| In The
South Of Madagascar |
| Among The
Harsh Beauty Of Isalo |
| In an English
children’s book called “Marianne Dreams”, a little girl dreams constantly
of a strange, flat Savannah landscape, dotted with threatening rocks. As
you approach the impressive grandeur of the Isalo Massif in Southern Madagascar,
comparisons seem suddenly obvious. Although the plains are less threatening,
less intimidating, they are nonetheless strange. All around is wind and
silence, the pale grasses, gusting in the wind and ahead, the eroded sandstone
of the Isalo National Park, truly one of Madagascar’s treasures.
Established
in 1962, this massive park covers 81,540 hectares, its rocks dating from
the Jurassic period. These rocks (known as “ruiniformes”) have been
sculpted by wind and water into weird and wonderful shapes - eyes, beaks,
faces. It is quite surprising to find a place like Isalo in Madagascar. |
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Most first-time
visitors to the country come expecting - if they expect anything - tropical
beaches, rainforests and, of course, lemurs. Lemurs are, perhaps, the biggest
selling point - even if you know next to nothing about the fourth largest
island in the world, you will have heard of them. And there are, in fact,
many in Isalo - another bonus for fans.
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To get to the
park, most people stop off at Ranohira near the park, the small, peaceful
town on the edge of Isalo. From here, you can either take days trips or
find a guide to show you around for a week. |
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| This involves
camping and is undoubtedly the most rewarding - if time consuming- way
to see this magical place. Most of the people who visit this region,
though, normally have less than a week to explore, but find there is plenty
to do nonetheless.
An entertaining
part of any experience in Madagascar is the ubiquitous power cut - and
there were several in Ranohira, tending to come at highly inconvenient
times, for instance, whilst taking a shower or when you are about
to de-bone your supper. The bonus is that when all the lights go out, you
can see the stars which appear even brighter over the mountains and hills.
There are several
little hotels to choose from, all fairly simple, but fine as a base. I
was particularly pleased to discover that “Les Joyeux Lémuriens”
had
actually set free its captive ring-tailed lemur. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| It’s a pity
that all hotels don’t follow their example - perhaps they don’t realize
that “Vazaha” (Malagasy for « foreigners ») actually hate seeing
these animals made captive - far better to watch them leaping through the
trees where they belong. We only had two days to explore, so lost no time
in finding a guide and heading for the Piscine Naturelle - the first Isalo’s
"essentials".
Only one and
half hour's walk away, the road is quite tricky - plenty of rocks to scramble
over - but the walk itself is lovely, especially in the early morning or
later in the afternoon, when the constantly shifting sun causes the colors
on the rocks to alter from, brown, to red, to gold, the changing light
blazing into the wildlife around you. Our guide pointed out several cairns
on the way; in keeping with local “fady” (taboos), passerbys on the road
place more stones on top as a mark of respect; Vazaha have to constantly
be aware of exiting fady, the last thing a visitor wants to do it cause
offence.
The piscine
itself is well worth the walk. A stone cave overlooks a crystal-clear waterfall,
which in turn flows into a deep green pool surrounded by leafy trees. This
oasis of tranquility is a delicious surprise, despite the water being cold
enough to numb you in seconds. |
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| Lounging by
the pool, breaking into a baguette and cheese instills a great sense of
satisfaction, tempered only by the knowledge that you have to rouse yourself
and get back before dark.
Unfortunately
for us, dark hit early, but the hushed twilight time brought its own rewards;
the moon was so bright that you could find the paths by moonlight.
An unexpected
bonus was flagging down a passing car and being offered a lift back by
the park Director who was not only charming but also spoke perfect English
(very
important for foreigner tourists).
Our luck held
the next day.We dispensed with our first guide who had attempted to renegotiate
our original price (fixed per group, not per individual as he had so innocently
insisted). |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Escape
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| Our new guide
spoke English (because there were tourists from England with us) and we
were all set for the three hour trek to the canyon of lemurs, when the
park director showed up again to offer us a lift. We piled into his 4x4
and he told us about some of proposed plans for Isalo. At present there
are 48 guides – far too many and not all competent. Just knowing where
to take your “Vazaha” isn’t enough. Our new guide, not only knew
all the plants and trees in the area, but also the medicinal properties
of each; and he could find lemurs with highly impressive series of calls.
The Director
also described how he was working in tandem with the local community to
stop the hunting of lemurs and to help preserve the park. Incentives are
currently being developed - road building projects, training of rangers
– to provide much needed employment and encouragement to the surrounding
villages.
We were dropped
at the forest bordering the canyon and from there, our guide led us through
dense foliage to discover ring-tailed lemurs and the gorgeous, teddybear-like
Verreaux’s Sifaka - all white with black faces. We could happily have watched
them for hours as they sunbathed just like humans - hands on knees, faces
tilted to
the sunrays
- and legs sideways along the ground in a bizarre and singularly cool dance
step.
The Canyon
itself was originally named Ranohira - place of ring-tailed lemurs - but
the French colonists had no idea what lemurs actually were, so erroneously
named it “Canyon of Monkeys”. In winter, no sun reaches into the
Canyon, but the orange glow as it lights up the pinnacle ahead is an arresting
sight. It is a peaceful place to relax - a little fountain trickles into
the river which meanders through the canyon and the sounds of insects,
birds and, if you’re lucky, lemurs, permeate the air.
The walk back
was slow and leisurely as we trailed through the grasslands, passing picturesque
scenes of rural villages, “zebu” (cattle) being led home and an old man
washing in the river. Madagascar exudes a beguiling sense of timelessness
and peace, largely due to its gentle, generous inhabitants.
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