The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is one of just under two dozen officially designated national parks on Madagascar. Together with other nature reserves, marine protected areas and national parks with special protection status, the four dozen nature parks are managed by the Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protégées, abbreviated to ANGAP. The National Park has emerged as part of the approximately 1,580 km ² “Strict Nature Reserve Tsingy de Bemaraha”. This area has been a National Park since 1997, and since 1990, for its uniqueness, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An area of 723 km², has been researched and is regarded by tourists as the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in the true sense.
The Malagasy Tsingy translates into something like “walking on tiptoe”. Thus, the almost needlepoint rock cliffs in the entire park area are addressed. The needlepoint cliffd reach a height of 30 meters and more. Under this rough landscape are wide cave systems, smaller lakes and dense mangrove forests. These limestone formations, called Malagasy Tsingy, are a special feature of the national park. The park is located in the west of the 587,000 km² island of Madagascar, in the 150,000 km² province of Mahajanga with the provincial capital of the same name. 250 kilometers south is the town of Morondava. The drive from here to the park takes about one days by jeep.
A hiking or trekking tour through the park area requires physical fitness and sturdy shoes. Climbing, abseiling and dizzying crossover of suspension bridges alternate with a challenging walk on easy trails. The shortest of them is a three- to four-hour walk to the so-called little Tsingys. There is a humid, warm climate everywhere, while in the wide, extensive dry forests it is up to 35 degrees Celsius and even hotter. The vast majority of animals and plants is endemic, so limited to this region. Visitors can see more than a dozen species of bats, lemurs, chameleons, pangolins, reptiles and fancy turtles on the park. Even more rare bird species such as the Madagascar eagles have found their habitat here. Who wants to marvel at the little Tsingy can combine this with a guided canoe trip.
The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is accessible only in the dry season from late April to November due to the transport infrastructure. Officially, the National Park is not closed during the rainy season. However, since the paths and access roads to the park are not developed, they remain impassable in these months.
Highlights
– Variety of animals (lemurs, bats, chameleons, etc.)
– Cave systems (partly with stalactites / stalagmites)
– Labyrinths and suspension bridge
Equipment
– Hiking shoes or trekking shoes
– enough liquid
– Pocket or headlamp
Time Duration
Day Tour (3-6 hours)
Multi-day tour (2 days)
