Madagascar

Description

Author: Hillary Bradt and Daniel Austin
ISBN: 9781784770488
Publisher: Bradt
Year of Publication: 2017
432 pages
Paperback

Madagascar, the naturalist’s “promised land”, attracts visitors with its stunning scenery and endemic wildlife, from lemurs and aye-ayes to mantella frogs and sunbirds. Anyone who appreciates species diversity has got to put a trip here on their bucket list.

This new, thoroughly updated 12th edition of Bradt’s Madagascar, is the leading and most comprehensive guide to this unique island nation.  Madagascar is by far the most thorough guide to the country in English and includes contributions from over 50 experts in a book which has been the most authoritative guide to the country for three decades. It covers national parks and protected areas and includes itineraries to suit all interests and budgets, plus details of around 1,000 hotels and restaurants.

Madagascar is fascinating not only zoologically and botanically, but culturally, linguistically, historically and geologically. This vast island is the fourth largest in the world and also the oldest, which partly explains why it has evolved into an incredible hotspot for biodiversity, with a truly unique flora and fauna that is more than 80% endemic to the island, and with new species being described virtually on a daily basis. Madagascar is also the only place where you can see wild lemurs. Almost a quarter of the world’s 450-or-so primates exist only here. And Madagascar is the world’s largest grower of vanilla orchids, the bulk of which is supplied to the USA for flavoring ice cream and Coca Cola.

With Bradt’s Madagascar you can visit tropical rain forest and seek out its incredible flora and fauna; explore otherworldly limestone spires, most famously at Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park – Madagascar’s most striking landscape; discover the beach-fringed islands around Nosy Be, fabulous for scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, whale-watching and fishing opportunities; and make the most of a host of adventuring and sporting possibilities, including surfing, windsurfing, rock climbing, tree climbing, caving, river trips, mountain biking, quad biking and hiking. Also covered are the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ambohimanga; the renowned Avenue des Baobabs, one of the country’s most photographed scenes, and information on the best bird watching spots: Madagascar has almost 300 avian species, with a high proportion of endemics, including five whole endemic families

This excellent guide covers Madagascar’s fascinating cultural history as well as natural history in an easy to read and enjoyable format.
From the Nosy Be archipelago to the enchanting coastal town of Fort Dauphin via the capital Antananarivo and the bizarre limestone plateau at Ankarana, Bradt’s Madagascar covers all the national parks and protected areas, with itineraries to suit all interests and budgets.

We used this guide to study up for our 2015 and 2016 bird watching trips there, and will use it again for future trips. Great background information on this fascinating island nation.

Co-authors Daniel Austin and Hilary Bradt have guided mesmerized visitors on more than 30 trips to Madagascar and their personal anecdotes and unparalleled knowledge, combined with input from around 50 experts, make this the most informative and indispensable guide on the market.

• 12th edition, October, 2017
• 5.5″ x 0.8″ x 8.4″