The landscape changed dramatically when driving south west from Ranomafana to Isalo. This is the land of the Bara tribe and the zebu (cattle) farmer. They have a strong and ancient belief in the benefits of 'slash-and-burn' agriculture and as such the air was thick with smoke. We stopped at Anja Community Reserve in a landscape reminiscent of the Wild West. Rather than the humid rainforest of Ranomafana we were now in a dry and arid environment dominated by sandstone massifs. For botanists the areas of Isalo and Ifaty are of particular interest as, again, the plant life here has evolved to adapt to the extremes and are found nowhere else in the world.
Isalo was the area where we were most likely to see Madagascar's national animal; the Ring-Tailed Lemur. Unmistakable with their grey and black ringed tails, hence their name, they're probably the most recognised lemur in the world. As with all lemurs they're only found in Madagascar. They're highly social, living in large groups and are female dominant; unusual for the mammal world but common in lemurs. I had chosen to travel through Madagascar in October as this is when lemurs have their babies. By October the babies are becoming bolder and increasingly interested in the world around them, making for great photo opportunities as they fumble around their surroundings. Anja Reserve and an area called Namaza within Isalo National Park are good places to spot them as they go about their daily business. Often we'd find them coming down from the hills to canyons where an oasis of food and water is found. A local campsite within Namaza seemed to be a favoured spot of theirs and we managed plenty of close encounters.
We were staying in the heart of Isalo very close to the national park, and so were surrounded by a variety of wildlife. Before sunrise I'd get up and go and explore the local area to see what I could find. Isalo is very much a desert environment, very hot and dry with eroded sandstone rock formations jutting up from the ground. Not surprisingly the area is susceptible to wild fires. Despite the dry land a common feature of Isalo were its canyons forming oases in which rivers flow and plants flourish allowing welcome respite to the local wildlife. It was through one of these oases close to the hotel that I chose to go and explore each morning. Bird highlights included the beautiful Madagascar Hoopoe, vibrantly coloured Olive Bee Eater and the lovely named Fork-Tailed Drongo.