Isalo national park is located in Madagascar’s southern highlands, laying in a breath taking mountainous landscape out of fissured cliffs and stones dazzling in all colours of the rainbow.
Location:
Isalo national park is part of province Ihorombe, which is located directly at RN7 in Madagascar’s southern highlands. It’s on half way from coastal city Toliara (Tuléar, distance about 240 km) and Fianarantsoa in upcountry (about 280 km away). Best way to reach this national park is the road via Ranohira using a 4×4 with driver. The village of Ranohira is situaed approximately 12 km northern of Siombivotsy, where the park entry is. You need about two days to Isalo national park from the capital, Antananarivo. The road takes about 850 km and is in poor condition since it has been hardly repaired during the last years. Regularly, Taxibrousse drive from Tana to Toliara, but those need much longer, are extremly uncomfortable and even unsafe. From Tana, regular planes fly to the small airport of Toliara, too.
Information about the national park:
Isalo national park exists since 1962. It is located at altitudes between 900 and 1100 m and has a size of 820 km². It is one of the most important fresh water reservoirs in this area with its deep canyons crossed by several rivers. Isalo’s landscape is mostly affected by dry savannah and a various sandstone massif, thus it is jocularly called “Madagascar’s Colorado”.
The national park offers different hiking trails, of which the shortest can be done in one and a half hour yet. But you can also do longer excursions, the local guides even offer picnic or warm lunch for day trips. Isalo is one of the exclusive national parks of Madagascar, which can’t only be discovered by feet, but also by car. The Tsingys d’Isalo make gorgeous photo motives, as well as the nymph waterfalls, Maki canyon and the portugese grot. We can highly recommend a hike to “piscine naturelle”, a natural pool inside the rocks, which is fed by a small waterfall (takes about 2 h for going there and back again). Piscine noire and piscine bleu, two additional natural pools, are also worth seeing. If you bring bathing clothes, just step into the water and refresh yourself. Most trails are well to walk, but non-slippery, strong footwear is definitely neccesary
In 2010, a huge fire destroyed large parts of the then existing forest along the canyons in Isalo national park. Still today, you can see the repercussions of the fire in many parts of the park.
Climate:
Isalo is in southern Madagascar, which is why it got the typical southern hot and dry climate. Temperatures usually reach 30°C and more. Normally, it doesn’t rain a lot or not at all. Inside the canyons, the climate is a little cooler and a nice breeze floats around. Outside of the canyons, especially when walking through the non-shaded savannas, hiking can become rather effortful. Well, lots of suncream, enough water and breezily, sun protection clothes should be part of your luggage.
Infrastructure:
Isalo national park is located at the most visited route of Madagascar and therefore has a great infrastructure available (for Madagascar). The park itself has several very large camping grounds, which posses rustic sanitary facilities and working water taps (no electricity). There’s a small information center about the national park in Zahavola, which is located about 9 km from Ranohira.
Further accomodations of different equipment and supply can be found in Ranohira and Sorano. Ranohira is also the place to pay entrance fees and choose a guide for your visit. Since Isalo is fully booked especially during high season, it’s always a good idea to book rooms very early here. Furthermore, please be prepared that prices for rooms and meals are much higher here than anywhere else in Madagascar, sometimes reaching european hotels – which doesn’t automatically mean the accomodation is much better.
Around Isalo national park, the tribe of Bara lives its daily life, an originally nomadic tribe of cattle breeder. On the western edge of the park, Ilakaka city is placed, which is famous for its numerous sapphire incidences (by the way, these are the biggest sapphire sources of the world).
Flora & Fauna:
On first sight, there is no life possible between those dry savannahs and weather-beaten sandstones, but nonetheless, nature developed a species-rich fauna and flora here. Typical for savannahs, you can find mainly aloes, Pachypodia ssp. and other water saving plants, alltogether about 400 different species. Bismarckia or “Satrana” in Malagasy, green-greyish palm trees, are typically part of this region.
Seven lemur species have their homes in Isalo national park, as well as around 80 bird species and several reptiles like Dumeril’s boa (Acrantrophis dumerili) or Madagascan iguanas (Oplurus ssp.). Mouse makis defy the heat just as Madagascar’s biggest predator mammal, the Fossa. Colourful rock thrushes and ibis birds fly between beaked rocks and big stones searching for nesting material. During rainy season, clever amphibian friends can find some rare treasures like Boophis albilabris occidentalis or the colourful rainbow frog (Scaphiophryne gottlebei). And if you like praying mantids, don’t forget to search the savannas – there’s a lot to find in Isalo!
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