Cruise Report

Ehoala

Ehoala is located in southern Madagascar, on the outskirts of Fort Dauphin. The rustic harbour with its white sandy beaches provides a base for visiting natural parks and protected areas where you can get up close to the island’s unique ecosystems.

Unique Landscape

The Republic of Madagascar is the fourth largest island nation in the world. About 80% of the island’s animals and plants are endemic to the island. There are numerous natural parks and protected areas that preserve the unique ecosystem. In the protected areas, you can get up close with creatures that have uniquely evolved: the ring-tailed lemur with the striped tail, which is its impressive trademark; the chameleon known for its unique ecology; and the indri with its beautiful voice that can be heard up to 3 km away. Madagascar is a place where you will be overwhelmed by the vibrant wilderness and to which you will want to return.

Mysterious Giant Baobab Trees

One of Madagascar’s most iconic plants is the baobab tree, which also appears in the fairy tale, The Little Prince. On the outskirts of Morondava in south-central Madagascar, there is a marvellous avenue lined with baobab trees. These unusually-shaped giant trees, which stand as if they have roots in the sky, are said to be several thousand years old. The sight of baobabs standing 20 meters high and with trunks up to 10 meters in diameter is simply breathtaking. The scenery is overwhelming even during the day, but the best time to visit is at dusk. The unique silhouette of the baobabs in the setting sun is one of the most spectacular sights on the island.

Journey To The World’s Oldest Island

Madagascar is the world’s oldest island, having split off from part of the former southern hemisphere continent of Gondwana with the Indian subcontinent some 160 million years ago, and then separated from the Indian subcontinent some 88 million years later. On this isolated island, a diverse range of organisms have evolved over a long and mind-boggling period of time. The fact that the Galapagos Islands, the setting for the Theory of Evolution, were formed some 50 million years ago also gives an idea of the scale of this evolution. In Madagascar, we set out on a journey to encounter many unique creatures and discover the mysteries of life.

PHOTO:PEACEBOAT, Katsuta Airi, shutterstock