Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Completing the circuit you pass through a large area of forest with many medicinal
plants. Close to the campsite is the cave of Ijajofo, a former hiding place of cattle thieves.
Imaitso
In the extreme east of the park, this circuit (9km/3-4 hours) takes you through a
remnant of primary forest clinging to the side of a mountain and too steep for cultivation.
Below are the rice fields of the local communities. There are some lovely views and the
possibility of seeing five lemur species in the forest.
Diavolana
This circuit (12km/6-10 hours) is the real Andringitra - a close-up experience
of the granite peaks and escarpments that have intrigued me for so many years. It's a tough
walk with an altitude gain of 500m - but you hardly notice, so beautiful is the scenery.
Youwalkupthroughforestandsooncrosstheheadsofthetwosacred waterfalls (ifyou're
feeling courageous you can swim in the icy pools) then pass through tall, heather-like
shrubs (
Phillipia
spp) and up towards the escarpment. The next stretch resembles a giant
rockgardenwithcolourfulmossesandlichensdecoratingtheboulders,succulents(Crassu-
laceae) nestling at their feet, and masses of daisy-like helichrysum flowers.
A viewpoint looks over the granite slabs near Camp Catta. Here you may see ring-tails
leaping around the rocks. A trail leads to the Mororano park entrance (17km), but to com-
plete the circuit you descend steeply to the forest and campsite.
Pic d'Imarivolanitra (Pic Boby
)
Thistrek(14kmeachway)isusuallydoneintwoorthree
days and needs advance planning so porters are available to carry the tents and food. This
is the ultimate Andringitra, with stunning views and all the high-altitude flora described
above.
BEYOND AMBALAVAO ON RN7
ThescenerybeyondAmbalavao ismarvellous. Hugedomesofgranitedominate thegrassy
plains. The most striking one, with twin rock towers, is called Varavarana Ny Atsimo ('the
doortothesouth')bythepassofthesamename.BeyondistheBonnetdel'Evêque('bish-
op's cap' - but it looks more like a cottage loaf to me!) and a huge lump of granite shaped
like an upturned boat, with its side gouged out into an amphitheatre; streams run into the
lush vegetation at its base.
THE RING-TAILED LEMURS OF ANDRINGITRA
Hilary Bradt
