Vacation update.......

After Reunion I flew to Tana (the Capital and spent the night). It was really cold in Tana…I guess I’m a wimp now. Then I flew up to Maronsetra to visit Masola National Park. The next day we took a motor-boat ride across the ocean to the park. Saw some humpback whales, it was really cool. It was hard to take pictures from a small boat that’s moving up and down in the waves. Nevertheless, it was really cool.

Masola is a rainforest that seems to be relatively untouched. Very remote…and thankfully only rained 1 day (the return trip of course). The first day we hiked around near the small bungalows we stayed in. Ohh, I forgot to mention that a younger swiss couple were there too. They are swiss-german from Biel/Bienne. We some lemurs, birds and reptiles. There are quite a few chameleons around. Next day was more hiking. We went for a long hike on the remote beach and hiked around the rain forest some more. Found a small chameleon the way back too….spent the afternoon laying on the beach. Love that. Actually, I get kind of bored just laying on the beach.

The next day it was raining hard….but the waves weren’t too big so we made our way back towards Maronsetra. We stopped at Nosy Managbe, which is a small island that’s a reserve. The lemurs there are super spoiled and try to steal your food. I prefer animals that are a little more wild and more afraid of humans. We also found a leaf-tailed gecko. Near impossible to see…..soooo well camouflaged. Had lunch….then finished the super fun…in the rain ride back. It was great to finally take a warm shower!!

The last full day was a pirogue ride up the river. I read it was really cool…..hmmmm…it was just ok. Back gets sore after sitting in a small wooden pirogue for hours….didn’t see much wildlife. Just some birds, boa and a hedgehog. Actually, the hedgehog was pretty cool. LONG walk back……overall, kind of a small disappointment. We tried to find some tomato frogs…no luck.

Next day flew to Tana and visited a palace about 45 mins from the city…..can’t remember the name….I think it’s the one that’s a world heritage site. We’ll assume that.

Then I flew up to Diego-Saurez on the northern tip of Madagascar. So, I’ve been to the far north and south of Madagascar now. Went to the Tsingy rouge……which was a little disappointing if you’ve been to Bryce Canyon before. But still beautiful.

Next day we went to La Montagne D’Ambre National Park. Pretty cool….place. Saw a number of lemurs….world’s biggest and smallest chameleons….hiked around the rainforest….waterfalls….overall, pretty cool and recommended. Went to a good Italian restaurant in Diego…..good food, especially for Madagascar.

Next day……rainy all day…….sucked cause I wanted to visit La Mer Emeraude….which looks really beautiful in the pics. However, not fun to visit while its raining and near impossible to access when the seas are rough. Oh, well……another reason to come back! Actually, I thought I might be able to visit before leaving the next day, but Air Mad changed my flight to 8 AM…….too bad.

Finally back to Ft Dauphin after two weeks……great times and an unforgettable adventure!!