Tsimanampetsotsa National Park

With a sub-arid climate it is rare to be surprised by rainfall. Between 8 and 9 months of dry season with a very low rainfall rate of 300mm throughout the year. The average annual temperature is 23ºC although from October to April the temperatures rise to unbearable levels so it is necessary to visit early in the morning.

The park extends over the Mahafaly coastal plateau. Geologically, the western part of the plateau is formed by biodetritic limestones of the Lower Eocene on which many caves were opened, such as those that house the famous blind fish.

The eastern zone is formed by calcareous limestone from the Middle Eocene, not very conducive to karstification. The vegetation consists of a dense dry thorny forest and xerophytic scrub.

The lake is fed by water coming from the plateau, it is a shallow lake (2 to 4 meters depending on the season) and extends over 20 km with a width of between 2 and 3 km occupying an area of 20 km2. Its waters are composed of phosphates and saturated with lime sulfate so it is completely salty. It is the habitat of numerous pink flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and dwarf flamingos (phoeniconaias minor) as well as other species of aquatic birds of this sub-arid region of southwestern Madagascar.

The most humid zone is of exceptional importance for the survival of the inhabitants of the area outside the national park, which also serves as a place of worship for the practice of rituals. Beware of the “Fady” (taboos) that you cannot practice in this park. Fortunately, the local population considers the lake sacred and a “fady” (taboo) protects the flamingos from poaching. The thousands of fady that exist in Madagascar often help to protect the fauna and flora of the island.

The park has unique habitats, which is why 75% of the fauna and flora are endemic to this park. The dry thorn forest is the place of choice for several species of lemurs such as the maki Catta, the propithecus verreauxi, the lepilemur petteri or the microcebu griseorufus. Also for the bat(miniopterus mahafaliensis) and up to 39 species of reptiles such as the radiata tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) or the chameleon furcifer oustaleti. 112 species of birds such as the verreauxi coua, the archbold newtonia, the Madagascar plover(charadrius thoracicus) and the Vanga de Lafresnaye, as well. The mongoose Galidictis grandidieri is also a refuge.

And we could not miss the real protagonist of this park, the “Grand Mere” (grandmother) baobab of the species Adansonia Rubrostipa and the multitude of pachypodiums, ficus marmorata and other baobabs that populate the site.

The aquatic fauna of the park includes 13 species of phytoplankton, 3 species of gastropods (Planorbis planorbis, Georissa petiti and Potamopyrgus sp.), 2 species of crustaceans (Grandidierella megnae and Apseudes thaumastocheles) and some larval forms and insects such as Diptera, Coleoptera, Ephemeroptera, Hemiptera, Odonata and Zygoptera (I never knew so much about insects :). All of them are responsible for the conservation of the avifauna of the region.

There are also two protagonists that although they cannot see us, they will be delighted to be observed swimming freely in the caves of the park, two species of “blind fish”, the Typhleotris madagascariensis and the Typhleeotris mararybe, endemic to the groundwater of the national park.

You ask us a lot about the color of the lake, we can tell you that it can change several times a day and go from absolute white as a result of its high concentration of lime sulfate and white clay, to topaz green through the spectacular turquoise blue. It is precisely because of this characteristic that no fish survive in the lake.

In 2014, four explorers led three expeditions underground: divers and cavers Ryan Dart, Philip Lehman, Hans Kaspersetz, Patrick Widmann and Olivier Testa.

It took three expeditions (2014, 2017 and 2019) to be able to state that the Anjanamba cave, in the Mikea forest (north of Tulear) is the third largest single-entry underwater cave on the planet and the longest in Africa with 11 kilometers of flooded galleries.

The Tsimanampetsotsa caves are home to what is now known as the largest fossil graveyard in Africa: dwarf hippopotamus, giant pit vulture (Cryptoprocta spelea) crocodiles and other extinct species. Erosion processes have created unique geological landscapes that once again exceeded divers’ expectations.

Source ©Indigo Be Magazine