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Crossing the backbone of Madagascar
As I write this I am pretty exhausted from an eleven hour journey crossing the highlands that are the backbone of Madagascar, arriving in Morondava on the west coast. The journey was supposed to have taken an hour by plane but thanks to Air Madagascar cancelling the flight we had to drive. Having been in Madagascar for a while, rearranging travel plans last minute is almost completely normal and it was actually nice to see the change from the green of the east to the dryness of the west.
Madagascar’s eastern slopes were once covered in continuous rainforest. Warm winds blowing in from the Indian Ocean condense on these highlands which run the length of Madagascar, giving this part of the island very high rainfall. We have spent the past few days exploring the two most visited parks of the eastern rainforests, Ranomafana National Park and Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.
Comments
Robin Hoskyns
26/9/2015 5:30 PM
Hi David, Sorry for the slow reply, I only just saw your comment. I use a 5d Mark 3 with several lenses. I would say that 200-300mm is enough for lemurs as they come very close and a macro lens and flash for reptiles, frogs and insects. The main problem with taking pictures in the rainforest is you are generally looking up with a dark subject and bright background. Careful positioning to get a nice background along with exposure compensation for a dark subject is key. Most of these shots would be with ISO1600 or 3200 and and f/2.8 aperture but even then it requires patience to get sharp images. I don't use a tripod for wildlife as the lemurs move too quickly and there are too many vines etc. You may find a monopod useful depending on your lens but I prefer not to use one. A tripod and polarising filter would be very useful for landscapes and forest shots. Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!
Diane Powers
16/9/2015 5:00 PM
Wonderfully written and photographed. Thanks Robin - always a pleasure!
David Kramer
12/9/2015 7:00 PM
Beautiful photos to accompany a fine story. My wife and I are doing the Madagascar trip with NWS this October 2015. Robin can you provide some information on your photographic equipment. What camera did you use, which lenses did you use, what was your preferred ISO setting, did you use a "substantial" tripod, any filters you would recommend. It will be a tough assignment but I hope I can capture photos as beautiful as yours. Thank you.
Ann Hoskyns
7/9/2015 6:30 PM
What a fascinating place to have visited. You describe it so well