Antananarivo, or in short, Tana, the capital of Madagascar – to say the least – is a unique and fascinating city. It’s so different than anything we’ve seen before! It was our first stop on our itinerary discovering this island country in the Indian Ocean.
Written by my husband, Steve: The island country of Madagascar is, along with the Galapagos Islands, a powerful magnet for those of us drawn to concentrations of rare, isolated, and endemic (occur nowhere else on earth) species. For example, there are more than 11,000 endemic plant species. At least 80% of the wildlife is endemic.
Madagascar, often referred to as the “eighth continent” because of its unique ecology, is a fascinating, eye-opening, and hidden paradise, the world’s fourth largest island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. It’s not easy to get there but my husband and I were already close, finishing our safari in Tanzania, so it wasn’t too complicated to travel there.
Written by my husband, Steve: I knew I was in trouble when my friend at work loaned me her copy of the Birds of East Africa Princeton Field Guide in advance of our trip to Kenya and Tanzania – for it consisted of 590 pages and descriptions of 1388 species of birds! How was I ever going to contend with such overwhelming information while still trying to enjoy the moment of new discoveries? (And that’s not even counting the 300 species found on Madagascar, which was where the last 10 days of our trip would take us!)
A beautiful scenery awaited us here. We could have not dreamt about a better stay for our last two days in Tanzania!
It felt like we arrived into another world. A giant baobab tree greeted us by the entrance into the national park, and the promise of elephants, many species of birds, and many more iconic baobabs made us quite excited for our two-day visit ahead.
Written by my husband, Steve: Ever since I was a little boy, I have been entranced by the word “Ngorongoro.” It represented the exotic, the romantic, and the exciting unknown. I may have first encountered it in the old Time Life book series on countries or regions of the world.
A peaceful and relaxing place on a coffee plantation accommodated us for two nights in Tanzania. Just a short drive from the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater.
„The lovliest I have seen in Africa,” Ernest Hemingway once said about Lake Manyara National Park, which is most famous for its tree-climbing lions. It’s a small park, lesser known, often overlooked, but exciting.
No doubt, it is one of the natural wonders of the world. Steve, a wildlife biologist by training, wanted to witness this his entire life. I happily agreed to share the experience.
This was a classic tented camp we stayed at during our safari that resembled most of the old-style camps of the early explorers of Africa. There was a big difference though – it had the comforts of the modern world.
Flying high in Africa! Amazing scenery, amazing experience! Getting a unique perspective of the mesmerizing Serengeti National Park.