Madagascar is the fourth biggest island on earth, and it’s a place that you should visit at least once in your life. It was once a French colony, now it’s a melting pot of European, South-East Asian and African cultures.
It’s your perfect destination if you’re looking for a relaxing and luxurious vacation. But it’s also perfect if you’re a nature lover, who is looking to discover new natural beauties.
As a Malagasy myself, of course I’d recommend my own country as a place that you must visit. But through Aina’s Life post, I hope to make you fall in love with this island too.
One of my biggest desires is to share with the world the beauty of my motherland. So I decided to write 10 posts about Madagascar, this is gonna be the first one. I hope that by the end of this little series, you’ll be able to find the beauty in it and you’ll decide to put Madagascar in your bucket list.
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Why do I think that you should pay a visit to Madagascar?
I believe that this big island has much to offer to all of you. The whole country has so many wonders and places that you can visit. There are also a lot of activities that you can do to enrich your experience there. Madagascar is so vast that each corner has something different to present you.
Maybe I’m talking like this because I’m a bit biased. But you’ll agree with me by the end of this post, or I just hope so. Now let’s check these reasons to book your next flight for Madagascar.
- Natural wonders
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
One of the main reasons to visit Madagascar is for Tsingy de Bemaraha. You will never find a place like this anywhere else in the world. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s a home to 11 species of lemur and 90 bird species.
The translation of tsingy is “where you cannot walk barefoot”. That’s because of the razor sharp pointed rock pinnacles. The only way to explore this natural wonder is by crossing the narrow wooden bridges.
Isalo National Park
Isalo National Park can be compared to the American Grand Canyon, and it’s a must for adventure lovers. There are plenty of activities that you can do here like hiking, mountain biking, swimming in natural pools and riding horses.
Ranomafana
Is one of the most picturesque national parks in Madagascar. The translation for ranomafana is “hot water” due to the hot springs that you can find there. This is also the area where you can spot the rare golden bamboo lemur. Here you can also find 30 endemic species of birds.
2. Flora
The flora in Madagascar is very rich with more than 12,000 species of plants. In this island there are 83% of vascular plants that can only be found here. The endemics plants include five plant families – with 900 orchid species, 200 species of palms and some species of traveller’s tree.
One of the most characteristic trees of this island is Baobab.
On the way to the west coast, you can find the avenue framed by rare baobab trees. These trees can reach 30 metres in height and 9 metres in circumference. What is so special about them is that it seems that they are upside down, for their canopies resemble roots.
3. Beaches
Madagascar’s seasides are just so dreamy, with its white soft sand and turquoise clear water. This island situated in the Indian ocean has many different points with breath-taking beaches.
From the most famous spots you can choose between Nosy Be, Ile Sainte Marie or Ifaty and Fort Dauphin. Of course these are the main places that tourists go to, and there are many other places.
While you’re there you can enjoy the sunny weather, snorkeling, diving, sailing and enjoy delicious seafood. Every beach in Madagascar has a feeling of being untouched and unspoiled. Every spot feels like a little piece of treasure.
4. Lemur
Lemur are the most famous animal in Madagascar, and it’s the only country where you can see them in the wild. The island is home to more than 100 species of lemur, and some can be spotted only in specific areas. The most common one that you can easily recognize is the black and white ring-tailed.
In 2018 I was in Madagascar, my family and I went to Mahajanga for “holidays”. The place where we stayed had two lemurs that jumped around there. I was so fascinated to see such animals so close to me, but I was a bit scared to touch them. But I can tell you that they are really friendly and nice, they adored my father.
5. Whale-watching
From June to September you can observe the humpback whales. You can see the mating dances of males for their females. And if you’re lucky you can attend the birth of a calf. It’s a unique experience to witness.
When the humpback whales arrive in the tropical seas of Madagascar, they are divided into two groups. One goes to the West coast (Nosy Be), and the other goes to the East coast (Sainte Marie Island and Atongil Bay).
6. Wildlife
As you read above, Madagascar is well-known for the lemur and baobab trees. But let me tell you that there is much much more that you can find there. This island is packed with many kinds of animals and wildlife. There are 300 species of birds and 260 species of reptiles and insects.
Conclusion
These are my 6 reasons why you should visit Madagascar. Nature has so much to offer and I hope that you’re interested to visit it one day. As I said before, this island is the perfect destination for any kind of things that you like.
So this is the first post about Madagascar, and this is the 6 Reasons to visit Madagascar.
If you’d like to visit some amazing beaches in Africa, here I have for you the 10 Best beaches in Africa.
