Dear friends, I thought this would be my final blog, but realized that there is just to much to show from our last few wonderful days in Madagascar. After flying back from the south and our visits to Fort Dauphin and Berenty Private Reserve, we had an overnight stay in Antananarivo, and then set off [...]
Dear friends, As we had to travel to the north, then the south and then to the east, the capital city, Antananarivo (usually shortened to Tana for obvious reasons) was a pivotal point on our trip and each time we stayed at the elegant old hotel, The Colbert with lovely views out over a part [...]
Dear friends, Our last morning in Berenty, we were up early and out just as dawn broke for what was called a Bird Walk. It is the best time of the day to see birds but of course, we were on the lookout for other creatures as well. It was cool and quiet in the [...]
Dear friends, Another day in Berenty Private Reserve with a visit to a small museum on the property to give us an idea of the diversity of the flora and fauna of this part of the country as well as information about the Malagasy people from this region. We wandered in the morning waiting for [...]
Dear friends, After the two National Parks in the north, and another overnight stay in Antananarivo, we flew to the far south, landing in Port Dauphin after looking down on some lovely country, mountains, rivers and lagoons and a long coastline, the breakers white against the deep blue of the Indian Ocean. From Port Dauphin [...]
Dear friends, Another day, another National Park - this time we explored Amber Mountain, lush green rainforest and many creatures hidden within. It is so called because, in the evening sun, the earth glows a rich dark amber. The park is about an hour's drive from the town of Diego Suarez in the far north of [...]
Dear friends, The first of the National Parks we visited was Ankarana, about 120 km to the west of the town of Diego Suarez. This park is home to several species of lemur as well as plenty of reptiles, some of which, like the snakes, I was not particularly eager to see. Here you can [...]
Dear friends, I have spent the last two weeks in Madagascar, the world's fourth-largest island and home to some truly unique flora and fauna. After flying into the capital city, Antananarivo which became the pivot, we flew to the north, then the south and finally drove to the east. In the north, starting out from Diego [...]
Dear friends, This will just be a short blog with scenes from Nungwi Beach at the far northern tip of Zanzibar and southwards down the west coast where we went for a day's snorkelling. It was hot, there were blue skies and turquoise seas - your typical tropical paradise - much enjoyed although only for [...]
Dear friends, After a couple of days exploring Stonetown, we drove up the island towards the northernmost tip to spend two more days enjoying the beach and fresh sea breezes. On the way, we stopped at a Spice Farm run as a local cooperative and were given a wonderful tour through the trees and shrubs [...]