Pic d'Ivohibe
In the southeast of Madagascar, about twenty kilometers south of Andringitra National Park, lies the Pic d'Ivohibe Special Reserve, founded in 164. This nature reserve was created on an area of a little more than 34 square kilometers set up and is divided into different altitude zoneswhich start at 750 meters altitude and reach the highest point at 2,060 meters. Along with the changing altitude meters, the climate and vegetation also change in the Pic d'Ivohibe Reserve: Humid and tropical rainforest is located in the eastern part of the reserve, in the highlands grows Dense forest and in the western part of the reserve are Grass Savannahs formative for the landscape. Pic d'Ivohibe is characterized by a rather difficult access as well as a inadequate infrastructure marked. Precisely for this reason, only very few tourists find their way to this special nature reserve. Real adventurers and true nature lovers will enjoy a trip to Pic d'Ivohibe during their Journey through Madagascar but will get their full money's worth. Should you wish to embark on this extraordinary adventure, you must be prepared for a thoroughly tiring journey set: First, you will travel from Antananarivo via the RN 7 to Ihosy. There you leave the comfortable RN 7 and drive over a bad side road for another good 110 kilometers to the village of Ivohibe. Then you will continue on foot for a few kilometers until you reach the small local office at the entrance of the reserve. If you wish, you can visit the reserve camp in some designated placesHowever, you cannot book the necessary equipment on the spot, you have to bring it yourself. If you plan to visit the Pic d'Ivohibe Reserve, we recommend that you contact one of the main offices of Madagascar National Parks in Fianarantsoa or Ambalavao. Alternatively, you can of course book a trip with us and we will take care of all the organizational aspects. For you this is not only the easiest and most comfortable way, but at the same time you can be sure that on your Madagascar vacation nothing goes wrong. Once you arrive at the Pic d'Ivohibe Reserve, your hikes and explorations will allow you to see not only the Beautiful landscape but also observe various animals in their natural habitat. Lemurs, mongooses, tenreks as well as more than 70 bird species and numerous reptiles cavort in the natural paradise. Unfortunately this reserve is also threatened by various factors. In particular, the slash-and-burn practices of the local Betsileo and Bara people are affecting the forest cover of the reserve. The Betsileo and the Bara carry out slash-and-burn clearings to create more space for their rice fields as well as for their grazing areas. In the long term, a rethink is absolutely necessary in this regard, as this Overexploitation of the forest resources of the reserve brings various devastating effects on its fragile ecosystem.