Traveling in Madagascar
Chameleons
A good friend of CLC, Mark ten Heggeler, 23 years old of Zierikzee, Holland shares one of his many stories. He has a great deal of breeding experience: working with many rare species of chameleons that are not typically seen in the US. As with many chameleon enthusists, he wanted to learn more about Madagascar and all the wildlife within. Below is a recap of his experience. We have also included several of his photos for your viewing pleasure.
Panther Chameleons in the Wild
"2008: After the flight from the Netherlands through Paris, we arrived in Antanarivo, Madagascar. Shortly after arriving, before we even picked up our luggage, we saw the very first chameleons (Furcifer Lateralis) in the bamboo bushes. What a wonderful beginning to a great trip. Also, in the same bushes, we saw some enormous spiders that were over 7cm. Shortly after examining the wild life outside the airport, we left for a breeding-farm working with chameleons, snakes and some mammals.
At the farm we saw the following chameleons:
• B. peramata • C. nasuta
• B. supercilliaris • F. verrucosus
• C. parsonii • C. gallus
Andasibe was the very next stop on our journey where we camped for the next three days. It was an amazing experience to see such a vast variety of chameleons in one area. From there, we had an excursion to Andasibe National Park, which is under supervision of the government. There we found the Special Lemuur (indri-indri) as well as the following chameleons:
• C. brevicornis • B. supercilliaris
• C. gastotenia • C. p. parsonii
• B. minima • F. balteatus
We then continued our journey to Manambato at Lake Rasoabe. This is a habitat of the Furcifer pardalis in which a wide variety of color morphs can be found. We stayed in this area for several days. It was supposedly very easy to get there by road. Unfortunately, it was on one of the “best” worst roads in Madagascar. From Manambato we took a boat to the Pangales Canales and the national park located there. There, we saw orchids and many medicinal plants. Apart from these flowers and plants we also observed large crocodiles, turtles, and lemurs. It was breathtaking.
We left the following day to Mahvelona for a visit to a 16th century trading fort. There we came across a number of pardalisii. That evening, we had a barbecue on the beach where large quantities of fish, lobsters and gambas were served. After this delicious meal, it was high time for a good night's rest. The following day, we headed out on an expedition in the area in search of different types of chameleons and frogs. We were delighted when we found a (Herdricalus puncatis).
Our next stop was Ill St. Marie. Our accomodations were in a beautiful bungelow park. Large parts of Ill St. Marie were in a bad state due to a cyclone that had destroyed houses and palmtrees. On this island we went on a true expedition where the roads were destroyed and very difficult to drive on. On this island we saw the (Calumma parsoni) Yellow Lip and the Orange Eye. We also found the (Brookesia supercilliaris). The next day, we enjoyed a well deserved day of relaxation. We spent the day diving and snorkling in the coral reefs where I was delighted when I saw a large Maureer Eel. This wonderful stay on Ill St. Marie came to an end and the following day we went back to the mainland by boat.
From Tamave we flew to Maroansetra. Then cab drove us to our next lodgings where we unpacked our luggage. On Maroansetra we found some magnificent species of pardalisii. That evening, we planned a walk in the dark in search of the Aye-Aye. They were difficult to find, but we came across some beautiful, but strange-looking Aye-Aye. While searching for the Aye-Aye, we also found some tomato frogs and a few snakes. At sunrise the following day, we started out in search of even more chameleons, but with little success due to the intense heat (41 degrees Celsius). There was only one thing we could do in this heat and that was relax. In the evening, we enjoyed a terrific meal in the city, crivettes and chips!!!!
Nosy Mangabe was our next destination. We went there the following morning by boat and as soon as we arrived we booked a camp site. Shortly after that hard work, we saw our first chameleon, the B. minima. We planned on staying here for 2 days and therefore we started to investigate the surroundings. That evening while strolling about, we saw many Uroplatus fimbriatus. We also saw a boa (Boa madagascariensis) and not much later a chameleon (C. nasutta). The next day, during a walk on the island, we found many Mantellas (Mantella laevigata) and differnt types of frogs. We also came across the (U. fimbriatus). At night, we were surprised to see a Red Kingfisher.
After a good night's rest, we left for Maroansetra. I took a stroll on my own into the town center and there I saw Tomato frogs (Dyscophus antongilii) and Tenrecs (Hemicentetes semispinosus). Later that day, we had a guided tour of a cinnamon and vanilla plantation. It was interesting to see how vanilla and cinnamon grow.
The next morning, we went back to the airport of Maroansetra and took a flight back to Antananarivo. In "Tana," we visited a handcrafts market where we could buy some souvenirs. This was a magnificent trip to Madagascar and I would recommend it to everybody, especially if you are interested in nature in its purest form.
I booked this trip to Madascar with the travel agency Tanalahorizon. The travel agency Tanalahorizon has existed since 1995, and specializes in tours on the fourth largest island of the world: Madagascar. Tanalahorizon is a German-Malagasy enterprise, which focuses on routes outside of the typical tourist paths.The emphasis of the tours are Chamäleon routes or Lemuren routes. Also, off-road routes are available by this company. In the last few years, more and more professional photographers and film teams use their services and knowledge in traveling throughout Madagascar.
For more information on this agency, please visit http://www.tanalahorizon.de
Written by Mark ten Heggeler, 2008
Edited by Stacey Mowbray, March 2009
