Mad about Madagascar

Cycling through the republic offers close-up views of the island’s diverse array of plants and animals

Abiologist by training, I ask a lot of questions — so many that I’ve been compared to Frank Columbo, the 1970s TV detective whose tag line was, “Just one more thing …” My inquisitiveness, however, focuses on understanding the curious attributes and adaptations of plants and animals.

Questions at the ready, I signed up with Exodus Travels to cycle and trek in Madagascar. The world’s fourth-largest island sits off the east coast of Africa, a location it has occupied for more than 100 million years. For biologists, it’s an Eden. Considered to be a mega-diverse country — one of 17 in the world — the island is home to substantial numbers of flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.

I shared the two-week adventure and covered more than 300 miles with a group of 13 other vacationers. They included a married couple who regularly cycled in the perfectly level Netherlands where they lived; a young Australian woman and her boyfriend, who both were novice cyclists; and an older Englishman who admitted that he had prepped for the trip with weekend pub rides. As for me, I’ve biked all over the world — including carrying my own gear for long distances over difficult terrain — but I’m not into speed.

It soon became apparent that Madagascar was my kind of place. Our Malagasy guide, Andriniaina “Mel” Armel, explained the island’s philosophy on the first day. “You’ll hear people say ‘mora,’ which means ‘slowly, slowly,’” she said. “They’ll say it when they see you cycling, they’ll welcome

Sifaka lemurs are known as “dancing lemurs” because they appear to be prancing when they move across the ground. Many species of lemur call Madagascar home.

Camp houses dot the countryside of Madagascar’s interior. The simple dwellings are used by farmers.

Spindly limbs reach out over the bulging trunks of the baobab tree, which are fibrous and saturated with water. The baobab, seen here in Parc Mosa, is the national tree of Madagascar.