Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

located near the western coast of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

Melaky Melaky is a region in northwestern Madagascar. It borders Boeny Region in northeast, Betsiboka in east, Bongolava in southeast and Menabe in south. The capital of the region is Maintirano. The population was estimated to be 309,805 in 2018 within ...

Region at . The area was listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 1990 due to the unique

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, preserved

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

forests, and wild bird and

lemur Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are endemic to the island of Madagas ...

populations.

National Park

The southern end of the protected area has subsequently been changed into the

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is a national park located in Melaky Region, northwest Madagascar. The national park centers on two geological formations: the ''Great Tsingy'' and the ''Little Tsingy''. Together with the adjacent Tsingy de ...

, covering . The northern end of the protected area remains as a strict nature reserve (Réserve Naturelle Intégrale) covering . It is characterised by needle-shaped limestone formations, above cliffs over the

Manambolo River ''For the rural municipality, see Manambolo (disambiguation)'' The Manambolo River is a river in the highlands of western Madagascar of 370 km. It crosses the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve and the Maningoza Reserve. The unpaved ...

. The incredibly sharp limestone formations can cut through equipment and flesh easily, which makes traversing them extremely difficult. The word "Tsingy" is derived from a local word meaning "the place where one cannot walk barefoot".

Tourism

Tourists can access the national park by road from

Morondava Morondava (, from mg, morona lava "long coast") is a city located in Menabe Region, of which it is the capital, in Madagascar. It is located in the delta of the Morandava River at . Its population as of the 2018 census, was 53,510. Population ...

, a town 150 km south of the park. Limited access is also possible from the town of

Antsalova Antsalova is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in western Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Antsalova, which is a part of Melaky Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 58,280 in 2018. Antsalova is ser ...

, which can be reached by plane from

Antananarivo Antananarivo (French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("An ...

or Mahajanga.

References

External links

Tsingy de Bemaraha Official Website

UNESCO Strict Nature Reserve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsingy De Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve National parks of Madagascar Melaky Geography of Madagascar World Heritage Sites in Madagascar Protected areas established in 1997 Madagascar dry deciduous forests Important Bird Areas of Madagascar

National Park

Tourism

See also

References

External links