You will land in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. The next morning you will reach Andasibe by road
About 3 hours drive from the capital, Andasibe is a huge forest area made up of several parks and reserves that are more or less connected. This place is famous for easily observed emblematic species of Malagasy wildlife, including the largest lemur, Indri indri, but also other species of lemurs including Propithecus diadema, the beautiful Diademed Sifaka. But it is also known to palm lovers as the habitat of an incredible diversity of species including some of the most emblematic. For this stay of 4 days in Andasibe, 2 reserves will be on the program. You will stay at the very comfortable Vakona Lodge (subject to availability), known for cultivating in its garden the famous Dypsis sp. Black Stem.
This small forest reserve, easy to access, can be scheduled from the afternoon of your arrival. With a little luck, you may observe the Indri, and get a first idea of the flora of the area, with many small species of understory palms, but also some more impressive such as Ravenea robustior.
Composed of steep hills separated by narrow valleys, this reserve has a wide variation in altitude, from 700 m to over 1200 m altitude, providing a variety of environments and therefore a very important floristic wealth. Managed by the Group of Studies and Research on Primates (GERP), this reserve is poorly known because it has only recently been open to the public. You will find an important diversity of palms between the ridges and valley bottoms and will probably discover some of the last Beccariophoenix madagascariensis and the rare Marojejya insignis. Lemurs should be in evidence again! After this stay in Andasibe, you will reach Tamatave and the east coast by road. On the way, with a bit of luck, you'll be able to see the rare Beccariophoenix fenestralis and maybe some giant Raveneas.
From Tamatave you will easily reach Analalava Reserve, a small lowland forest reserve managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden. Analalava is truly a treasure for any palm lover and was described in an article in PALMS 54(3) by Rakotoarinivo et al. in 2010, despite an area of just 200 ha, as among “the top six palm hotspots in Madagascar” . You will find incredible diversity in a small area; around twenty species of palm trees, have been recorded including the mythical Marojejya darianii and Marojejya insignis, as well as the mysterious Masoala madagascariensis. You will be captivated by the immense Dypsis carlsmithii and Orania trispatha. You will stay at the camp in comfortable dormitories (bunk beds).
