|
Day 6. Marojejy National Park
After a short night in the humid cabin of Camp 2 it looks like it has stopped raining. Finally we can absorb the surroundings. This is what the world must have looked like, millions of years ago: peaks, waterfalls and pristine ancient forests. All that's missing are the Pteranodons circling the top of the mountain. Of all places we've seen in Madagascar, this one is the most spectacular, scenery-wise. The wildlife is somewhat less visible, although..Ringtail Mongooses are walking around the campment, attracted by the smell of our breakfast, and one is sitting in straight in front of our cabin.
Nestor went into the mountains to track the group of Silky Sifaka's that live in a 40 hectare area around the camp. Soon, a cry sounds: the Silky's have been spotted. Still without breakfast we hurry into the forest and make a steep climb up. After a while, we see them: snow-white Sifaka's, some of them carrying a young on their back. According to many, these are the most beautiful of all species of lemurs and also the rarest; they only exist in Marojejy and the adjacent Anjanaharibe-Sud.
They do not exist in captivity.
We observe the ghost like
animals with their long legs for a long time and then we walk back to the camp. On the way we meet Paul, a British biologist who researches moth and butterfly species. With his butterfly net he catches them and plots them. Did he discover any new species? Certainly, a new type of butterfly. If it indeed turns out to be an undiscovered species, he can make up a name for it.
After some relaxing and enjoying the prehistoric panorama we go on the way back to Camp 1. (we skip the climb to the high camp 3). The fact that it's dry this time, and that we descend instead of climb, make things a lot easier.
In Camp 1 where we're the only ones, our cooks prepare a meal. After some fabulous tender zebu steaks, we do a 900 meter walk to the nearby Cascade d'Humbert and deal with another violent attack of leeches. When you don't remove them in time they will suck up your blood and can swell up to 40 times their own body mass. Besides that they inject you with an anti coagulant which causes your blood to pour out for hours. That's why in China leeches are used medicinal for blood cleansing.
We reach Humbert's waterfall, named after the French Henri Humbert, who explored this area in 1948 and ensured protection. For years it has only been accessible to scientists, until in 1998 it was finally opened for tourists.
On the way back we take a refreshing swim in the clean, fresh water between the rocks of the river (this water is ok to drink). What i notice in Marojejy is that, unlike in other parks of Madagascar, there are no lemurs here looking for food around the campsites (apart from some mongooses). The park's motto is: "keep
the wildlife wild". Signs are placed in the camps that instruct the guides to clean up all food. It looks like those rules are obeyed.
When it's dark we have a short night walk. We see and hear countless frogs and eyes reflecting high in a bamboo tree. The guides can't agree on what it is: the eyes are too small for a Bamboo Lemur and too orange for a Lepilemur. Could it have been the Aye-Aye...?
|
previous