How to deal with the gray January skies in Seattle? Explore the beautiful Arboretum where the striking colors of the winter blooming shrubs and trees will put you in a good mood.
Travel
A little luxury in Tana – Egy kis luxus Tanában
When you are on the streets of Antananarivo (Tana) – the capital of Madagascar – for the first time, you don’t really know what to expect in terms of your accommodation. We spent four nights here in two, completely different hotels. Both felt a little bit out of place.
Rainforest leaves – Levelek az esőerdőben
I was overwhelmed by the beauty off the leaves of the majestic rainforest on the tropical island of Nosy Mangabe on Madagascar.
A forester in Madagascar – Egy erdész Madagaszkáron
Written by my husband, Steve: Okay, I have a confession to make. Even though I am a trained wildlife biologist, my actual (first) degree reads; “Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources.” It mostly reflects the fact that I obtained my degree through the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, not that I was planning on becoming a professional forester!
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park – Andasibe-Mantadia Nemzeti Park
Would you be able to describe the world-famous indri? It’s one of the largest living lemurs, lives only on Madagascar, it’s the only tailless lemur, and has a peculiar loud call. One place where you can find it is this national park.
Vakôna Forest Lodge and “Lemur Island” – A Vakôna erdei ház és a lemúr sziget
The Vakôna Forest Lodge close to Andasibe provides not only accommodation, but also a tour of its private reserve. We arrived here, in east-central Madagascar, after a three-hour drive from Antananarivo. We were eager to explore the reserve and have some fun.
Highlands of Madagascar – Madagaszkár, a központi magasföld
We continued exploring the countryside of Madagascar as we drove from Tana to Andasibe, in the central eastern part of the island. An approximately three-hour scenic drive on a surprisingly good road was not too bad for the 159 km distance.
Madagascar raffia baskets – Madagaszkári raffia kosarak
Beautiful handcrafted baskets, bags, and hats in a small market in Maroantsetra. The marketplace sells many household goods and fruits and vegetables, but it’s known for the raffia hats and bags.
Welcome to L’Hippocampe! – Üdvözöllek a L’Hippocampe–ben
The name of this hotel itself – French for seahorse – felt quite exotic. Located close to the town of Maroantsetra in the extreme northeast of Madagascar, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, it was our gateway to Nosy Mangabe. We stayed here for two nights.
Natural beauty of Nosy Mangabe – Nosy Mangabe természeti szépségei
Tropical paradise on an uninhabited small island. Dense rainforest, majestic trees, many unusual plants. Once home to pirates, today home to the strangest creature on earth: the aye-aye. This is Nosy Mangabe in the northeast corner of Madagascar.
Experiencing Maroantsetra – Maroantsetrában jártunk
Days 6, 7, and 8 on Madagascar allowed us to get a glimpse of the north-east corner of the country with its rainforest, unique wildlife and plants, river and ocean scenery, local markets, food, vanilla, and more.
The lively Analakely market – Az élénk Analakely piac
When visiting a new place, especially in a foreign country, it’s good to visit the local market to get a taste of the culture. That’s exactly what we did in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Visiting the huge and busy Analakely market was an extraordinary experience.