Madagascar is a place quite unlike anywhere else. Adrift and isolated off the southeastern coast of Africa for millions of years, many endemic plants and animals evolved here making this huge island a biodiversity hotspot. Dozens of lemur species, bright chameleons, cryptic geckos and fat upside-down baobab trees can all be found only here. Despite the island's rich biodiversity, it is one of the most challenging and least developed countries in the world. Curious to experience the juxtapositions for myself, I traveled across the central highlands, down muddy rivers to the Mozambique Channel and back again. Many adventures, and mis-adventures followed ...
The setting sun silhouettes the stately columns of baobabs in the dry forests of Western Madagascar. These strange, 'upside-down trees' are found in parts of Africa and Australia and can live for thousands of years. Six of the nine species in the world are found only in Madagascar.
A little man with a big smile. Families are big here and Madagascar has one of the youngest populations in the world. Lots of kids in every village.
We spent two days canoeing down the Tsiribihima River. On the first night we had a close encounter with pirates, narrowly escaping downriver in the middle of the night.
Village dogs play at the end of a beautiful day along le avenue de baobabs.
The avenue of the baobabs. Western Madagascar is famed for it's dry spiny forests and towering, otherworldly baobob trees.
A Parson's Chameleon blends in with the tangled vines and dappled green foliage of Madagascar's eastern rainforest.
A group of Red-fronted Lemurs seems to almost blend in with the sandstone cliffs as they forage along the banks of the Tsiribihima River. Madagascar is famous for its lemurs, a distinct group of primates evolved here and found nowhere else on Earth.
A girl and her sister observe the spectacle of aliens from another planet canoeing into their village. In rural Madagascar 'raza', or white ones elicit surprise.
Close encounters of the lemur kind: this is a Common Brown Lemur, one of many species found in the lush eastern rainforests.
The hazy air and fading light create a panorama of dusty orange as Zebu cattle are herded across the Tsiribihima River for the night.