| Discover
The Secret Of Isalo |
| Adventures
In The South Western Corner Of Madagascar |
| One of the
most frequented National Parks in Madagascar is Isalo. From Antananarivo
the RN7 will lead you to Isalo National Park. Taking the road, you
will reach the province of Fianarantsoa (408 km from Tana) before arriving
in Isalo (206 km from Fianarantsoa.) Situated in the south western corner
of Madagascar, the lsalo range raises its rocky heads on the distant horizon.
Isalo National Park which is a spectacular site, completely silent and
full of mysteries, was created in 1962 and covers 81,540 hectares. As our
guides told us, during the rainy season that extends from November to March,
the late afternoon sky above Isalo darkens. Then over the Isalo mountain
range descends a soft and dark blanket of clouds. Far above the clouds
the evening sky turns a pure pastel blue. The grass turns a tender, luminescent
green. At this hour Isalo seems to break its promise of silence that rules
its days. A soft wind rustles the tall grasses and carrys the smell of
the earth. |
|
|
|
|
The rain does
not fall for long, and on its retreat rainbows span across the sky and
mountains and the fire of the sun descends under the clouds and lights
up the ridges of the mountain peaks.
| Search
4Escape - The International Lifestyles Search Engine |
| -
4Escape is a search engine that searches our network of websites each of
which shares a common theme: International relocation, living ? investing
overseas, overseas jobs, embassies, maps, international real estate, asset
protection, articles about how to live ? invest overseas, Caribbean properties
and lifestyles, overseas retirement, offshore investments, our yacht broker
portal, our house swap portal, articles on overseas employment, international
vacation rentals, international vacation packages, travel resources,
every embassy in the world, maps of the world, our three very popular eZines
. . . and, as they are fond to say, a great deal more. |
|
|
If a normal
evening brings to mind so many pictures, what about the days? We only
had three days to explore the beauty of Isalo. When we arrived there on
05 January 2005 it rained. Most of us (14 people) were very surprised to
see the beauty of Isalo; the deep canyons and narrow streams; Isalo's rock
formations have been carved by wind and rain for centuries. |
|
|
| We were also
captivated by the mysterious and fascinating creatures that inhabit Isalo.
Once we arrived we tried to find the Parks Board (ANGAP) at Ranohira, the
town situated near the National Park of Isalo.
The Maison
de l’Isalo (House of Isalo in English), an extraordinary house built
of stones inside the Park by the Parks Board (ANGAP or Association Nationale
pour Gestion des Aires protégées), provides guidelines to
the understanding of the Park's environment. There is also a small exhibition
which helps the vistor to understand the geology, fauna and flora and the
people (Sakalava are the most important tribe in Madagascar, status within
Sakalava society is determined by how many zebu a person owns; before zebu,
status was determined by the number of slaves! The Bara are also an important
tribe; they live in the central part of the country and are nomadic herders. |
|
|
Offshore
Resources Gallery
|
|
| They are warriors
who steal zebu to prove their virility. Their dead are buried at the bottom
of deep caverns.)who live in Isalo. In fact there are many hotels with
bungalows like L’Etoile de l’Isalo at Ranohira or Isalo Ranch about 5 km
from Ranohira (15 bungalows) but if you are too tired from your journey,
go up to Isalo and stay at the Relais de la Reine (tél 22 261 20
or 22 351 65), a 24 room hotel that is built of local stone. In fact, Relais
de la Reine constitutes a quite unusual model of architecture. You can
enjoy wonderful excursions trekking or horseback riding in the Park.
Nono, one of
our ANGAP's guides showed us the sites we needed to visit - they were
the following: Fenêtre de l’Isalo, Piscine naturelle: 6 km from
Ranohira, Cascade des nymphes, or Namazà: piscine bleue and piscine
noire. To reach these sites the road is rather difficult, plenty of rocks
to scramble over but the walk itself is lovely. Nono told us that scientists
call this rock information Le massif ruiniforme (ruin-shaped massif). As
we walk through the Park we see many different types of wildlife: crocodiles,
lemurs, even a horse. We also see the Queen of Isalo, a rock formation
that is shaped like the profile of a crowned female head. |
|
|
| In the Park,
grassy prairies extend everywhere, curving around peaks that look like
ruins, filling every space available. Pandanus palm trees, solitary or
in small clumps, endemic to the area, stand out on these plains like the
last warriors of a defeated army. Straight trunks separate their thick
leaves shaped like blades. A delicate plant – Salotsy – reputedly gave
its name to the prairie which can only be visited accompanied by guides.
There are five hiking trails. Only the “Grotte des Portuguais” trail,
the longest one of the five major trails, requires several days camping.
The easiest one is a mere walk of one to two hours over a rocky plateau
ending at a pool of clear water at the bottom of a small cascade. This
interesting walk allows the discovery of several of Isalo’s peculiarities.
On the plateau, alongside the trail, are several mounds of “wishes”,
as each mound corresponds to a wish called the “Tatao”. In the distance
you can see several square tomb mounds, erected by the Sakalava, the predecessors
of the Bara who occupied the area at the beginning of the 19th century. |
|
|
Offshore
Resources Gallery
|
| Escape
From America Magazine - The Magazine To Read To If You Want To Move Overseas |
| - Began Summer
1998 - Now with almost a half million subscribers, out eZine is the resource
that expats, and wantabe expats turn to for information. Our archives
now have thousands of articles and each month we publish another issue
to a growing audience of international readers. Over 100 people a
day subscribe to our eZine. We've been interviewed and referenced
by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Washington Post, London Talk Show
Radio, C-Span, BBC Click Online, Yahoo Magazine, the New York Times, and
countless other media sources. Featuring International Lifestyles
~ Overseas Jobs ~ Expat Resources ~ Offshore Investments ~ Overseas
Retirement - Second Passports ~ Disappearing Acts ~ Offshore eCommerce
~ Unique Travel ~ Iconoclastic Views ~ Personal Accounts ~ Views From Afar
~ Two things have ushered us into a world without borders... the end of
the cold war and the advent of the world wide web of global communications
? commerce. Ten years and over one hundred issues! We're just
getting started - Gilly Rich - Editor |
|
|
| The contrast
between the two cultures is illustrated by a Bara tomb set high up
on a rockface. Having been laid to rest in a temporary burying place the
deceased is moved to a natural hollow in the rock, enlarged if necessary,
and sealed with stones. The empty coffins are abandoned. Isalo is dotted
with these mountain burial chambers some of them placed at impressive heights
to discourage any potential grave robbers. Some distance further, in Ambositra
or Miarinarivo is a small grove, here we find the most common tree of
Isalo: “the Tapia”. Thanks to its thick bark this small dense tree
is the only one to survive the annual bush fires set by the Bara to clear
land. Another local plant is the “Pachypodium” erroneously called the "Dwarf
Baobab". All of us took pictures near the "Dwarf Baobab". The name
does however appropriately describe this small dry plant with its water
holding, hollow sounding, pot bellied trunk. The guides also point out
the Salotsy, a local plant with long thin leaves extending from a very
fine stem which recieved its name from the mountain range – Isalo. The
cascade of the nymphs: is a fairytale setting that is home to a large population
of frogs. As we discovered the internal secrets of this wonderful landscape,
our trail took us along deep ravines that were spread with giant boulders.
As we exited the ravines we approached, through fields and rice paddies,
the little village of Ranohira. The town is set along a cliff; the town's
name means “the water of the lemurs”. Near Ranohira is the "Canyon
of Apes" which is home to the makis catta and white sifaka - two species
of lemur monkeys. The makis of Isalo can climb the rocky walls thanks to
the palm of their hands which are shaped in the form of suction cups. Other
lemurs prefer to show off along the more acrobatic settings of the cascade
des Nymphes: Namazà. The nymphs are frogs. Their kingdom, at the
bottom of the waterfall that runs down the canyon, is reminiscent of the
dark recesses of a wet cave. Light shines through a hole above the cave,
and the spray from the waterfall creates a rainbow around the entrance
to the cave. During the day the sun plunges into the heart of this natural
well and you can see the frogs far below in their cave. A true fairy tale
setting. There is also a Welcome Centre built at the centre of Ranohira,
allowing the village to benefit from the tourist trade. Often crowded,
it sells entrance tickets and guides are available to take you on tours.
So if you really
want to visit Isalo the best way for you to organise travel to Isalo is
to get in touch with a specialised tour operator. This way, you will visit
the sanctuary of nature without exposing yourself to unpleasant surprises.
Besides, travelling this way, you will not be exposed to the permanent
risk of finding no seats on domestic flights which are often full.
The following
is a list of articles that Nia has written for the magazine:
To contact Nia
Click
Here
Return
To Magazine Index |
|
 |
|
Article
Index ~ Madagascar
Index ~ |
Copyright 1996 -
EscapeArtist.com
Inc. All Rights Reserved