Madagascar (Part 1)

The Traveller's Palm, the national symbol of Madagascar. The laterally compressed tree grows aligned east-west so a traveller can get his bearings without a compass. The orientation of the leaves collects water for a refreshing drink and there are other features which are of practical value to travellers.

Madagascar is an island lying off the south-eastern coast of Africa. It became separated from the continental land-mass some 80-100 million years ago and its isolation has resulted in a biodiverse flora and fauna, of which a very high proportion are endemic species. I have just returned from a two week trip to Madagascar, with the Travelling Naturalist tour company.

A Madagascan village

Madagascar was colonised by humans about 2000 years ago with peoples from Asia and Africa, resulting in a rich genetic diversity that became geographically isolated into some 18 distinct ethnic groups. The island has a comparatively large population of about 20 million, most of whom live in extreme poverty.

Zebu, the humped ox, is the staple meat diet...

... and the zebu cart is the principal form of transport

Coastal tribes use out-rigged canoes to gather seafood from the coral reef

Although desperately poor, the children always have smiling faces and are ready for a "kick-about" with a make-shift football whenever we stopped near a village

The vast proportion of Madagascar is under agricultural development. However there remains some natural habitats now protected as natural parks where it is illegal to damage native species. Broadly speaking, Madagascar has desert and sub-desert habitats, but with tropical rain-forest to the east of the central divide where the saturated prevailing easterly winds from the Indian Ocean drop their rain.

The sub-desert "spiny forest" dominates the arid areas to the south and west of Madagascar

We were lucky to see these spiny forest plants with their green shoots and flowerheads after a rare rainstorm during the previous week

A Bayabub grove in the spiny forest. There are six species of these curious trees endemic to Madagascar (there are only two in the whole of Africa).

Bayabub trees gathering the rising sunshine

The rocky Isalo National Park in central Madagascar

Rainforest to the East of Madagascar

Our lodge set in the rain forest

Mamy, our local Malagasy tour guide. A football fanatic , here seen wearing his beloved Swansea City shirt!

Part 2 in this series will depict some of Madagascar's wildlife