The Andohahela National Park is located in Anosy, which is in the southeast part of Madagascar. It has a wide variety of different environments. The park covers 760 square kilometers of the Anosy mountain range, which is the southernmost part of the Malagasy Highlands. It is home to the last remaining humid rainforests in southern Madagascar. The park was added to the World Heritage Site list in 2007 as part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana.
Access
Andohahela National Park can be reached by an unpaved provincial road called RIP118, which starts in Soanierana. People traveling there should be ready for a bumpy road because it is not paved.
Geography
Andohahela National Park is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) north-west of Fort-Dauphin and at the southern end of the Malagasy Highlands. The park is divided into three zones. The first zone, Malio, ranges in elevation from 100 meters (330 feet) to the summit of Pic d'Andohahela at 1,956 meters (6,417 feet). This area includes dense lowland and mountain rainforests with more than 200 species of tree ferns, orchids, wild vanilla, lemurs, and many birds.
The second zone, Ihazofotsy-Mangatsiaka, includes dry spiny forest with rare birds and reptiles. This zone ranges in elevation from 100 meters (330 feet) to 1,005 meters (3,297 feet) at the summit of Pic de Vohidagoro.
The third zone, Tsimelahy, is mostly at an elevation of 125 meters (410 feet) and contains the unique Ranopiso transitional forest. The mountains act as a natural barrier to moist trade winds from the east, creating rainfall of 1,500–2,000 millimeters (59–79 inches) per year on the eastern side. This rainfall supports one of the few rainforests south of the Tropic of Capricorn. On the western edge of the park, rainfall is much lower, at 600–700 millimeters (24–28 inches) per year, resulting in dry spiny forest, a typical feature of southern Madagascar.
Several routes within each habitat type of the park can be reached by road from the town of Fort-Dauphin.
Flora and fauna
The different types of habitats in Andohahela National Park are reflected in the wide variety of species that live there. This park has the most lemurs in Madagascar, with 15 species recorded. Two of these are especially important: the ring-tailed lemur and Verreaux's sifaka. The park is also home to 67 reptile species, including some rare geckos, turtles, and snakes, as well as 130 bird species and 50 amphibian species. A type of palm tree called the Triangle palm grows only in this park.