I’m actually out of commission today, due to a bout of “traveller’s tummy” brought on by mixture of food and anti-malarials. Emma visited the Red Tsingy and the nearby town of Diego with our guide Theogene.

“We drove for about 2 hours from Domaine de Fontaney to get to the Red Tsingy. On the way there, we stopped in a village, where our guide showed me around the local market. There are lots of foodstuffs for sale here including fresh vegetables, fish, meat etc, and also soap, machetes and clothing.

After this we travelled for at least an hour on dirt road, dry but extremely rutted to reach the Red Tsingy. Unlike the limestone versions at l’Ankarana, these are made of red laterite (similar to clay) and are caused by land / mud slides during heavy rain, which is regular in these parts. It’s appears to be like a miniature version of Bryce Canyon!

On the way back, we visited ‘The French Mountain’ - named in memory of French and Malagasy troops killed in 1942 resisting the pro-German Vichy French. In the centre of the Bay des Francais is a small island called ‘Sugar Loaf’, a volcanic outcrop considered sacred to the Malagasy.”