Three-quarters of the population live below the poverty line. The infrastructure is crumbling faster than a stale baguette, healthcare is more theoretical than practical, and the pristine rainforests are rapidly disappearing.
Madagascar can be maddening. It can also be fascinating.
From Green to Red
Madagascar stands as one of Earth’s most extraordinary natural experiments, having split from Africa during the age of dinosaurs. This isolation created an evolutionary laboratory unlike anywhere else, where 90% of the island’s wildlife exists nowhere else on the planet. It’s the exclusive home of all lemur species and hosts other endemic species, some bizarre.
The island’s remarkable biodiversity includes over 11,000 plant species. Even Madagascar’s human story is unique. Malagasies descended primarily from Southeast Asian seafarers who crossed the Indian Ocean over 1,000 years ago, creating a culture that blends African, Asian and Arab influences in ways found nowhere else.
Once draped in lush green rainforests, less than 10% of Madagascar’s original forest remains due to deforestation and erosion. Today, its exposed soils ‒ rich in iron and aluminum oxides ‒ paint the landscape in rusty reds, visible even from space. It’s now known as ‘The Red Island’. Like the native chameleons, the world’s fourth-largest island has changed its colour, a jarring result of human activity.
A Bio Hotspot
Yet, on this ecologically and economically challenged island, I discovered an unexpected and rare environmental success story.
Ranomafana National Park stands as a curious anomaly in Madagascar’s struggling landscape. While Madagascar’s forests elsewhere vanish at alarming rates to slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal logging, Ranomafana’s rainforest remains vibrantly intact. The park has achieved this through a pioneering model where scientific research directly funds local development. Tourism revenue helps support schools and health clinics, locals train as guides and researchers, and communities receive tangible benefits from preservation rather than exploitation.
This success story contrasts sharply with Madagascar’s broader environmental crisis, where poverty drives desperate communities to unsustainable practices. Outside Ranomafana’s UNESCO-blessed boundaries, rare hardwoods disappear into illegal timber markets, unique species face extinction and erosion strips away fertile soil. But inside the park, endangered lemurs still swing through pristine canopy.
How did this happen?
Credit goes to the American primatologist Dr Patricia Wright. She rediscovered the greater bamboo lemur (which was thought to be extinct) and discovered the golden bamboo lemur bouncing around these misty mountains. Both species are endemic to the rainforests of Ranomafana.
Proving that determination and a passion for primates can move mountains (or at least protect them), Dr Wright turned her discovery into a conservation crusade. She hustled through bureaucratic jungles, convincing Madagascar’s government to protect this biodiverse hotspot in 1991, and securing international donations to finance the endeavour. The park now protects 12 types of lemurs, 120 species of birds and many rare frogs, chameleons, snakes and lizards.
The Bird Nerd
Theo, my passionate guide at Ranomafana, personifies Madagascar’s mystique. He grew up in the rainforest. A member of the Tanala (forest people) tribe, Theo started working with Dr Wright at the age of 5 and is now one of the most accomplished naturalist guides in Madagascar. He’s truly at home in the forest. He can detect subtle scents, like fresh lemur poo (I couldn’t smell anything but my insect repellent), and can convincingly mimic 106 bird sounds. This self-described ‘bird nerd’ feels pained for the ecological degradation afflicting Madagascar, including the damage done in earlier decades by his own tribe.
“Humans are the biggest predators,” he told me, with remorse. “We destroy everything.”
How We Travelled: In this infrastructure-challenged country, travel in Madagascar can be maddening. Many roads have more potholes than asphalt; ATMs often don’t work or have no cash; electricity and water are not assured (one hotel we stayed, the best in the region, had neither); hygiene is always top of mind (we sanitised our hands every time we touched money).
Despite these challenges, there’s plenty to reward the visitor, from unique flora and fauna to a highly diverse topography. While independent travel is possible, we chose the convenience and safety of an organised small group adventure tour, operated by the UK outfit ‘Explore!’ Our 13-day ‘Madagascar: The Lost Continent’ tour traversed the island from top to bottom. It’s a fast-paced itinerary that, at times, involves 10-plus travel hours a day due to the inadequacy of the roads.
Emirates links Phuket with Madagascar with a connection in Dubai. This flight makes an intermediate stop in Seychelles, and we took advantage of the stopover opportunity. Visas are required for most nationalities for stays 15 days or longer.
Adventurer and author Todd Miller has explored more than 115 countries. He authored the Amazon bestseller ‘ENRICH: Create Wealth in Time, Money, and Meaning’. His writing has featured in CNBC, Fast Company and Newsweek. He resides at Natai Beach. www.enrich101.com