The number one reason most people travel to Madagascar for is to see the famous Avenue of the Baobabs. The real name of these baobab trees is Grandidier’s baobab – they are also the biggest baobab tree. Endemic in Madagascar, these trees cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. They are also an endangered species because the Avenue of the Baobabs is not a protected area. So, if you want to see these amazing trees, you better go sooner than later. Sadly, they might not be around for long if no protection is granted for this amazing place.
The start of the journey to the Avenue of the Baobabs
We started the journey to the Avenue of the Baobabs after finishing our lemur safari in Analamazotra and Vakona Forest Reserve.
The first part of our leg is going from Andasibe (Analamazotra area) to an interesting city called Antsirabe. Along the way, we got to try some amazing food from local restaurants. My favourite is the honey duck and pork chops.
Upon arriving at Antsirabe, we stayed in our accommodation which thankfully had really fast internet.
Antsirabe to the Avenue of the Baobabs
The next day was the long one. It was a 10 hour drive from Antsirabe to the Avenue of the Baobabs.
The drive was really interesting as we got to see amazing rolling hills, tropical like terrain with palm trees to African savannah.
Right before sunset, we arrived at the magical Avenue of the Baobabs where we took tons of pictures, videos and admired the beautiful trees that Karen has long awaited to see.
Arriving before sunset
Lots of locals walk all over the place as well as stray dogs. They seem friendly enough; however, it’s important not to let your guard down. Make sure to keep watch of your stuff to potentially avoid theft.
I personally felt a little bit paranoid while using my newly purchased drone because I saw the local kids running after it.
The locals were quite amusing. Many of them took out their mobile phones and started taking pictures and making videos of us.
It’s quite funny to see us become the tourist attraction to them. They see the Avenue of the Baobabs everyday but I think seeing Asian looking tourist is a rare occurrence for them.
Some Korean tourist arrived pretty late and missed out on the sunset. It’s really important to leave early in the morning to travel towards the Avenue of the Baobabs because it’s a really long travel time.
Morondova and sunrise
In the evening, we went to the nearby city of Morondova where we spent the night. Our accommodation unfortunately had giant cockroaches and had to convince the hotel staff to switch our rooms to one without one.
The next day, we tried catching the sunrise at the Avenue of the Baobabs but we missed it because my sisters slept in. We were all exhausted from the long travel time the day beforehand so it’s completely understandable they needed to catch a little more sleep.
Regardless, we manage to get some nice pictures with the sunrise light against the baobab trees.
We then proceeded to the next part of our journey which is towards the Kirindy Forest Reserve.
Conclusion
Seeing the Avenue of the Baobabs was truly a magical experience and it’s something everyone should see once in their lifetime.
For those who enjoys taking photography or making videos, this is a must-see bucket list travel destination.
I promised my girlfriend Karen that I would take her here because it’s one of her must see places. She was definitely very happy and excited when we finally reached this stunning place.
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