WHY MADAGASCAR?
In a conversation with one of my friends:
"Madagascar" I said.
"Oh, yes, wow! Tell me again why are you going there"?
"It's about the lemurs", I said. "It is the only place in the world where they live in the wild".
"Oh."
With only the exception of a veterinarian friend of mine, most were puzzled as to why anyone would fly all the way to the island nation of Madagascar to see lemurs. It doesn't seem to be high on anyone's travel destination list.
Admittedly, it's not just about the lemurs. It is about a huge island country 2.5 times the size of Great Britian that has a strange, rich history. Cut off from mainland Africa for millions of years, the island's floria and fauna have evolved into unique species, including 150,000 forms of life that are not found anywhere else in the world. Madagascar is an underdeveloped country and tourism is very new so, for now, a visit to this interesting country should be a unique experience.
The first Europeans to sight Madagascar were the Portuguese in 1500 although there is evidence of early Arab settlements on the coast. There were unsuccessful attempts to establish French and British settlements but these failed due to disease and hostile local people. Because of this, the country was able to develop under its own rule, thus the development of the Merina Kingdom under the rule of the powerful leader (I shall call) Andriana, which is my shortened name for his historically shortened name which had 19 letters. (His real name actually has 52 letters.) By 1808 he successfully united most of the tribes in the country. After his death his son, Radama, took over as ruler and forged a relationship with Britian, which by 1820 recognized Madagascar as an independent state. The British brought western ways and missionaries promoting Christianity. Britian supplied arms and advisers to help Radama conquer the rest of the tribes.
Upon the death of Radama, his widow, Queen Ranavalona, became his successor. For 33 years she was a ruthless ruler, determined to rid the country of any British influence especially the missionaries. After decades of rule of the Radama descendants, the French arrived in the late 1800s. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has experienced a repeated political instability, including coups, violent unrest and disputed elections.
The most recent coup in 2009 led to five years of political deadlock, internatioinal condemnation and economic sanctions. Despite the return of democratic elections in 2013, the political situation remains fragile. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and around 93% of its population of 20 million lives on less than US$2 a day.
The current government sees the advantage of tourism and is attempting to educate the tribes and local Malagasy people to provide services to the tourist industry rather than continue with their farming and lumbering practices that are rapidly destroying the habitats of these rare animal species.
What's to like about Madagascar:
Madagascar is situated about 250 miles off the coast of Africa and south of the Equator and contains a rich variety of environments ranging from open plains, deciduous forests, dense rain forest, white sand beaches and lofty mountains.
We intend to spend 8 days in the national parks and forests in search of the extraordinary wildlife and then relax for another 4 days on one of Madagascar's remote northern islands surrounded by spectacular coral reefs and inhabited by indigenous natives in small villages.
