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Iharana to Daraina |
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34
;) |
35
;) |
36
;) |
Noticed several Green Day geckos [34-36] in the hotel's travellers palm, these vividly viridescent geckos are quite a common sight by the road [37]and just about everywhere. Next day, in two 4WD vehicles for the incredible drive to Daraina. The "road" such as it is consists of dirt, mud, stone and rock, with cavernous ruts and pot-holes that almost swallow whole the little Renault 4's cautiously inching along beside us. It took several hours to travel only around 40km, with everything covered in red malagasy dust by the journey's end. On the way, encountered a vibrantly rainbow-coloured Panther chamaeleon [38-41], magnificent creature, doing its jerky, robotic walk. Detoured to a village to see crocodiles who live peacefully alongside humans, where this snake [42] was spotted. |
|
37
;) |
38
;) |
39
;) | ||
40
;) |
41
;) |
42
;) | ||
Daraina |
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43
;) |
44
;) |
45
;) |
Change of landscape, dry grass plains [43] with patches of deciduous forest. Steep climb up and along ridge to get to lemur reserve (pockmarked with big holes dug for gold panning), much hotter with little cover from sun. Spent several fruitless hours searching for Golden-Crowned Sifakas. Near dusk, on point of giving up, when, returning via dry river bed, stumbled across five or so of them resting in trees [44-46]. Longest nocturnal walk ever back, under a luminous, almost full, moon. Torches picked out a Fork-Marked lemur - very athletic, leaping between trees -making weird chittering calls, and a chamaeleon [47]. Zebu brochettes (Shaun ate about 100!) and breadfruit chips for dinner. Camped in school building, amidst resonant snoring. |
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46
;) |
47
;) |
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Ankarana: Crowned & Sandford's Brown Lemurs |
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48
;) |
49
;) |
Almost full day's drive from Daraina to Ankarana via Ambilobe, part bad dirt road and part good tarmac. Lunch and much needed shower at Ambilobe. Visited market to stock up on provisions for camp, meat market is quite a sight with everything covered in flies, though Shaun still bought some zebu meat for dinner. First night at Camp des Princes. Day and night still rather hot and sweaty. Rattan mats provided to put in tents to help distinguish scorpions, which are endemic to Ankarana reserve. Dinner included aforementioned zebu ground up with cassava leaves - OK but was somewhat put off by the after-image of flies from the market. Lots of Sandford's Brown [48, 49] and Crowned [50-54] lemurs, leaping around trees, in small separate and mixed groups. Cute and cuddly, and will let you get quite close before moving away. Some show no fear of humans at all, as the one on Shaun's lap [55] shows. That little lemur came along, whilst we were having lunch, and cheekily stole a banana which it devoured, skin and all, in about 10 seconds, which seemed to satisfy its appetite fully. |
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50
;) |
51
;) |
52
;) | ||
53
;) |
54
;) |
55
;) | ||
