Thinking about the beautiful landscapes of Madagascar, one‘s mind goes back not only to pristine, white beaches lapped by the crystal-clear, paradisiacal waters of the Indian Ocean, but also to the enchanting scenery of the island’s interior, including the fairytale-like boulevards of Baobab Alley, the majestic limestone labyrinths of the Tsigny Reserve and the monumental rock massifs of the Isalo National Park.
These are probably the best-known naturalistic faces of the Big Red Island, when the fiery light of sunset tints the clayey earth with warm hues, casting the mysterious shadows of the monumental baobabs, the endemic species of adansonia grandidieri, that line the Alley as far as the eye can see; or when the silvery hues of the surreal limestone formations of Tigny, in a labyrinth of pinnacles and canyons, create plays of shadows that suddenly glow reddish, in rocky landscapes of indescribable beauty and desolation.
Definitely some of the most photographed scenery in Madagascar!
Enchanted and spectacular places, as only nature can create. Limestone deposits of fossils and shells, left behind by the retreat of the sea more than 200 million years ago and subsequently modelled by weathering erosion. Natural architectural backdrops, creating labyrinths and narrow, almost claustrophobic passages, but also extraordinary ecosystems, alternating between the aridity of the stone, wetlands and forests inhabited by lemurs, and which have earned the Tsigny National Park of Bemaraha its inclusion in the UNESCO list.
From the central-western region, heading towards the south of the island, one arrives at the Isalo National Park, one of the most evocative and visited landscapes in the whole of Madagascar, characterised by the scenic massifs of sandstones shaped by wind and rain.
Canyons and valleys, surrounded by the typically African savannah, embellished with natural pools, caves and impervious gorges, inhabited by dozens of families of lemurs, birds, reptiles and amphibians, mostly endemic, as well as an extraordinary variety of flora.
There are numerous trekking routes in the area, accompanied by the park’s expert guides who, in addition to the natural attractions, will take you to discover the places sacred to the Bara people, where their ancestors still rest, in the most hidden recesses of the Isalo Massif.
