After a good nights sleep we were well rested and raring to go. Breakfast was a very French affair - you feel the Colonial influence - of fruit, croissant and French bread. At 9am we were collected by our guide and driver and set off on the 3 hour drive to the East coast and our first reserve the Andasibe- Mantadia national park. As it was a Sunday there was less traffic and we got to see the bustling city at a more relaxed pace. The shops and market stalls were already busy - the fruit and vegetables out for sale - looked particularly good. I was struck by the buildings which, given the levels of poverty were in pretty good condition. Unlike some poorer countries the infrastructure did not feel as decayed and it was kept relatively clean. That said 75% of the people live in poverty with the average wage being 100,000 ariary a month - i.e. about £28! They earn money from tourism, mining - in the area we were heading to it was nickel - and farming. Apparently the Malagassy people would rather buy good quality second hand clothes than buy cheap Chinese imports.....as they last longer!
Sunday was also washing day as all the rivers we passed were full of people washing clothes and the laying them out on the banks and bushes to dry.
Our first stop was a small nature reserve where they had a a great collection of chameleons which we wanted to see as we were not sure what we would spot in the forests.....knowing how well they conceal themselves! We also got to see some snakes - all are non venomous in Madagascar, so knowing that John actually held the hog nosed snake. We also saw the little tenrecs - today's picture - which are related to the hedgehog - but with less defined prickles.
Our next stop was Moramanga for lunch - when we arrived the restaurant the guide had planned to use looked closed (and was) - according to the owner the staff felt tired so had gone home.....as the guide said this would only happen in Madagascar! As the only other restaurant was full and no doubt rubbing its hands with glee at the other hotels tiredness we decided to go to Andasibe and find a restaurant there. We stopped at a lovely location on the edge of the national park and heard our first indiri's calling. Although they are renowned for their call they only communicate between groups for approximately 3-5 minutes a day - a lucky start!
After lunch we headed to Vakona Lodge which is situated in the heart of the forest - in a beautiful spot - and would be our home for the next 3 nights.
We settled in and agreed to meet our guide at 6pm for our night walk - we were also joined by our local guide, Edwin, who would also be with us for the next couple of days.
With dinner duly ordered for our 8pm return we set off in search of nocturnal lemurs. The walk was along a road so very easy; the only traffic was locals on bikes or walking and tourists. We actually saw chameleons first - parsons and the short horned were in close proximity and not long after we spotted the smallest - the nose horned chameleon. Due to the numbers of excited and noisy tourists with flash lights on the road our view of the mouse lemur was only fleeting - Edwin said we would try again tomorrow but in a less busy area. We also saw the woolly lemur which was higher up in the trees eating. Just after 7.30 pm we started our 30 minute drive back to the hotel for supper,bed and to prepare for our trip into the primary forest tomorrow.