Isalo to Ifaty
Leaving Jardin du Roi
I wake at 4am when I realize that I forgot to order boxed lunches for today’s long drive. Zack explained that there are places along the route that he can get food but none he would trust for a tourist’s tummy. Now I can’t get back to sleep.
At 6am I am at the reception desk and am relieved that I can still order sandwiches for the drive.
We have breakfast with Laura and Tim and by 7:30am we are in the jeep. Zack warns us that the roads are a bit rough so we each take half a gravol and I immediately fall asleep. I am not sure if that’s because of the gravol or the early morning.
Checking out the Sapphires
Shortly out of Isalo we come to a town known for its sapphires. Zack asks us if we want to stop. I reply “Yes” and John “No” at the same time. The town is one if the wealthier ones in the country because of the sapphire trade. The road is lined with sapphire stores that trade in the raw stones. Zack takes us to one that also sells finished jewellery.
We tour the store’s museum explaining about sapphire mining in the area. We also get to see the workshop. In the store’s garden is an area where two Madagascar radiated tortoises are roaming around.
John is relieved when we leave the place empty handed. They had many of the rarer coloured sapphires but not the deep blue that I like.
We pass a river used as a gold washing area. Gold bearing dirt is mined then brought to this river as the closest water source to be panned for gold.
Family Burial Tombs
Along the road I spot numerous family burial tombs. Madagascar. As I mentioned I am earlier post (click here for a detailed explanation), Madagascar has a culture of ancestral veneration which these tombs are an important part of.
Zombitse Vohibasia National Park
A few hours drive and we stop at Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park. This park protects an isolated, critically endangered area of dry transitional forest. It transitions between the dry deciduous woodlands of the west and the spiny sub-arid thickets of the south. It is world known for birding. There are over 100 distinct bird species with almost 
50% found only in Madagascar. There are also eight species of lemurs here and eight types of orchids.
Our spotter finds us a White Browed Owl and a Giant Coua. We also see a few lemurs including Verreaux’s Sifaka (also known as the dancing lemur) and red fronted brown lemurs.
Road to Ifaty
We return to the drive south on Route 7 which is the only road that runs o-south from the capital Tana to the south end of Madagascar. The afternoon gets very hot (40°). The roads are potholed but I sleep.
We stop in a larger town located a half hour out of the coastal town of Ifaty so that John can get more money out of the instant teller.
We are happy to reach Ifaty which is a beach and fishing town. We will be spending five relaxing days here. Zack introduces us to Pedro, our local guide for the area and we say goodbye for now. Zack will have a three day drive heading back north along the same Route 7 that we have travelled down the last several days. Fortunately we will avoid the same return drive by taking a plane in a few days and he will meet us in Tana to continue the tour.
From our beach front hotel we watch the sunset and have a meal at the hotel restaurant.
