Madagascar - I wake up to a loud noise. It’s still dark outside. It takes me a moment to realize it's the call of the indri-indri. Their cry echoes loudly through the forest. I have the impression they’re sitting right above my hut. I check my watch—it's 4:30 ...

Madagascar - A striking landscape of more than 1000-year-old baobab trees lines the unpaved road of the Avenue of the Baobabs, causing many travelers on the road between Morondava and Belon’i Tsiribihina to stop and be amazed. The trees, about a dozen of them, are ...

Madagascar - At seven o’clock, I leave the grounds of Hotel de Isalo. In the village, Toussant gets in. He has brought two helpers, Mark and Names. They ride along to the park entrance. The last three kilometers are on an unpaved road. Faly carefully drives the ...

Madagascar - I walk to the main street of Diego Suarez for breakfast. On the terrace of the Grand Hotel—by far the most luxurious hotel in the city—I order a breakfast menu. Back at the hotel, the 4x4 vehicles are already waiting. Bruno welcomes me again. He will ...

Madagascar - I walk out of the hotel and climb the long staircase to the Place de l'Indépendance. It’s busy under the trees on the square. From here, I can see the lower-lying center of Antananarivo. I see the bustling Analakely Market—a maze of parasols. I try ...

Madagascar - First, I visit the Tsingy Rouge rock formations. These remarkable rock formations lie about thirty kilometers outside Diego. The road there, the RN6, is even worse than the roads in the south. There are many potholes in the asphalt, and Ga-bi, my driver, ...