Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park (Madagascar)

Madagascar’s diverse geography includes fragile rain forest, desert, and limestone karst formations. One of the most popular places to visit on trips to Madagascar is the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in the west of Madagascar Africa, a veritable labyrinth of limestone peaks, waterfalls, and pristine forests. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, the park is now one of the most popular eco-tourism treks in the country. The Tsingy National Park is one of the only habitats for certain rare chameleon species, the endangered Madagascar fish eagle, and several lemur species. Treks in this park can also include cave exploration and camping. Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, together with the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, form a protected area which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bemaraha National Park is located to the north of the reserve and is the point of access for most tourists interested in exploring the tsingy, a Magalasy word referring to the needle-like karst limestone formations that make the park such a popular tourist trek. In fact, the Magalasy word tsingy literally means “where one cannot walk barefoot,” a perfect description of the pointed rock pinnacles.

 The most famous attraction of Tsingy de Bemaraha is the park’s namesake, the mineral forest of limestone formations known as tsingy. The natural limestone plateaus of the area were eroded by rains and floods, causing fissures, caverns, canyons, and peaks of limestone to form. The scenery at Bemaraha National Park is dramatic, with hundreds of needle-like karst peaks interspersed with lush pristine rainforests. The unique structure of the tsingy makes each limestone formation exceptionally rich in wildlife: The summit, steep slopes, and base of each tsingy form a separate ecosystem, allowing niche animal and plant species to develop that are found nowhere else in the world.