Location: 700 km South- west of Antananarivo Map
Area: 815 km²
Isalo National Park is situated 700 km South- west of Antananarivo in Southern Madagascar. Isalo National Park covers an area of 815 km² and contains 88 species of birds, 15 species of frogs, 33 species of reptiles, 14 species of mammals and 3 species of lemurs. Many are endemic the region and to the island itself. In others words you can't find anywhere, but here. Isalo National Park contains several campsites for tourists who want to spend a night here. Park's most notable geological formation are "runiforms" or ridges that were formed due to erosion by wind and constant rains.
The park is known for its wide variety of terrain, including
sandstone formations , deep ravines , lined palm oases, and meadows
. The nearest population is Ranohira , and the nearest city is
Toliara . A local guide is required for visitors entering the park,
and guides and porters can be hired in Ranohira. Trips in the park
can last from several hours to a week or more.
The main
threat to this park comes from illegal fires in the park. Fires
limit the degree of forest regeneration and increase grassland areas
for cattle from nearby populations.
The national park has an area of 815.4 km²,
making Isalo the second largest national park in Madagascar after
the Masoala National Park. The national park is located at an
altitude of 820 to 1240 meters above sea level. It is located in an
area with a tropical dry climate. The park consists of a mountain
range (Isalo Mountains) that extends from north to south over almost
100 kilometers and is marked by bizarre rock-planted Jurassic
sandstone formations , deep gorges , steep peaks, leached caves,
with (especially) bismarck palms overgrown with rivers grasslands
that resemble the continental African savannas. The most important
gorges are the Canyon des Rats ("mouse gap") and the Canyon des
Singes ("monkey gorge"), which is also called Canyon des Makis
("maki gorge"), as many lemurs can be seen here. Another famous
place in the park is the valley of the Namaza river , where there
are also several pools.
The park is threatened by illegal
natural fires , which burn forests and thus increase the grassland
that can be used by cattle.
The park can be reached from the
RN 7 from Antananarivo (700 kilometers) to Toliara (200 kilometers).
The closest major places are Ranohira and Ilakaka . The entrance is
12 kilometers to the north from Ranohira (on the RN 7), in the
direction of the village of Tomantsoa and from there to the west to
the village of Siombivotsy, where the parking entrance is located.
Flora and fauna
Many endemic animal and plant species can be found
in Isalo National Park. Biodiversity is particularly high in the
steppes, although the vegetation consists mainly of grasses. Occasional
fires in the steppe are necessary to prevent forest cover and protect
plant habitat. The fires were set by people in the past to make the land
usable for grazing cattle.
Moist forest occurs along rivers,
which is well protected from forest fires due to the high soil moisture
and partly consists of the palm trees Ravenea cf. glauca and Dypsis
spec. consists. On the highlands, pandanus pulcher and smaller bushes
dominate. Exotic species also occur in this type of vegetation. Since
these plants are still relatively young, it is assumed that they only
grow there after the establishment of the national park.
The
sclerophyllous vegetation is well adapted to forest fires and is mainly
characterized by bushes, grasses and the endemic tree Uapaca bojeri. The
biodiversity of this sparsely overgrown vegetation type is comparatively
low. The biodiversity of this sparsely overgrown vegetation type is
comparatively low. Many endemic plants and other shrubs and succulents
that are very well adapted to the drought grow on ridges. The outer
areas of the national park, which border on pasture land, are densely
overgrown with bushes.