Madagascar 2017
Madagascar had long been a place I’d wanted to visit due to its vast numbers of awesome (and endemic) herpetofauna. A special mention must be made to the delightfully cute and colourful day geckos which were easily one of the main reasons why I became interested in reptiles from an early age. As a result, Madagascar had always been ‘on the list’ of places to go, but the logistics of reaching the Red Island, and indeed the effort of travelling from place to place, had pushed it down the pecking order. However, an ever-increasing number of herping trip reports had recently stirred me into action, and so it was decided that Jill and I would finally make the trip in November.
Following a short flight from Newcastle to Heathrow where the pilot proudly announced we’d landed ’10 minutes early’, we then proceeded to taxi around in circles for 20 or so minutes, wait an age for our bags and then wait a further age for the express train to take us to one of the numerous terminals where more queueing and carnage awaited. We went from having a leisurely 3-hour connection to arriving at the gate just as boarding commenced…well done Heathrow.
Following a short flight from Newcastle to Heathrow where the pilot proudly announced we’d landed ’10 minutes early’, we then proceeded to taxi around in circles for 20 or so minutes, wait an age for our bags and then wait a further age for the express train to take us to one of the numerous terminals where more queueing and carnage awaited. We went from having a leisurely 3-hour connection to arriving at the gate just as boarding commenced…well done Heathrow.
Ethiopian Airlines appear to be in the process of trying to monopolise the skyways, and this was evident with the sheer number of their aircraft at Addis Ababa airport – just one endless line of green, yellow and red tail fins. Whilst making our connection here the bus driver was clearly confused by the number of planes and, after initially setting off in the wrong direction, decided to ask someone driving a flight of stairs for directions: “Make a right at the nineteenth plane mate”
Anyway, as this is a Madagascar report I’ll move on to Madagascar – which is where we landed five hours later to be greeted by our driver/guide/host/friend for the trip, Mamy (and his new 4x4 Nissan which was more than suitable for the task ahead). Mamy made the journeys between places much easier than we thought they’d be, and I personally think it was a great way to see different parts of the country.
Before we could head off to our first port of call, we made a quick stop to exchange our Euros into Ariary, becoming millionaires in the process. Much like Lloyd’s “there you go” scene in Dumb and Dumber, I became a tipping machine fuelled by these large wads of local currency.
Before we could head off to our first port of call, we made a quick stop to exchange our Euros into Ariary, becoming millionaires in the process. Much like Lloyd’s “there you go” scene in Dumb and Dumber, I became a tipping machine fuelled by these large wads of local currency.
Andasibe (3 days, 4 nights @ Grace Lodge)
That evening we arrived at Andasibe and immediately joined our guide Donna for a night wander. With the constant background vocals of Madagascan cuckoos, we were able to find chameleons, mouse lemurs, frogs and our first leaf-tailed gecko of the trip, Uroplatus sikorae.
That evening we arrived at Andasibe and immediately joined our guide Donna for a night wander. With the constant background vocals of Madagascan cuckoos, we were able to find chameleons, mouse lemurs, frogs and our first leaf-tailed gecko of the trip, Uroplatus sikorae.
After waking to the distant dawn chorus of Indri indri, we headed to Mantadia, where Donna incredibly spotted a chameleon (I believe this was Furcifer willsii) from the car whilst we bounced along a rutted dirt track (but not rutted or bouncy enough to prevent Jill from having a quick snooze on the drive back).
Along this track we also encountered a decapitated snake (Ithycyphus perineti), illustrating that even in a country with no particularly dangerous snakes, misconceptions prevail and, for some, a basic education/understanding of the natural world is still sadly lacking.
Our day in Mantadia was a productive one, and as the number of species increased I soon realised that given the reliance on scientific names, I was rapidly forgetting what I’d seen (meaning Glaw & Vences (2007) became frequent bedtime reading). For this reason, I won’t refer to everything that was spotted (although I will eventually get around to labelling each photo) – but please do give me a shout if you spot a missing or incorrect ID!
Along this track we also encountered a decapitated snake (Ithycyphus perineti), illustrating that even in a country with no particularly dangerous snakes, misconceptions prevail and, for some, a basic education/understanding of the natural world is still sadly lacking.
Our day in Mantadia was a productive one, and as the number of species increased I soon realised that given the reliance on scientific names, I was rapidly forgetting what I’d seen (meaning Glaw & Vences (2007) became frequent bedtime reading). For this reason, I won’t refer to everything that was spotted (although I will eventually get around to labelling each photo) – but please do give me a shout if you spot a missing or incorrect ID!
We knew we were lucky to have Donna as our guide – there didn’t seem to anything he didn’t know, plus he avoided people and went off-piste whenever possible. Those last two things are golden in my book. However, one afternoon we unknowingly ended up around one of the more touristy spots near Vakona where they’ve put a load of lemurs on an island and called it Lemur Land or Splash Planet or something. There’s also a crocodile farm. I’d avoid these places if you get the chance. The upshot of this dodgy area was that Donna spotted our second day gecko species (Phelsuma quadriocellata) in a Traveller’s palm nearby, so that was most-welcome.
A further upshot was that Jill somehow managed to locate the first snake (Thamnosophis/Bibilava? lateralis) of the trip over the crocodile farm fence. All that was visible was a little dark head within a huge mound of leaf-litter, a very impressive spot indeed! I of course wanted to hurdle the fence, but luckily we managed to coax it a bit closer with a stick, meaning I only had to lean into the croc enclosure to make the first catch of the trip.
A real bonus about Andasibe is that there’s a few community-run parks in which entry is allowed at night. This means that as well as the main park road there’s also extra bits to explore, and it is within one of these areas where we were able to see another of our most-wanted geckos, Uroplatus phantasticus.
Despite planning the trip to coincide with decent herping weather, we just weren’t getting warm enough temperatures during the night. Frogs and chameleons remained abundant, but most of our snaking was restricted to hours of sunlight.
A different area of the park awaited us the next day, where the sounds of cuckoos mixed with calls of black parrots, a third bird that seemed to constantly repeat the words ‘Zebu party’, and another odd sound that even the most learned naturalist would struggle to describe as anything other than equidistant between a curlew and a squid. On arrival we were almost immediately greeted by a fairly large Sanzinia madagascariensis. More lemurs and birds followed before Donna snaffled the third snake of the trip, a Thamnosophis stumpffi.
The final day provided a pretty cool little Brookesia (B.superciliaris), whilst heavy rains in the evening meant much of our night wanderings were spent rescuing frogs from the park road. We did, however, manage to sign-off our time at Andasibe with another solid chunk of Sanzinia!
Thank you Donna (https://donnamarcel.weebly.com/), you gave us an awesome start to our trip and with you we had already found most of our targets!
Ranomafana (2 days, 3 nights @ Centrest Sejour)
Getting to Ranomafana meant a lengthy drive to Antsirabe, a relaxing night at Les Chambres Du Voyageur, and another substantial drive the following day. En-route we were stopped by police to check vehicle documents and so they could chuckle at our passport photos. During this stop, our car was surrounded by locals carrying washing-up bowls full of ‘cooked’ animal parts. Apparently it was chicken, but there were shapes and textures involved that I don’t believe to be of poultry-based origin. What was odd is that the sellers didn’t actually say anything, they just held up their giant bowls of lucky charms and stared quietly through the window and into my soul: “Buy this and you won’t be ill” they seemed to say with their eyes. Minutes later a car drove past and pulled over further up the road. Sensing a sale, one guy set off up the street like a mouse-lemur on crack only to suddenly stop when a lady got out of the car and threw up. There would be no sale today.
Getting to Ranomafana meant a lengthy drive to Antsirabe, a relaxing night at Les Chambres Du Voyageur, and another substantial drive the following day. En-route we were stopped by police to check vehicle documents and so they could chuckle at our passport photos. During this stop, our car was surrounded by locals carrying washing-up bowls full of ‘cooked’ animal parts. Apparently it was chicken, but there were shapes and textures involved that I don’t believe to be of poultry-based origin. What was odd is that the sellers didn’t actually say anything, they just held up their giant bowls of lucky charms and stared quietly through the window and into my soul: “Buy this and you won’t be ill” they seemed to say with their eyes. Minutes later a car drove past and pulled over further up the road. Sensing a sale, one guy set off up the street like a mouse-lemur on crack only to suddenly stop when a lady got out of the car and threw up. There would be no sale today.
As we neared Ranomafana we left the sunlight behind and plunged into one big, misty cloud which would be a feature during the entirety of our stay. After checking in at Centrest, we met our guide ‘Diams’ and got stuck straight in to some torchlight strolling, following the twists and turns of the main road through the National Park. During a successful hour or so we were able to locate another snake species (Compsophis infralineatus) and an awesome treefrog (Boophis albilabris).
The bonus of our accommodation being a bit further down the road meant that each evening started and ended with a little stretch of road-cruising. An additional win was that Mamy’s eyes are razor sharp, so it was no surprise when he spotted a snake crossing the road some distance away. Leaping out of the car (and stopping traffic coming the other way), I was thrilled to see such a beautifully-patterned Sanzinia, easily one of the most beautiful snakes I’ve ever seen.
Diams was unavailable for the next day and we somehow ended up with two guides for our daytime searches – so once again Lloyd was casually handing out the pocket-money. I managed to spot what I believe to be Liopholidophis dolicocercus, whilst our second guide found a Thamnosophis infrasignatus and another resting Sanzinia. Another T.infrasignatus was then spotted consuming a frog in the middle of the path. Unfortunately, these would be our last snakes at Ranomafana as the cloud cover thickened and temperatures dropped.
Diams was then back with us for the remainder of our stay, with highlights including Uroplatus sameiti, a third U.phantasticus and a rather large comet moth (Argema mittrei). Thanks again Diams, it was a pleasure!
Ankarafantsika (2 days, 3 nights @ Blue Vanga)
Like many destinations on the island, there was a fair bit of driving between A and B. A full day on the road took us to Tana, with a second day getting us to Ankarafantsika in time for a night walk. This first section of road trip went fairly smoothly. That is other than picking up some sort of ailment which caused me to pass out in the passenger seat. I remember feeling a bit faint and asking Mamy to pull-over, but according to eyewitness accounts I apparently flat out fainted, eyes open too. Anyway, I woke up to a couple of panicked faces, passed on my apologies for scaring them and then we were on our way, again via Antsirabe where we visited one of Mamy’s doctor friends. I was advised to take something called ‘Smecta’, presumably for some sort of bacterial-busting rehydration goodness. The packet read ‘to achieve homogenous suspension mix powder with a 1/2 cup of water’, but having never knowingly achieved a homogenous suspension before I have no idea whether I administered it correctly. Anyway, from then on Smecta would become my breakfast beverage of choice.
Like many destinations on the island, there was a fair bit of driving between A and B. A full day on the road took us to Tana, with a second day getting us to Ankarafantsika in time for a night walk. This first section of road trip went fairly smoothly. That is other than picking up some sort of ailment which caused me to pass out in the passenger seat. I remember feeling a bit faint and asking Mamy to pull-over, but according to eyewitness accounts I apparently flat out fainted, eyes open too. Anyway, I woke up to a couple of panicked faces, passed on my apologies for scaring them and then we were on our way, again via Antsirabe where we visited one of Mamy’s doctor friends. I was advised to take something called ‘Smecta’, presumably for some sort of bacterial-busting rehydration goodness. The packet read ‘to achieve homogenous suspension mix powder with a 1/2 cup of water’, but having never knowingly achieved a homogenous suspension before I have no idea whether I administered it correctly. Anyway, from then on Smecta would become my breakfast beverage of choice.
On the way to Ankarafantsika the road crosses the Betsiboka bridge where tradition dictates we exit the car and stroll over on foot. This was a welcome bonus as it allowed us to admire a small swirling flock of Madagascan pratincoles (Glareola ocularis).
On arrival we learned we’d be staying at the Blue Vanga lodge – which is ideal if you like to be woken by midnight cockerels or yapping dogs, but not so good if you and the Smecta needed some quiet time. Staying here had its upside though, as there was at least one resident giant day gecko in the restaurant (Phelsuma m.kochi), plus its location gave us an extra reason to request some additional road-cruising in the evenings. We met up with Rap (and would later be joined by his partner Olga) for a quick night wander - finding Uroplatus guentheri - before experiencing the local cuisine at the ‘Jungle Snack Mini Resto’, which by that hour was transforming into quite the banging disco.
On arrival we learned we’d be staying at the Blue Vanga lodge – which is ideal if you like to be woken by midnight cockerels or yapping dogs, but not so good if you and the Smecta needed some quiet time. Staying here had its upside though, as there was at least one resident giant day gecko in the restaurant (Phelsuma m.kochi), plus its location gave us an extra reason to request some additional road-cruising in the evenings. We met up with Rap (and would later be joined by his partner Olga) for a quick night wander - finding Uroplatus guentheri - before experiencing the local cuisine at the ‘Jungle Snack Mini Resto’, which by that hour was transforming into quite the banging disco.
The next morning we arrived at the park HQ to find a Leioheterodon modestus in a ditch by the car park. The location was a bit public for snake-catching, so only a couple of photos were taken before it disappeared into an ant hole. The rest of the day provided some cool critters including a Nile crocodile, a Madagascan fish eagle and an absolute gem of a snake going by the catchy name of Dromicodryas quadrilineatus.
Ankarafantsika had been very hot. It had also been very dry until the late afternoon when the first rain of the season arrived. Thunder and lightning came too. Then it was hot and wet. During the downpour a mix-up in communications had us running along a lakeside path towards what I was expecting to be a boa. I was led to a thorny section of hanging vines and scrub in front of a group of tourists where I could see a large section of black snake slowly disappearing off. I took a step towards it and casually bent down, only for it to suddenly flick its tail in a huge arc and begin to shoot off at some pace. My first dive landed a little short, but no worries, my second would make up for it. I launched myself through the air towards it, only for a tough bit of vine to catch on my rucksack and snare my aerial advances, dumping me onto the floor with a whiplash effect that sent my hat and sunglasses somewhere into the bush. There I lay, face-first in the leaf litter, as a large hognose (not a boa!) flailed its way to safety. Gutted. Jill then found a dead Langaha madagascariensis on the trail. Even more of a gutter!
It ended up raining too heavily to complete our second night walk, so we retreated back to the lodge to change into dry clothes. We were greeted by one of the horrible little resident Jack Russell-mongrel dogs that was lying in the doorway crunching and licking what appeared to be a pig’s skull. Little fragments of bone were scattered everywhere. The smell was unbearable. The owners came over and brought some Febreeze with them… what a delightful welcome.
Trying to forget about that hideous little dog-thing, we headed back up the road towards the park restaurant. The rain had eased and the road was looking good, then Mamy and his razor-sharp eyes spotted a large Sanzinia volontany on the road verge! Road-cruising on the way back produced a slimmer but equally long Stenophis variabilis.
Trying to forget about that hideous little dog-thing, we headed back up the road towards the park restaurant. The rain had eased and the road was looking good, then Mamy and his razor-sharp eyes spotted a large Sanzinia volontany on the road verge! Road-cruising on the way back produced a slimmer but equally long Stenophis variabilis.
Our final day. It had taken nearly two weeks, but we finally had some good herping weather. Heading out again with Rap and Olga, they soon located another Leioheterodon madagascariensis which I made a much better effort of sneaking up on…but this one turned out to be a rocket too. I couldn’t believe the speed these guys can shoot off at. Once again, I was left stuck in a tangle of thorny vines and bushes. I was convinced that was that - surely I had no more chances! Luckily a third opportunity presented itself, and I was delighted to be able to take some photos despite it being in a similarly tricky spot. As this was my most-wanted Madagascan snake (and given the first two encounters had gone pretty poorly) I had to go for the snaffle. This time we had the area surrounded, so despite another mistimed grab, Olga and Jill followed it down through the scrub and into a stand of bamboo where Jill and I could make a safe capture. Delighted to finally have seen and caught this awesome snake, we then went on to spot another three during the day – all of which moved very slowly and enabled us to get great views of them going about their business.
That night we spotted another two Stenophis variabilis in trees whilst Jill continued with her impressive frog-spotting (Heterixalus luteostriatus). Back at the car we then had a Madagascarophis colubrinus peaking out from an ant hole. Unwilling to come out and pose for photographs, we left it in peace and took a drive along the park road hoping to road-cruise something else.
Then we hit the jackpot with an awesome Acrantophis madagascariensis - a giant slab of Madagascan ground boa!
At the park HQ we had a farewell drink with Rap and Olga (and found a juvenile Madagascarophis colubrinus by the restaurant) then road-cruised back towards Blue Vanga, finding one last M.colubrinus on the way.
Thanks Rap and Olga – it was great fun chasing the Leioheterodons with you!
Tana and home
A long drive back to Tana was broken up by the occasional chameleon crossing the road. Mamy also did well to spot (and swerve around) what we thought was a dead snake. However, although one snake had been previously flattened there was a second snake investigating the scene. Both appeared to be the same species (Ithycyphus miniatus).
Closer to Tana, Mamy attempted to take a short-cut along an unsurfaced road, passing some of the less-desirable locations and making my stomach gurgle with a noise that sounded like ‘Smecta’. To his credit, the short-cut worked and we skipped a lot of the dreadful city traffic. Our final night was a fairly luxury stay at Le Combava, and soon all that remained of our trip was a farewell to Mamy and 27 hours of travel back to the UK. I already miss the geckos.
A long drive back to Tana was broken up by the occasional chameleon crossing the road. Mamy also did well to spot (and swerve around) what we thought was a dead snake. However, although one snake had been previously flattened there was a second snake investigating the scene. Both appeared to be the same species (Ithycyphus miniatus).
Closer to Tana, Mamy attempted to take a short-cut along an unsurfaced road, passing some of the less-desirable locations and making my stomach gurgle with a noise that sounded like ‘Smecta’. To his credit, the short-cut worked and we skipped a lot of the dreadful city traffic. Our final night was a fairly luxury stay at Le Combava, and soon all that remained of our trip was a farewell to Mamy and 27 hours of travel back to the UK. I already miss the geckos.
Despite perhaps not quite getting the weather (and only having two weeks in such a big place) I was more than pleased with this trip. We saw everything we’d hoped to see and more. Thanks to our guide, Mamy, everything was taken care of and our time in Madagascar was much more of a holiday as opposed to stressful travel. If you’re unsure about visiting Madagascar don’t be, and feel free to email me - I’m more than happy to answer any questions or provide advice!
Many thanks to Jazz and Bastien for their advice and recommendations. Extra special thanks to Yannick for everything you suggested - I can’t stress how much this trip was shaped by your advice and the contacts you provided!
Many thanks to Jazz and Bastien for their advice and recommendations. Extra special thanks to Yannick for everything you suggested - I can’t stress how much this trip was shaped by your advice and the contacts you provided!