Madagascar > Ring-tailed lemurs everywhere

The night was difficult. Until two o’clock in the morning, I kept running to the toilet. Fortunately, I fell asleep afterward. Now, I seem to be over the worst of my symptoms. I no longer feel nauseous or have stomach cramps. Still, I limit myself to tea and dry bread for breakfast. Fortunately, we don’t have to travel much today. The advantage is that I get to sit at the front of the bus. Just outside Ambalavao, I visit the Zebu market—a weekly market for Malagasy cattle. The animals stand in groups, and boys with sticks guard the herds. If a cow doesn’t obey, it is struck harshly. I see a zebu run toward another herd. Immediately, the whole herd goes astray. The men poke the cow until it returns to its own group.

Madagascar - The zebus at Ambalavaos weekly market

Thirty kilometers outside Ambalavao lies the Anja National Park, a nature reserve founded by the local community. Manoël guides me through the park. Three spotters go ahead to primarily look for ring-tailed lemurs. They don’t have to try very hard. As soon as I step into the undergrowth, I already see the little creatures in the trees. Curiously, they watch me. Everywhere I look, the striped tails hang in the branches. Manoël explains that ring-tailed lemurs live in groups of sometimes more than twenty.

Madagascar - A ringtailed lemur in the trees

Young lemurs stay on their mother’s back for quite a while before venturing out on their own. I see several lemurs with a youngster on their back—a very cute sight. When the path begins to climb toward a rocky point, I decide to stop. It’s very warm, and I still feel a bit weak. Luckily, I have no other discomfort. Instead, I go back with one of the spotters. He shows me a large chameleon. Using a twig, he feeds it an insect.

Madagascar - The valley leading to Camp Catta

I watch as the chameleon flicks out its tongue at lightning speed to catch its prey. From Anja National Park, it’s still about an hour’s drive to Camp Catta. The last part of the road is unpaved. In the village, I transfer to an old 4x4 truck, which drives me further into the valley. Around me, high mountain ranges rise above the otherwise dry landscape. The shadows cast by the clouds give the valley beautiful colors. Camp Catta lies against one of the highest peaks and the side of an 800-meter steep slope. I had prepared for a primitive accommodation, but I am welcomed into a luxurious setting with charming bungalows, sun loungers on the terrace, and even a swimming pool. A perfect location to spend the next two days.