Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is part of the ” Atsinanana Rainforest ” of Eastern Madagascar (comprising 6 national parks including Ranomafana, Marojejy, Masoala, Zahamena, Andringitra and Andohaela).
This park is home to some of the highest mountains in Madagascar, such as Pic Boby (called Imarivolanitra in Malagasy and which is 2,658 meters high), considered the second highest mountain in the country, and the highest that we can climb to its summit by trekking and without climbing. Also in the surroundings of the mountain range are the Pic Dondy, the Pyramid, Mount Chameleon, the walls of Tsaranoro … or the buttresses of the valley of Iataraomby.
The park was created in 1999 and is known for its rugged and mountainous terrain that allows the practice of various mountain sports such as hiking, climbing and paragliding.
The biological biodiversity of this park is also very important as we find more than 100 species of birds, both endemic and migratory, 50 species of mammals (including 15 species of lemurs between diurnal and nocturnal), highlighting the Catta Linneus lemur , the lepilemur microdon, the eulemur fulvus, the hapalemur Aureus and the more elusive Propitecus Edwardsi.
Also 55 species of amphibians and 15 species of insectivores. The reptiles deserve a special mention, being often visible the chameleons of the species Furcifer Campani and Calumma Brevicornis.
As for the flora, the altitude marks the different species and varieties of plants, highlighting the high mountain meadows above 2,000 meters above sea level and in which the species of the genus Panicum stand out.
There are more than 30 species of terrestrial orchids, especially Cynosorchis and Eulophia, which colonize sites on the plateau, taking advantage of the intense sunlight.
On the eastern slope, the mountain meadows give way to a succession of different mountain forests, especially the low ericoid forest and the sclerophyllous forest.
Due to its large size, with a total area of 31,160 hectares, the Andringitra National Park is still home to human settlements of the South Betsileo and Bara ethnic groups, who are still engaged in agriculture and, above all, cattle raising (herds of zebu).
In Andringritra National Park you can do some of the best trekking in Madagascar, such as the ascent to the famous Pic Boby, for which we will spend almost 3 days of walking (with 2 nights camping) if we make the loop circuit that starts at the northern entrance of the park, near the village of Namoly, to finish in the Tsaranoro valley, near the village of Morarano.
Source ©Indigo Be Magazine
