From Rainforest to Coral Reef

The Masoala Peninsula is located in northeastern Madagascar. It is a large, pear-shaped landmass that juts out into the Indian Ocean. This area is home of the largest remaining rainforest in Madagascar, over 200 000 hectares of primary rainforest, which includes lowland humid forest as well as cloud forest that grows along the upper slopes of the 1000 meter high mountain chain running along the peninsula's western side. On the eastern side, the shoreline of the peninsula is protected from the open sea by a barrier reef that runs along the shore, sometimes several kilometers away from the beach, thus creating large lagoons between the reef and the land. On the west of Masoala Peninsula borders an idyllic bay, known as the Baie d'Antongil, one of the few breeding places of the humpback whale in the western Indian Ocean. This bay also contains one of the true jewels of Madagascar: an archipelago of small islands, the largest of which is Nosy Mangabe. This island is covered by rainforest with sharp slopes that warranty unique view in all directions. In Nosy Mangabe there are five species of lemurs including the aye-aye, and the largest of the leaf-tailed geckos Uroplatus fimbriatus an expert camouflage artist. Due to the strategic position of the island in the bay this island was a refuge for Dutch pirates several centuries ago. The local are friendly and many traditional and cultural activities are still performed.