Salt and pepper: These are probably the spices that every person worldwide knows and eats almost daily in their meals. In the well-assorted spice trade you will find different varieties: green, black, white or red pepper. But only one single plant produces this variety of real pepper: the black pepper (Piper nigrum). The name is admittedly somewhat misleading. It is …

One of the most beautiful lepidopterans of the Earth, but first of all one of the largest, lives in Madagascar’s rainforests: The Madagascan moon moth or comet moth (Argema mittrei). With a wingspan up to 20 cm, it exceeds nearly all lepidopterans worldwide, only the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) from Asia, belonging to the same family of emperor moths (Saturniidae), …

Two chameleon species have been fighting over the title of Madagascar’s largest chameleon for decades. So far the Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii parsonii) won, whose officially measured representatives with scarcely 70 cm of total length created few centimeters more than the in Madagascar omnipresent Giant Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti). Parson’s Chameleons belong to the most impressive reptiles of Madagascar. They live …

Most animals that only occur in Madagascar are very special. Also the streaked tenrec has its peculiarities and is considered to be the most highly specialized of all 31 tenrec species. They belong to the hedgehog tencres – they have spines like hedgehogs, but are actually not even related to the hedgehogs. Also the spines are not completely genuine: It …

Can I visit a national park alone on my own? A visit to a national park together with a “local forest guide” is obligatory everywhere in Madagascar – with one exception: Lokobe on Nosy Be. The local guides have completed a two-year training and are licensed by Madagascar National Parks (MNP). They earn their living sustainably with ecotourism, which is …

Black smoke clouds the national route 2, the off-roader brakes and continues at snail’s pace. The driver hurries to close his window. “What’s that?”, asks a traveler in the back seats. “The forest is on fire,” mumbles the driver. “We call it tavy.” This or something similar happens every day in Madagascar. But why is the rainforest burning next to …

Aerangis citrata, also called Manta in Malagasy, is found on the entire eastern side of Madagascar. Wherever there is high humidity and permanently warm regions, it feels at home. From the coast up to 1500 m above sea level you can find this orchid. Like many orchids of Madagascar, Aerangis citrata lives epiphytically, i.e. it grows on branches of trees. …

In the center of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, endless steps connect the upper and lower city. They are called the “the thousand stairs of Tana” and it is worthwhile to stop by here as a traveler. To reach the stairs, simply follow the Street of Independence towards the Street of 26th June 1960 (Independence Day of Madagascar). The southern staircase leads …

Madagascar touches most travelers on their first trip. And of course, almost everyone wants to take home a souvenir or two from the red island. The Lisy Art Gallery offers a very good opportunity to do so. It has been located in the east of the capital Antananarivo since 1990. Despite its far less convenient location than the handcrafts market …