{"id":10697,"date":"2022-01-19T01:04:53","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T00:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/?p=10697"},"modified":"2022-04-16T01:40:17","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T23:40:17","slug":"voyage-a-madagascar-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/recits-de-voyages\/voyage-a-madagascar-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip to Madagascar (2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Jacky Duruisseau<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>(Photos: C. Bridon, E. Bouquet and J. Duruisseau)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here we are, off on our 3rd expedition to Madagascar.<\/p>\n

There are three of us: Evelyne Bouquet from the Lyon Botanical Garden, Colette and me. The programme is ambitious (too ambitious?): the Ankarana massif in the north, the Marojejy massif in the east, the Makira Forest west of Antongil Bay, and the Masoala peninsula, east of the same bay. We had already partly explored all these regions in 2009 (with Bernadette S\u00e9n\u00e9chal) and 2013, except Marojejy.<\/p>\n

Why April? In northern Madagascar the rainy season usually ends around late March \/ April; the dry season then begins, allowing the begonia fruits, which formed just before, to dry and release their seeds. It also makes it possible to walk up mountain streams, as they carry much less water.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the elements would conspire against us, and this fine programme would suffer greatly!<\/p>\n

Northern region: the Ankarana massif and Montagne d\u2019Ambre<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Tuesday 24 March\u00a0:\u00a0<\/strong>Eug\u00e8ne Goulam, our usual guide in the region, is waiting for us when the Antananarivo \u2013 Diego Suarez (Antsiranana) flight lands. The weather is fine, around 27\u00b0C. Eug\u00e8ne seems tired and unwell! Our first begonia stop, shortly before Ankarana, is at the \u201cbaobab site\u201d between a river and a ditch, full of water this year. The fine baobab has fallen, and we have to squeeze between its branches to reach the colony of\u00a0B. nossibea\u00a0<\/em>(photo 1<\/strong>), which colonises the upper bank of the ditch (in 2009 we wrongly thought it was\u00a0B. fran\u00e7oisii<\/em>). The plant is in flower, and its dark pink flowers can be seen from afar. Below, on the vertical bank along the river, we can see many plants, which unfortunately are impossible to reach because of the water level.<\/p>\n

We set off again the next morning (Wednesday 25 March)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0heading north towards Montagne d\u2019Ambre. This large, mainly volcanic massif is covered with forest. A stop in a village to repair two punctured tyres gives us a chance to watch Malagasy people going about their daily lives: the market (photo 2<\/strong>), the departure of slightly overloaded taxis (photos 3, 4<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Lots of smiles and no aggression at all from these people. Then we enter Montagne d\u2019Ambre park at Joffreville, a former garrison town where French soldiers came to rest in the cool of the heights during colonial times! Unfortunately a landslide stops us from reaching the western part of the massif (and I had two GPS points there\u2026 for two species). We follow the \u201cbotanical trail\u201d and discover two begonias:\u00a0B. humbertii<\/em>, (photo 5<\/strong>), growing as an epiphyte on a tree, and another saxicolous, rhizomatous species (photo 6<\/strong>) with entire leaves, near a waterfall (photo 7<\/strong>). The rain catches us at picnic time (of course!)<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We stay in Ankarana the next day (Thursday 26 March)\u00a0<\/strong>. The aim is to rediscover\u00a0B. razafinjohanyi<\/em>\u00a0(photo 8<\/strong>), which Henri Laporte had found in 1998. The flora by Keraudren-Aymonin (Flore de Madagascar et des Comores \/ B\u00e9goniac\u00e9es) gives its location as northern Ankarana. Lucile Allorge of the Paris Museum, asked about this place (could there be two Ankaranas?), had told us that \u201cnorthern Ankarana\u201d meant the part of the massif to the right of the Diego Suarez road, while the Ankarana massif proper lies to the left of it. Eug\u00e8ne sends three of his staff with us to guard the car and protect us in case of attack by bandits, said to be numerous in this area, where people search for gold and sapphires\u2026\u00a0B. razafinjohanyi<\/em>\u00a0is a small begonia (named after A. Razafinjohany, a Malagasy artist who made many drawings of plants at the Tsimbazaza botanical garden in Antananarivo), endemic to the limestone plateau of northern Ankarana, where it can be found in tropophilous forests below 350 m, especially near streams; it dies back in the dry season, keeping only its tuber-like root. We search for this gem in vain; northern Ankarana, like the rest of the massif, is a limestone plateau that is hard to access, with rugged relief of limestone pinnacles, the tsingy; our GPS point gives nothing! Gone? Dormant? Somewhere else, certainly, but where? No begonias, and\u2026 no bandits! On the other hand, we come across a magnificent boa (photo 9<\/strong>): completely harmless and placid, this nocturnal animal spends the day asleep in the fork of a shrub, a metre off the ground. Not forgetting the chameleons (photo 10<\/strong>), which we see often and everywhere; Madagascar truly is the land of chameleons!<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Once again we regret not staying longer in this region. The problem is always the same: either stay several days at a potentially interesting site, or visit several sites but only \u201cpass through\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

In the afternoon we set off into Ankarana proper, intending to go to the \u201cBat Cave\u201d. The path leads us to the famous cave carved into the limestone; all over the nearby cliff grows\u00a0B. ankaranensis<\/em>\u00a0(photo 11<\/strong>), a plant endemic to this region. It is in full flower. We had taken it for\u00a0B. sambiranensis<\/em>\u00a0(a name referring to the Sambirano, a geographical region in the north-west of the island where the river of the same name flows) on our 2013 expedition, but the latter has a single leaf, which is not the case of\u00a0B. ankaranensis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A GPS point gleaned from Tropicos should lead us to\u00a0Begonia mananjebensis<\/em>\u00a0(named after the Mananjeba river, which flows into the Mozambique Channel) near the path to \u201cLa perte de rivi\u00e8re\u00a0<\/strong>\u201d (the river sink), an enormous hole (a sinkhole) into which the water pours in the rainy season.\u00a0<\/strong>This time the information is right, and we discover a very fine colony (photo 12<\/strong>) of this superb tuberous begonia with palmately lobed leaves, on lava that covered the limestone tsingy during more recent eruptions (in the Quaternary). The plant, which will soon go dormant, is finishing flowering and there are many ripe capsules.<\/p>\n

We resume our search for\u00a0B. razafinjohanyi\u00a0<\/em>the next day, on the morning of Friday 27 March, south of Ambilobe, near the Mahavavy river, in a stream already explored in 2013; the place is now heavily populated and the stream, which carries waste water, is very polluted\u2026 We find again\u00a0B. nossibea<\/em>\u00a0(photo 13<\/strong>) beside the river (the name\u00a0nossibea<\/em>\u00a0comes from Nosy Be, a very touristy island off the west coast where this begonia grows).<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We are ready for the adventure: the famous Voh\u00e9mar road\u2026 the road of the impossible!<\/p>\n

The Voh\u00e9mar track, the road of the impossible!<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ambilobe (on the west coast of Madagascar) \u2013 Voh\u00e9mar (on the east coast): 160 km of completely wrecked track. Unimaginable! One quagmire after another!\u00a0(photos 14, 15)<\/strong>\u00a0The rebuilding of this road has apparently been funded twice but never carried out, the money allocated having\u2026 disappeared! It must be said that the companies that have long shipped goods by sea from Tamatave (Toamasina) to Diego Suarez (Antsiranana) are not at all keen on a road linking these two major centres\u2026<\/p>\n

It will take us two days to reach Voh\u00e9mar, including 10 hours on the first day to cover the 100 km between Ambilobe and Daraina \u2013 which, if I count correctly, is an average of 10 km an hour! The villagers, poor and resourceful, make the most of it: when there is a quagmire near a village, they suggest going through the village on a more passable detour\u2026 you pay, and the barrier goes up! Others pan for gold in the rivers\u00a0(photo 16)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A stroke of luck: no rain on the way, and only one truck stuck in the mud\u00a0(photo 17)\u00a0<\/strong>, which managed to get free quickly; some can stay stuck for several days, blocking all traffic on the track! Our very experienced driver, Jo\u00ebl, regularly drives a truck on this route and was able to avoid every trap\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I had a few GPS begonia points around Daraina. Unfortunately, the begonias seem to be a long way from the track, on the wooded hills we can see in the distance! Impossible to go and look, for lack of time.<\/p>\n

Eastern region: the Marojejy massif<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

We reach Sambava, the vanilla capital, on the evening of the second day. This town on the Indian Ocean is the starting point for any expedition to the volcanic Marojejy massif\u00a0(photo 18)<\/strong>. The Keraudren-Aymonin flora lists many begonias in this rugged region, where the forest seems well preserved.<\/p>\n

We head for Andapa (Sunday 29 March)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0and, after buying a few supplies, complete the park entry formalities: entrance fees, camp fees, and hiring a guide (D\u00e9sir\u00e9), a cook and porters. It is fine and hot, and it is 11 am: we are going to start our walk in the full heat! We have two kilometres to cover before reaching the forest and\u2026 finding some shade\u00a0(photos 19, 20)<\/strong>\u00a0! Then there are still\u2026 about 6 km of climbing! A hard day! But we meet our first begonia while crossing a stream:\u00a0B. nana<\/em>\u00a0(meaning \u201cdwarf\u201d), which grows here in great numbers\u00a0(photos 21, 22, 23)<\/strong>. Unfortunately this small tuberous begonia has few flowers and no fruit. The tuber clings firmly to the rocks, which stops the plant being washed away in the rainy season. In the forest we find another friendly boa asleep in its fork\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We reach Camp Mantella in the evening. A pleasant camp awaits us, where we can recover. The facilities are basic\u00a0(photo 24)\u00a0<\/strong>but we can have a bit of a wash and a drink (tea and water, our only drinks for these three days\u2026 no cold beer in the region!). Night falls, thunder rumbles in the distance and a shower cools the air. A multitude of frogs start a concert that will last\u2026 until dawn! We manage to spot one, tiny\u00a0(photo 25)\u00a0<\/strong>: how can such a small animal (2 cm) produce such a powerful song?<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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An early start in the morning (Monday 30 March)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0towards camp no. 2, 2 km from the first camp; not a single begonia near the path. The camp is occupied by about ten Dutch tourists. We go past the camp and start searching, moving a little away from the path to the last camp, no. 3. Here we find\u00a0B. lyallii\u00a0<\/em>var.\u00a0pubescens<\/em>,\u00a0(photo 26)\u00a0<\/strong>with a blade covered in short, stiff, sparse hairs. But here again, few flowers. This begonia is a creeping climber\u00a0(photo 27) <\/strong>like all\u00a0Begonia lyallii<\/em>. We go a little deeper into the forest, and near a stream and a waterfall we discover what is probably the most beautiful begonia in Madagascar\u00a0(photos 28, 29)<\/strong>, perhaps\u00a0B. betsimisaraka\u00a0<\/em>(from Betsimisaraka, the name of the main ethnic group of north-east Madagascar). A marvel! But once again, not a single flower on this tuberous species, which grows on rocks and also as an epiphyte on trunks. The blade is particularly decorative, studded with coloured dots.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We take the same path again the next morning (Tuesday 31 March)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0without reaching camp no. 3, which is too far and hard to reach. No begonias in this sector, but D\u00e9sir\u00e9 shows us a fossil tree (Tatthajania)\u00a0<\/em>which is said to be used in local traditional medicine to treat\u2026 52 diseases!<\/p>\n

Marojejy\u00a0(photo 30)<\/strong>\u00a0will be the subject of another exploration, by another route; the official park circuit follows a path you are normally not supposed to leave. But the Keraudren flora lists many interesting sites, in particular along the Lokoho river, where many begonias grow.<\/p>\n

Back to Andapa the next day (Wednesday 1 April); we complete the park exit formalities! Eug\u00e8ne, our Ankarana guide who had come with us this far, is ill and leaves us to try to find a boat in Voh\u00e9mar to take him back to Antsiranana.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We will not get to Makira!<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to Sambava in the evening.<\/p>\n

That is when the trouble starts! It will take us 4 days to reach Maroantsetra, just an hour\u2019s flight from Sambava!<\/p>\n

In short: Day 1 (Thursday 2 April)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0: Sambava \/ Antsiranana \/ Nosy Be \/ Antananarivo. Day 2 (Friday 3 April): Antananarivo \/ Antalaha; the plane continues to Tamatave and is supposed to pick us up on the way back; it does come back, and we watch in astonishment as our luggage is unloaded because the plane is overloaded! Instead of giving priority to transit passengers like us, they board the new passengers leaving Antalaha with their luggage, and take ours off! Protests, of course, and as time passes we are left stranded in Antalaha! Day 3 (Saturday 4 April): Antalaha \/ Sambava (by bus), then Sambava \/ Antananarivo. Day 4 (Sunday 5 April): Antananarivo \/ Sainte-Marie \/ Tamatave (where the luggage scenario starts again, but we protest very loudly indeed and luggage and passengers are put back on the plane) \/ Maroantsetra. Four days lost flying over the north of the island and waiting in hotels for Air Madagascar to deign to take us where we need to go!<\/p>\n

This loss of time forces us to cancel the expedition into the Makira forest, which was to last 5 days from Maroantsetra!<\/p>\n

Disappointing! Makira is a vast plateau whose forest has not yet been fully explored, and whose deforestation along Antongil Bay is seriously worrying! We had begun visiting it in 2009 and 2013 and found superb unknown begonias there, which promised fine discoveries later on. This year we were to reach the primary forest, about ten kilometres from the village of Vodiriana (10 years ago the forest began at the edge of the village!), and set up a camp on the forest edge to explore the surrounding area. Everything was ready \u2013 but the trouble with Air Madagascar was not planned\u2026<\/p>\n

Right, let\u2019s stay positive! We are finally in Maroantsetra, and we will add a day to the week planned in Masoala<\/p>\n

Here we are at last in Maroantsetra!<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

We land in Maroantsetra at around 4 pm on Sunday 5 April. Cl\u00e9ment, our usual guide in this part of Madagascar, meets us at the airport, then a taxi takes us to the Coco Beach hotel, where we meet Denise, Cl\u00e9ment\u2019s wife and our bush cook.<\/p>\n

The next morning (Monday 6 April), a briefing at the Coco Beach with S\u00e9raphin, who will accompany us on the Masoala expedition as Cl\u00e9ment is not available. We draw up the shopping list with Denise: supplies, water, chickens, bananas, charcoal, etc. A day of rest and a stroll around town. We recover from the morally trying previous days! As I had asked, Cl\u00e9ment and S\u00e9raphin have managed to contact a fisherman from Ambodiforaha, a village halfway between Maroantsetra and Cap Masoala in the far south, who will carry us in his (large) pirogue throughout the expedition. A more expensive means of transport, but much safer than the regular boat we took in 2013, which is always overloaded\u2026<\/p>\n

The island of Nosy Mangabe:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately we can only leave the day after tomorrow, once the pirogue has reached Maroantsetra. So we decide to spend a day (Tuesday 7 April) on the island of Nosy Mangabe,<\/p>\n

This island, entirely covered with forest, is a strict nature reserve; in 2009 only researchers could go there, but as everything can be arranged in Madagascar, we had managed to get there. This restriction no longer exists, and the island is open to everyone after a visit to the ANGAP office, which issues tickets and permits. Negotiations with a boat owner who can take us there and wait for us during the day. The weather is fine and the water crystal clear\u2026 It takes about half an hour to reach the island\u00a0(photo 31)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We set off to explore and discover our first begonia:\u00a0B. erminea\u00a0<\/em>L\u2019H\u00e9ritier. This tuberous begonia grows here in large numbers at low altitude (below 100 m), and we will come across it very often\u00a0(photo 32)\u00a0<\/strong>on the rocks (gneiss) along the streams and even as an epiphyte on trunks. However, we will not manage to find the other species we saw here in 2009. The flowers are out. The blade is variable, often edged with red and sometimes with spine-like hairs, also red.<\/p>\n

The picnic is welcome after these few hours of searching over fairly rugged terrain. A pair of lemurs (Eulemur fulvus albifrons<\/em>)\u00a0(photo 33)\u00a0<\/strong>come to keep us company; they seem used to visitors and squabble over the bananas we offer\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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We explore the second circuit and discover more very fine colonies of\u00a0B. erminea\u00a0<\/em>, always near the streams, and a superb frog\u00a0(photo 34)<\/strong>. We leave this little paradise with regret\u00a0(photo 35)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Masoala peninsula: around Ambodiforaha<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

It rained all night and this morning (Wednesday 8 April) the sky is very heavy. We watch for the pirogue. We leave from the Coco Beach at 7:30 am in the rain\u2026 Our two very experienced boatmen cross the pass without any problem. It is raining, but the sea is calm. After 3 hours on the water we reach Masoala, at the village of Ambodiforaha on the east coast of Antongil Bay. We will stay with Madame George, in two simple but comfortable bungalows. No water or electricity in the village\u2026 very basic toilets and \u201cbathroom\u201d! This is the bush! We settle in while Denise prepares the meal.<\/p>\n

First exploration in the afternoon. A big surprise: it is April and we are supposed to be in the dry season; but we had noticed that the rainy season was not over, and I suspected that the streams we walk up when looking for begonias would be full of water! Right on! Impossible to make our way along the riverbed as we usually do, half in the water, half on the rocks! The Ambodiforaha river is a raging torrent! We do, however, spot two interesting species\u00a0(photos 36, 37) <\/strong>: the first could be\u00a0B. nana\u00a0<\/em>L\u2019H\u00e9ritier, with entire, slightly succulent leaves (whereas they were lobed in Marojejy), and the other is a species described in 2019 under the name B. ambodiforaha<\/em> : a very decorative lanceolate blade, toothed and dotted with red spots and red spine-like hairs. Both are tuberous, clinging firmly to the rocks, and in no danger of being swept away by floods! We have to follow the stream from a distance \u2013 and, of course, far from the begonias! We follow the left bank, hoping to get close to the water. Impossible! Steep, slippery slopes, with the odd shower! We manage to find a path which, of course, leads to a plantation and an area where trees have been felled! We are on the edge of Masoala park, and along its edge the forest has shrunk further since 2013! We manage to get a little closer to the river and \u2013 miracle \u2013 find a plant of Begonia masoalaensis<\/em>\u00a0, a species recently described by M. Hughes\u00a0(photo 38)<\/strong>. This magnificent plant, with a most unusual habit, grows in the shade on earthy banks, which is surprising for a tuberous begonia. The leaves are held vertically, flattened against the bank. Male and female flowers are present, but the fruits seem unripe; the spindle-shaped ovary recalls the African begonias of section\u00a0Tetraphila<\/em>. Could this species represent a \u201ctransition\u201d between Africa and Madagascar? A visit to Mozambique, \u201cjust next door\u201d, might help answer this question, as Professor Aymonin thought. One day, perhaps\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Another night of showers! Today (Thursday 9 April) we head for the Tampolo river, a little further south. We cross a coastal Pandanus forest, where we spot a superb bird, the Helmet Vanga (Euryceros prevostii<\/em>)). We come up against a rocky area and find our first (and only) begonia of the day: perhaps another form of\u00a0B. nana<\/em>\u00a0(photo 39)\u00a0<\/strong>with a succulent blade, growing in full sun (when there is any!), but broader than that of yesterday\u2019s plant. We reach a huge, roaring waterfall that is impossible to cross. An enforced picnic stop! We scan the rocks with binoculars: no begonias, just a few flowering orchids of the genus\u00a0Cynorchis<\/em>. We try to get round the waterfall, which proves impossible because of the slope and the tangle of vegetation, very hard to get through even with a machete; but we come across a cleared area, even though we are right in the middle of Masoala Park!<\/p>\n

Another very rainy night. The noise of the downpour drowns out the frogs\u2019 song\u2026 Today (Friday 10 April) we will follow the Ambodiforaha river from a distance, but along its right bank; this time the path is a \u201ctourist\u201d one, part of the Varygnana circuit. At an altitude of 70 m and about a kilometre from the sea, we discover a very fine colony of\u00a0B. masoalaensis\u00a0<\/em>: many plants in its pale green form. We also find yesterday\u2019s lanceolate begonia again, on the rocks of a small stream \u2013 a peaceful one, this time!<\/p>\n

Around Ambanizana<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the afternoon we leave Ambodiforaha for Ambanizana, further north. The sea is calm and the weather fine. It takes about an hour by pirogue to reach Ambanizana. This time we stay with Madame George\u2019s daughter. We set up camp and the mosquito nets.<\/p>\n

An early start the next morning (Saturday 11 April): the pirogue takes us 4 km south, where we will rediscover\u00a0B. henrilaportei<\/em>\u00a0, named after Henri Laporte, who discovered it here in 1998\u00a0(photo 40)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This plant grows on the rocks of a damp scree near the sea, at an altitude of 25 m. We count about fifteen plants. No flowers, no fruit! A highly threatened begonia, as these rocks lie on the path linking Ambanizana and Ambodiforaha. Even zebus walk along it! With S\u00e9raphin we explore the area upstream of the site: nothing! Could\u00a0B. henrilaportei<\/em>\u00a0grow anywhere other than here? On the other hand, 50 m higher up, we find a slash-and-burn rice field!<\/p>\n

We start back towards Ambanizana, intending to visit some of the (small) rivers we will cross. There we find:\u00a0B. lyallii\u00a0<\/em>var.\u00a0lyallii<\/em>, and a very pretty little tuberous species on vertical, damp, very shady rocks:\u00a0(photo 41)\u00a0<\/strong>a very rare gem with a few flowers, perhaps\u00a0B. keraudrenae<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We end the evening like the Malagasy villagers: with a very pleasant wash\u2026 in the river\u2026<\/p>\n

The next day (Sunday 12 April) we set off from Ambanizana to explore the Androka river. We find a very fine colony of yesterday\u2019s little begonia. Unfortunately we are stopped higher up for two reasons: the river is too high to walk up, and one deforested area follows another, so we cannot reach the forest. In 2013 this area was still covered with forest! The following day (Monday 13 April) will be just as disappointing, with no discoveries at all!<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Ambilosykely site<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

After another rainy night, we set off (Tuesday 14 April) for Ambilosy, a tiny village an hour by pirogue further north. We had planned to stay two days here, but the bad weather puts us off setting up the hammocks and, given the captain\u2019s reluctance to go back down to Ambanizana (the wind is apparently against us!), we plan to return to Maroantsetra in the evening after visiting the site.<\/p>\n

Unable to find the path we took in 2013, which followed the Ambilosykely \u2013 the \u201clittle\u201d river, as opposed to the other, much bigger Ambilosybe \u2013 we ask the villagers: \u201c\u00a0tsy misy sentier: there is no path\u201d!<\/em>\u00a0Strange! Well! I have the GPS point for this site where, in 2013, we had found 5 species! Heading east with machete and GPS, then due south, we find the place. What a pity! The big rock on which the begonias grew is still there, and so are the begonias\u00a0(photos 42, 43, 44)<\/strong>,<\/p>\n

but to the left of the river an enormous tree has been felled and cut into planks and beams\u00a0(photo 45)<\/strong>\u00a0while on the right a rice field has been planted! More light and less humidity: the begonias are doomed in the short term! Of these 5 plants, three are unknown, the other two being\u00a0B. masoalaensis\u00a0<\/em>(in its green form) and what is probably a form of\u00a0B. lyallii<\/em>. Back to the village, where Denise has made us a noodle soup\u2026 We return to Maroantsetra somewhat dejected!<\/p>\n

A day of rest will do us a world of good\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Time to go home already\u2026<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

We return to Antananarivo two days later (Thursday 16 April). We have three days left before flying back to Paris. So we set off for the Vohimana reserve (Friday 17 and Saturday 18 April), halfway between Antananarivo and Tamatave. Disappointment! Not a single begonia, at a site that looks ideal, with a river, gorges, rocks and a tropical atmosphere. On the other hand, a night walk lets us meet many frogs of all colours (photo 46<\/strong>), each as noisy as the next\u2026 and a splendid butterfly, the famous Urania\u00a0Chrysirides madagascariensis\u00a0<\/em>as well as its caterpillar\u00a0(photo 47)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Between the rain, the problems with Air Madagascar and rampant deforestation, we wonder whether another expedition to Madagascar is possible\u2026<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s stay positive! Lots of trouble, but we found more than 20 begonias, 7 of which are probably new species. A lot of description work awaits us\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"par Jacky Duruisseau \u00a0(Photos C. Bridon, E. Bouquet et J. Duruisseau)   Nous voici en route pour notre 3e exp\u00e9dition \u00e0 Madagascar. Nous sommes trois\u00a0: Evelyne Bouquet du Jardin Botanique de Lyon, Colette et moi. Le programme est ambitieux (trop\u00a0?)\u00a0: le massif de l\u2019Ankarana dans le nord, le massif du Marojejy dans l\u2019est, la For\u00eat [...]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recits-de-voyages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10697"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12311,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697\/revisions\/12311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afabego.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}