Montagne d'Ambre National Park is located in the Diana Region of northern Madagascar. The park is famous for its unique plants and animals, waterfalls, and crater lakes. It is 1,000 km (620 mi) north of Madagascar’s capital city, Antananarivo. The park is one of the most biologically diverse areas in Madagascar, home to seventy-five bird species, twenty-five mammal species, and fifty-nine reptile species. The park is centered around Mount Ambohitra, known as Amber Mountain, which is the highest mountain in northern Madagascar.
Geography
The park covers 18,200 hectares (45,000 acres) on a large volcanic mountain that is far from other areas. This mountain is mostly made of a type of hard rock called basalt and rises above the dry land around it. The park has beautiful waterfalls and several crater lakes. There are many rivers and streams, and the park helps collect and store water for the town of Antsiranana. This town is surrounded by dry, sparse forests and areas that look like deserts, where plants that store water grow. The park receives about 3,585 mm (141.1 inches) of rain each year, while the town nearby gets only 1,000 mm (39 inches). The area is named after deposits of copal, which is a type of soft amber.
Amber is one of the easiest parks to reach in northern Madagascar. Small buses called bush taxis travel daily from Antsiranana to Joffreville, a journey that takes about 45 minutes. Along the road to the park entrance, there are a few small villages, and a lodge is available for visitors in Joffreville. People who live in and around the park include the Sakavala and Antankarana communities.
Flora and fauna
Most of the park is covered with montane rainforest. The trees can grow up to 40 meters (130 feet) tall and have many lianas, orchids, and ferns, such as the bird's-nest fern (Asplenium nidus). The forest is separated from other rainforests by dry forests around it. There are plantations of Eucalyptus trees, exotic conifers like pines and Araucaria, and an invasive plant called Lantana camara. More than 1,000 plant species have been recorded.
Of the 25 mammal species in the park, some animals found only in the park include eight types of lemurs, the ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans), and the Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana). Out of 75 bird species, 35 are found only in the park. One example is the Amber Mountain rock thrush (Monticola sharpei erythronotus), which is only known to live in one area on the Amber Mountain massif. The park is also home to many amphibians and reptiles, such as the Amber Mountain leaf chameleon (Brookesia tuberculata), one of the smallest reptiles in the world. There are 35 species of frogs.
- Amber mountain rock thrush, male
- Amber mountain rock thrush, female
- Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon, male
- Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon, female
- Amber Mountain chameleon, male