The South - Madagascar - page 347

The combination of sandstone rocks (cut by deep canyons and eroded into weird shapes),
rare endemic plants and dry weather (between June and August rain is almost unknown)
makes this park particularly rewarding. For botanists there are pachypodiums and a locally
endemic aloe; and for lemur-lovers there are sifakas, brown lemurs and ring-tails. Isalo is
also sacred to the Bara tribe. For hundreds of years they have used caves in the canyon
walls as burial sites.
WARNING! Hiking should not be undertaken lightly at Isalo. It can get very hot
and many trails offer little shade. Avoid taking valuables to La Fenêtre as there have been
muggings there.
PERMITS, GUIDES AND VEHICLES You will need to buy a permit (prices on Click
Here ) from the park office in Ranohira ( m 033 13 172 58; e parc. [e-mail] ;
07.00-17.00 ). It doesn't open until 07.00, meaning that by the time you have bought per-
mits and got organised it's the hottest time of the day. So, if possible, make your arrange-
ments at the office the day before. They also sell simple maps of the park.
Almosthalfofthe60guidesspeakEnglish;checkthenoticeboardforinformationonthe
specialities of each one. Guide fees are also posted on the wall. They range from 16,000Ar
for the Piscine Naturelle or Cascade des Nymphes, or 20,000Ar for the Canyon des Makis,
to52,000Arforacombinationofallthree.Fortrekkingwithcamping,guidesare25,000Ar
per day and porters cost 10,000Ar.
For most excursions you will need a vehicle to get to the appropriate start point to avoid
the rather dull one- to two-hour walk from Ranohira to the park boundary. Guides can or-
ganise a car and driver for you but note that they will take a commission; so if you're on a
tight budget it may be cheaper to find a driver yourself.
ISALO INTERPRETATION CENTRE (MAISON DE L'ISALO) ( m 033 04 496 05/
032 55 487 69; 06.30-18.00 ) This is a tremendous museum in a beautiful building, well
worth a visit to learn more about the wildlife of the park and the people who live locally.
Thewell-designedexhibitshaveEnglish,FrenchandMalagasyexplanations(Italianisalso
in the pipeline at the time of writing). Sited almost 10km south of Ranohira, a visit may
most conveniently be combined with La Fenêtre.
HIKING AND TREKKING There are several established circuits with campsites,
providing all the Isalo specials of lemurs, cool leafy canyons, and hot, dry plains with
extraordinary rock formations and accompanying succulent plants. If possible, arrange to
camp overnight in the park. That way you can hike in the cooler parts of the day.