Ranomafana

Posted by on June 26, 2011 in Blog, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Two weeks ago, over Pentecost, we had a long holiday weekend… after all, doesn’t everybody have Pentecost Monday as a national holiday?  Along with our guests, we went to a lush rainforest, Ranomafana (literally translated as Hot Water because of the natural hot springs).  It’s one of the “must see” tourist sites on the island.  A large rainforest with a river meandering through the valley floor, full of lemurs, chameleons, mongoose, birds, orchids and leeches.  I’m thankful to report that I was the only one of our family to have to pull off a blood-thirsty leech from my leg.  It was spectacular… the forest that is!  Here’s a few pictures to enjoy…

 

 

 

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Namorona River

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Calumma oshaughnessyi???

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nocturnal mouse lemur

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I spy with my little eye a frog sleeping in a leaf…

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ring-tailed mongoose

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can you spot this guy?

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here he is… a leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)

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greater bamboo lemur: (1 of only 2 left within 40km of forest and both are males…)

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Gavin loved looking at the lemurs!
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female red-bellied lemur

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male red-bellied lemur

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going on a lemur hunt…

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Calumma nasuta???

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wild orchids blooming in the trees

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red velvet mite

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Calumma brevicornis (male)

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our little explorer…

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Calumma brevicornis (female)

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Echinapodera sp.

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Calumma gastrotaenia

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Gavin thought this little guy (also in the picture above) was as cool as we did…

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just a LITTLE rickety bridge to cross

to our lunch spot…

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our own little lemur…

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look closely, it’s a tree growing out of a heart-shaped stump…AWESOME!

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A great day of exploring Madagascar!!!












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