Madagascar > Tsingy Rouge rock formations

This morning I have to take the same route back to the airport. It’s a bit strange that, for this stopover, a hotel in the city was chosen rather than one closer to the airport. There isn’t any time to visit the capital in between anyway. At the airport, the baggage check is much stricter than yesterday in Tulear. Whereas in Tulear they just glanced quickly into the bag, here everything is scanned. At eleven o’clock, the plane takes off for Sambava. Here I make a stopover before continuing on to Diego Suarez. This city is officially called Antsiranana, but locally people still use the old name from the colonial period. It’s raining in Sambava—a short, heavy shower. Hopefully, it will be dry in Diego. The flight from Sambava to Diego Suarez takes only 35 minutes. Upon arrival, it’s cloudy, but at least dry. I quickly collect my baggage from the short conveyor belt. Outside the airport, Bruno is waiting. I get into a 4x4 Nissan. Zoe takes my luggage to the hotel in Diego. I first go to visit the Tsingy Rouge rock formations, about thirty kilometers outside Diego. The road there, the RN6, is even worse than the roads in the south. There are many potholes, and Ga-bi, my driver, drives more beside the road than on it. It’s clear why 4x4 vehicles are necessary here. At the turnoff to the Tsingy Rouge, the road gets even worse. The final stretch is a dirt road. I drive between high sand walls. Ga-bi tries to drive as fast as possible over the bumpy road to reach the Tsingy Rouge before sunset. It must be especially impressive when the evening light hits the rock formations. On some stretches, he simply cannot go any faster; the road is deeply eroded by rainwater. After 45 minutes, I arrive at the Tsingy Rouge. I’m just in time for sunset, but the sun has disappeared behind the clouds. Of course, it has to be cloudy today. I descend toward the rock formations. Rounding a corner, I see white-and-red mineral-like pillars against the hillside. What a remarkable sight. The valley has been slowly carved by erosion, revealing the unique sandstone formations. Bruno explains that the minerals originally formed on the seabed and were pushed upward over millions of years.

Madagascar - The evening light falls on the remarkable rock formations

The sandstone pillars are fragile. A simple railing protects the beautiful formations, because human touch can easily damage the rocks. A little further along lies the Tsingy Canyon. From above, I look down into a valley with white-and-red sandstone pillars. Twilight sets in, and a very light sprinkle of rain even falls through the clouds. Quickly, I get back into the 4x4 Nissan and drive back to Diego Suarez. Outside, it is getting dark. In the villages I pass, it’s also dark. Some houses are lit with candles, others with solar lamps. Most are completely dark. People here go to bed early when the sun sets and are already up before five o’clock. Looking at these houses, I try to imagine what life is like here. Ga-bi keeps driving, clearly very familiar with the road. Even on the dark road, he skillfully avoids the potholes. Around a quarter past seven, I arrive at the hotel in Diego. My luggage is already in my room. Later, when I walk into town in the evening, the electricity has gone out. Normally it would already be dark in the city, but now it’s completely dark. I spot a small restaurant with candles on the tables—it looks cozy. I order a Zebu steak.