Only 30 km south of Diego Suarez lies one of Madagascar’s most wonderful national parks. Parc Montagne D’Ambre (Amber Mountain) is a breath of fresh air from the arid northern plains surrounding it and its luxuriant forests could not contrast more with the mineral beauty of the lower grounds.

After an attempted ‘hike’ along the countries Northern peninsula we were ready for a ‘real’ hike… Well at least a hike that didn’t end up as a stroll along the beach in a bikini… Parc Montagne D’Ambre was one of our stops along the way back south and seemed the perfect opportunity… Until we arrived – and I was quickly reminded of the Malagasy concept of ‘mora, mora’ (‘slowly, slowly’) – which is basically a motto for life in the country.

Hiking in a ‘mora mora’ fashion is definitely more challenging than it seems – I’m not the kind of girl who goes on a mission to climb a mountain at a ‘slowly, slowly’ pace – I’m more of a lets-conquer-this-bad-boy kind of girl. But the ‘mora mora’ attitude of the country was beginning to develop my appreciation for patience. And when you are rewarded with animal spotting that only David Attenborough could accurately describe you really begin to respect ‘mora mora’.

We only had three hours to explore the park and we mora mora-ed our way through some of the most magnificent rainforest I had ever seen. I soon understood why this most biologically diverse area in Madagascar had also grown a reputation as being the most beautiful.

Parc Montagne D’Ambre is not just a beautiful day-trip, it is also a beautiful home to some pretty beautiful locals. These locals include the crowned lemur, northern ring-tailed mongoose, fossa and the brown mouse lemur as well as  59 species of reptiles and 34 species of amphibians.

The novelty of lemurs had not yet worn off and we admired some gorgeous crowned lemurs jump through the treetops – and then tested our vision closer to the forest floor to find some of the parks more illusive reptiles. This was the part of Madagascar that made me fall in love with Chameleons.

The day was filled with chameleon spotting – and I was always so impressed by our guides ability to find the camouflaged creatures on the trees as we walked past. The bigger, more colourful breeds enchanted us as the wobbled across the foliage but nothing was quite as cool as the little guy… And I mean little. The Brookesia is the smallest chameleon of the world. Never underestimate the power of seduction from the little guy because this guy stole my heart with his tiny little wobble.

After a morning of hiking (slowly, slowly) and falling in love with little guys we said goodbye to the park (without even experiencing the rain that apparently occurs every day!) If we had the time we would have definitely aimed for the top but unfortunately in Madagascar to get to the top of anything you need a little patience, a lot of time and a ‘mora mora’ attitude…

Park Website: http://www.parcs-madagascar.com/aire-protégée/parc-national-montagne-dambre

There is an ANGAP Office at Jofreville with detailed information about wildlife and trail maps:

B.P 23 Joffreville
Tel: (261 32)  40 61 450 / 034 03 217
Mail: mda.parks@gmail.com

The park provides lovely walks in gorgeous forests for visitors, with plenty of waterfalls and lakes to rest by. The summer season (December to April) is the best for seeing reptiles and amphibians, but birdwatching and views from the summit are better in winter months. One day is enough to get a good sense of what the park and the wildlife are like, and two days will give you time to trek to the summit and discover many of the lakes and waterfalls which dot the park.