Tsingy rows
Sharp grey rock like needles.
TIANASAL — CC0 · Charles J. Sharp — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ambalavola — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TIANASAL — CC0 · Charles J. Sharp — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ankarana Special Reserve is a protected area in northern Madagascar created in 1956, a plateau of 150-million-year-old limestone that rainfall has carved into caves and subterranean rivers. It is tied to the sharp rock formations called tsingy, Malagasy for where one cannot walk barefoot. The plateau slopes gently east and ends abruptly in the west at the Wall of Ankarana, a sheer cliff 25 km long and up to 280 m high. From the 1960s the Frenchman Jean Duflos, who later took the name Jean Radofilao, explored the caves and rivers of the massif. Around 100 km of passages have been mapped, including the Andrafiabe cave at over 8 km, the longest cave systems in Madagascar. Expeditions in the 1980s found remains of large extinct lemurs and previously unknown blind fish. You walk through dry forest among baobabs and endemic plants to rows of sharp grey tsingy. Crowned lemurs with orange eyes sit in the trees, and one expedition recorded 65 bird species here. The caves add further drama to the visit. The southern entrance is at Mahamasina on National Road 6, some 108 km southwest of Antsiranana. Entry is with a certified guide, and trails may be affected in the rainy season. The rock is very sharp, so wear tough shoes, and bring a torch for the caves and plenty of water. Stay on the path and do not touch the animals.
Sharp grey rock like needles.
Around 100 km of passages.
Orange eyes among the trees.
Mahamasina, National Road 6, northern Madagascar
In Malagasy it means where one cannot walk barefoot, for the sharp rock.
Yes, entry is with a certified guide, who knows which trails are open each season.