The Island of Madagascar

For several years, I have dreamed of a trip to Madagascar. These thoughts arose before the Hollywood blockbuster came out, a movie which I’ve never seen, a movie which depicts many animals (lions, zebras, penguins, giraffes, hippos and more) that don’t even live anywhere in Madagascar. I think that’s unfortunate because Madagascar is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet with 80% of its species unique to the country. I know, it’s just a movie. ;)

Immediately following the end of my Peace Corps service, I made the trip to this beautiful island and spent a week hiking through lush green rain forests and stumbling upon creatures found nowhere else in the world.

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, located off the southeastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. A country slightly larger than Texas, it is home to approximately 16 million people.

Stacy (another Peace Corps Volunteer) and I spent a day in the capital after our flight from Joberg and took a domestic flight up to the northeastern part of the island the following day. We spent 8 days here, in the largest piece of protected rain forest on the island. Our first two days were spent on Nosy Mangabe, an island just off the coast. For those two days, there were only 5 people on the entire island: Stacy, myself, our boat driver, our guide, and our cook. It is home to many animals, but no humans.

The flight:

Boat to the island:

The shore, where rainforest meets beach:

The burnt sienna sand:

Our home for 2 nights:

Our waterfall shower:

Our new friends, the real characters of Madagascar:

The leaf-tailed gecko:

The mouse lemur:

Some of many frogs of which I don’t know the name:

The brown lemur:

The panther chameleon:

The white-faced lemur:

A molting cricket:

The black and white lemur:

The pygmy chameleon, the world’s smallest:

The Madagascar snail:

After a few days on the island, we took a boat to the town of Maronsetra (home to the tomato frog) and then another boat to our bungalow in the rainforest where we found more creatures and spent a morning snorkeling at the marine reserve swimming with many colorful fish.

An angry female tomato frog:

Happy tomato frogs:

Tomato frog tadpoles:

Our bungalow in the rainforest:

Sunset on the beach:

Hermit crab:

Slug:

Stick bug that’s bigger than your hand:

The red-ruffed lemur:

More frogs:

Sand spider:

The tenrec:

A baby gecko:

Another panther chameleon:

The Madagascar day gecko:

The crazed blue speedo lemur:

For the full album, click below: