Zombitse : lemurs , birds and the forest

The Zombitse national park is located 600 miles away in the south of Antananarivo and 100 miles north of Tulear, near Sakaraha . Its geographical location is 22 ” 22” 45 and 49 S and 44” 44” 37 and 45 E . The local aboriginal population is descended from the nomadic Bara ethnic group traditionally making a living out of breeding cattle. The  Antesaka, migrants from the south-east region, have settled nearby to sow and grow food from the land.
Green and not very tall vegetation is a curiosity in an area mostly covered with sand. Shrub leaves are however exceptionally dense, as a reminiscent of a tropical climate despite scarce rainfall. The forest standing along the National Highway 7 is famous for its tying trees and its scores of epiphytic species . One of them, the Tsitake has a much more gloomy reputation, for it is used to manufacture coffins.
Besides the forest,  the Zombitse National Park includes two biological sites: Isoky and Vohibasia . Surrounded by 36,000 ha of protected areas, searchers have an available natural laboratory. Zombitse remains primarily associated to ornithology and birdwatching. 47 % of the island’s endemic birds, of which the Ritake or the Berniera, can be observed in their element. The park has 8 species of lemurs, including the Verreaux Sifaka, as well as many reptiles and lizard geckos.
Three different routes are serving wildlife observation inside the Zombitse Vohibasia National Park: the Ritikala leads to a half a mile long spot where birds may be contemplated from, the Lobo is a bit more than a mile long track from which birds, reptiles and diurnal or nocturnal lemurs are visible, and the Mandresy offers a suitable view on the spectacle of birds and lemurs. The national park’s forests and rivers are more like a genuine oasis in a desert dry region.
The local flora is best discovered all along the Velomihanta circuit, named after an epiphytic orchid. The area is teeming with many medicinal plants. The presence of ficus particularly attracts birds.
A stay by the Zombitse park is made comfortable by an ecolodge, as the most suitable hosting solution. Bungalows and houses are built according to traditional architecture rules perfectly blend into the landscape, though they are equipped with modern technology. The small town of Sakaraha, located near the National Park, offers other accommodation options as well.
When back on the National Road 7, tourists’ cars are seen again, heading to the deep south. The insecurity previously caused by widespread cattle thefts has largely abated. The ” southern region ” happens to be much too vague anyway whenever insecurity is being addressed in the news. Security troubles actually never affected national parks and other touristic destinations. And people may stand by experimented guides to get reliable information about secure ways to go