Tsingy de Bemaraha

The Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the remote west of Madagascar, is one of the most surreal and dramatic landscapes on earth, a vast forest of stone. Over millennia, rain has eroded a limestone plateau into a labyrinth of razor-sharp, jagged pinnacles, or tsingy, meaning where one cannot walk barefoot, riven by deep canyons and caves. This otherworldly wilderness is explored on an adventurous circuit of walkways, ladders and cables, clipping onto vertiginous routes among the needles, and shelters unique lemurs and wildlife.

The landscape

• The stone forest - the labyrinth of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles.
• The via ferrata circuit - the adventurous routes of ladders and cables.
• The canyons and caves - the deep gorges and caverns.
• The lemurs and wildlife - the unique species of the reserve.

When to go

April to November, the dry season, is the only time to visit, as the roads become impassable in the wet season; even in the dry season, reaching it is a tough, rough journey. It is hot, so the cooler months of the dry season are best.

What to expect

It is extremely remote and hard to reach, involving a long, punishing four-wheel-drive journey and river crossings from Morondava, accessible only in the dry season, so it is a genuine adventure for the intrepid. The circuit involves some scrambling, climbing and via ferrata, so a head for heights and reasonable fitness help. Facilities are basic. The surreal stone forest, though, is unlike anywhere on earth and unforgettable.

Nearby

The Avenue of the Baobabs and Morondava are on the long route in.

Key facts