Day 2: ascent of Tsiafajavona Mount

 

A little more than 2600m in height,  the Tsiafajavona is the highest mount of the Ankaratra massif and the third highest mount in Madagascar after the Tsaratana Mount (North) and the Boby mount (Central-South)

Our camp is in 1700 m of height, so we wake up early  to be able to be back before the night.

 

The beginning is hard, really hard because the path which we borrow rise quite straight ahead, without laces, and our guide climb as a goat!!
 

Some patches of primary forest are still "alive", but we see a lot of Pines and Eucalyptus too.
On the tops of the mount we see grasslands, natural grasslands, with no tree...that's where we go!!

We walk since only one hour and suddenly we arrive in a landscape of sadness....
All around us the forest has been burned and all the trees transformed into charcoal!!

Primary forests, secondary forest of Pines and Eucalyptus, all has been burned...

 

 

 


 

Charcoal or just wood, are the only way for most of Malagasy to cook their food and to warm their houses.
The home-made manufacturing of the charcoal is not so hard and directly in the ground of the burned forests.
After that the charcoal then transported in big bags in direction of the big cities where it is sold.

 

Here you can see two typical "manufacturing" charcoal oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continue our ascent towards the summit, but it is necessary to face the facts, if we go to the summit, it will be dark before we are on returning to the camp, so we decide not to go to this summit and to spend more time to look for orchids.

 

Epiphytic orchids:

 

 

 

Terrestrial orchids:

 

 

 

Here is the summit...too far away for us...

 

 

Before beginning to come down we take advantage a few of this beautiful landscape

 

 

We decide to stop in a young primary forest, which has grown on an old burned pines forest, because even if the trees are young, we found a lot of epiphytic orchids...
This forest is the proof that if rains do not destroy grounds, a primary forest can again settle down...if no one decides to burn it too quick....

 

 

   

Arrived at the camp, completely exhausted, we quickly eat and immediately go in our tent to sleep...the hour of the awaking will once more be early for us...