Marotandrano Special Reserve
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Marotandrano Special Reserve was established in
1956 and lies some km of Mandritsara, in the northeastern part of Madagascar.
It
has a total surface of 422 km² and consists mainly of
mid-altitude evergreen
forest, which grows on slopes and has a canopy of 20-25m, with some
trees
reaching more than 30m height. The landscape is formed by steep-sided
valleys, grassy
savannas, rivers and marshes. There are some small areas of degraded
forest and
agricultural land as well. The extraordinary rich wildlife is the main
reason
why most visitors come to Marotandrano. Unfortunately some lemur
species, such
indris and ruffed lemurs, are still hunted by local people. |
There are several communal
projects starting up
in order to develop the rural communities of Tsimihety living next to
Marotandrano so that they are no so dependant on the forest resources
and to
avoid illegal tree falling, bush fires and poaching. The villages of
Marontandrano,
Ampatakamaroreny and Ambodiadabo participate in this initiative: new
schools,
irrigation dams and hives are being currently built.
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Marontandrano shelters a wide number of animal
species. There are 25 mammals (all endemic to Madagascar except from
the
European rat), among them 11 lemus species: indri, black and white
ruffed
lemur, diademed sifaka, small-toothed sportive lemur, brown mouse
lemur, Eastern
woolly lemur, greater dwarf lemur, white-fronted lemur, collared brown
lemur, Eastern
lesser bamboo lemur.
16 reptiles, 19 amphibians and 140 bird species
(56 endemic) complete the biodiversity of Marotandrano, among them the
very rare Madagascar
serpent-eagle, brown mesite, short-legged ground-roller, Madagascar
pratincole,
Humbolt's heron or Bernier's Vanga.
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Diademed sifaka © Gail Johnson
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The
Reserve is accessible by road during the
most part of the year. During the rainy from December to March some
parts are
impracticable because of the rain. Almost every trip to Marotandrano
starts at
the city of Mandritsara.
If you come from Tana you can take the road RN4 till Ambondromamy and
then the
RN6 until Antsohihy. Here take the R32 until Mandritsara. Once here,
take a
really bad road until the village of Marotandrano,
where
the entrance is. There is a shorter option, but the road is much worse:
from
Tana drive along the road until Andilamena and then take a bad track
until the
Reserve.
There
is a
taxi-brousse connection from Tana to Mandritsara and here several times
a week
another one to Marontandrano village.
The
climate
is dry tropical, with two clear seasons. The warm, humid and rainy season starts in
November and
finishes in March, and the cool and dry one goes from April to October.
Temperatures are warm all year around, with an average of 22°C.
Humbolt´s heron on a river shore
© Danielguip |
There
are currently a couple of circuits through the Reserve in order to spot
lemurs,
birds or to climb the peak of Ambiniviny
to enjoy
the views over the forest. These treks are quite long (8 to 15 km) and
take 3
to 6 hours, depending on your physical condition.
There is
a camping place
inside the Reserve with some basic facilities. Price per day and tent
is 5.000
Ar. It is also possible to stay with the local people and get a real
experience
of rural Malagasy daily life.
At
Mandritsara there are
some simple hotels and restaurants.
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There are some
other interesting
places to visit not far from Marotandrano: the cliffs of Ambiviny and
the
waterfall of Ambodisatrana lie just a few km from the Reserve.
In the Sofia
region around Marotandrano there are some rewarding cultural events,
like the traditional Malagasy bullfighting and boxing, and an important
art
fair where artists of the whole region present their products.
The Reserve
Office is
situated in Mandritsara. You can organise your whole trip to
Marotandrano and arrange
all necessary to enjoy your stay.
Réserve
Spéciale Marotandrano (Mandritsara)
Phone: + (261 33) 12 314 45 / (261 32) 42 985 39 /
33 02 131 50
Email: boulevin6@yahoo.fr
