Exotic Madagascar

Mineral-rich Madagascar boasts a primordial limestone forest and a range of exotic fauna, among them 120 species of lemurs, and flora, but it is still one of the poorest countries in the world where the majority of its eclectic population lives on around $1.25 a day.

 

The view from the makeshift platform at top is impressive: wherever one turns, one can see serrated grey rock pinnacles.

A swinging rope bridge spans a vertigo-inducing chasm in Tsingy, offering visitors photo opportunities.

Rush hour in the capital, Antananarivo. There is a stark difference between the elegant capital and the rustic simplicity of rural Madagascar.

The highlight of the Tsiribihina boat trip: The two nights spent camping on the river’s bank.

A church on the road to Andasibe.

Tourist vehicles use ferries on the Tsiribihina to reach the interior parts of Madagascar.

The boat trip entails a journey on a repurposed cargo boat. The river is full of sandbanks, and from time to time, the boat needs pushing.

Exquisite Malagasy handicrafts made with rattan, raffia and fibre.

En route to Tsingy, at a village called Begidro, a young girl engaged in making an elaborate coiffure for her friend.

Many girls paint their faces with ground bark to keep their skin cool and soft.

Madagascar gained its independence from French rule in 1960. Here, the Independence Monument in the capital.

Malagasy wind instrument.

Breakfast being prepared in Antseraraka village.

At the market in Morondava.

At the market in Morondava.

Zebu (humped cattle) returning home at sunset after grazing.

A ring-tailed mongoose.

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Climbing the Tsingy stone forest, somewhere in the wildernesses of Madagascar.