marojejy has officially been considered a national park and is thus open to all travellers<\/a> again. In 2007, it was declared a UNESCO World Nature Heritage Site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Uroplatus<\/a>
Uroplatus lineatus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The national park is about 600 km\u00b2 in size. Its highest point is over 2100 m, making it one of the highest parks in Madagascar. From the deepest rainforest to the high mountain forest, there is everything the country has to offer in terms of climatic zones. Various hiking routes leave directly from the campground, the longest excursions can take several days. Many rivers and streams, waterfalls as well as steep differences in altitude make the tours through the park a fantastic experience, but also demand a lot from the nature lover. Marojejy is certainly not easy to walk!<\/p>\n

The Tsimihety<\/a> living around the park and some mafia structures now pose a massive threat to the entire national park. Similar to Masoala<\/a>, slash-and-burn<\/a> and illegal logging of precious woods such as rosewood and palisandre have been going on for years and are difficult to control.<\/p>\n

Climate:<\/h3>\n

As in most areas of north-eastern Madagascar, the weather of Marojejy is dominated by a tropical, warm and humid climate<\/a>. In summer, temperatures reach over 30\u00b0C almost daily, and in winter there can even be frost on the tops of the national park. In the forest itself, it is slightly cooler and it rains almost daily. The extremely high humidity makes park visitors tire quickly and makes every hike a challenge. A good physical condition is a prerequisite for a visit to Marojejy National Park.<\/p>\n

Infrastructure:<\/h3>\n

There are only two small hut villages in the vicinity of the national park, which do not offer accommodation. The park office is located directly on the RN3b, where you pay entrance fees and organise cooks and guides. From here it is a 6 km walk to the park entrance. The path is not difficult but leads through a kind of savannah between rice<\/a> fields<\/a>, where it is extremely hot and walking is therefore very, very strenuous. Once you have reached the park entrance and the shady forest, it is still several kilometres to Camp Mantella (Camp 1) and several hours of extremely strenuous walking to Camp 2 (Camp Marojejya), which is much higher up.\u00a0 The last kilometre of the ascent alone covers 450 metres in altitude.<\/p>\n