TSINGY-DE BEMARAHA LE PARC NATIONAL

Jan 23

We only have a 105 kilometer ride on a dirt road to get there…

It it a seriously hot day. Six out of twelve complete the entire way. I’m not one of them. We are coming back the same way in a couple of days. Meanwhile, we have the fascinating Tsingy Park to explore!

STALACTITES & SKULLS

Tsingy Park is famous for its rock formations. Fourteen of us load onto four dug-out canoes and take a leisurely glide past the parks steep cliffs. We stop at an opening in the cliffs and climb into a cave. We see large stalactites which may be from the seasonal rise and fall of the river.

Back on the river, our guide points up to several ridges. We see human skulls! There is a ritual going back to the middle ages where the bones of the ancestors are stored in the cliff outcroppings and every five years are taken down to be washed in the river. The entire community is involved and it is a special time to be in the water with the energy of their ancestors. After the ritual the bones are bundled back up and returned to their special place.

TIPTOEING

The name ‘Tsingy’ means tiptoe. This is because the area’s original settlers walked on their tiptoes to cross the treacherous pointy rocks. At one stop we walk to the top of the cliff and carefully tread across a series of sharp spires - and reach a spot where we have the most fantastic view over the river and beyond.

On the road back, there is lots of roadside activity. In an open air shop, there are assorted bottles repurposed for local honey - on the counter on the right. This is honey harvest time and if we had known, we could have saved our empty containers to donate. Somehow people think they are supposed to give candy to children which is a terrible precedent. We ask permission to take photos and then show them photos we have taken. I think people especially children appreciate being noticed. This is another benefit of being on a bicycle is that we are approachable.