On the drive from Isalo to the west coast we passed through the sapphire mining town of Ilakaka; once a rather lawless and wild part of Madagascar, it has since calmed down. It still made for some colorful photo opportunities from the window of our bus.
Next on the list was Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park which protects a fragment of dry forest that is popular with birders because of several locally endemic species, some of which we saw. In the park we also saw Standing’s day gecko, Phelsuma standingi. We saw an amazing little lemur (pictured above) that Devin said has only been photographed by a few people. What probably impressed him the most was a rare species of vine snake with a long nose.
This trip has delivered more than promised!
Check out the pictures here.