The Oogabooger jungle of Asscrackenmyer

An article describing the author's journey to the Masoala Peninsula and Nosy Mangabe and some of the birds, lemurs, reptiles and other creatures and scenery he encountered

The awesome Masoala Peninsula in northeast Madagascar, holds the island's largest remaining lowland rainforest. As auch, it's a treasure trove for keen naturalists. Guidebook auther DEREK SCHUURMAN went there. (Photos: Adrian Deneys, also Marius Burger)

- An edited version of this article appeared in BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE, March 1996 issue.

Oblivious to the occasional shark which surfaced to inspect the old wooden boat, the Betsimisaraka woman cheerfully scooped out bucketfuls of water into the sea - our vessel was leaking. In Madagascar, you understand, they say that 'if something ain't really broke, then don't fix it'. So it comes as no surprise, that after their journeys in boats like this, visitors to Masoala Peninsula National Park and Nosy Mangabe island reserve, arrive somewhat rattled.

Masoala Peninsula and the offshore island Nosy Mangabe, hold two of Madagascar's very few remaining coastal rainforests. Mangabe island was set aside as a reserve in the 1960's, primarily to protect the grotesque aye-aye, a fascinating nocturnal lemur which although very elusive, is easily seen there nowdays. To get there, we did the neccesary 45-minute boat trip into Antongil Bay from the frontier town, Maroantsetra, where there is an airport. Every so often in our wake, iridiscent blue flying fish skittled out. Dolphins were everywhere. After landing at the tiny beach on Nosy Mangabe - 'manga' is Malagasy for blue, and 'be' means large or deep, so Nosy Mangabe means 'island in the deep blue bay - we set off into the steep, muddy slopes covered in lush coastal rainforest.

Within minutes of our arrival, a cacophony of shrieks and grunts erupted from the canopy: we were being inspected by a troop of black & white ruffed lemurs, another endangered primate. Fairly widespread in the eastern Malagasy rainforest band, ruffed lemurs are nowhere common. But Nosy Mangabe is the best place in which to seek the black & white variety. The other - the red ruffed lemur - is confined to the Masoala peninsula's rainforest on the Malagasy mainland. (It's also an excellent place in which to see the attractive whitefronted brown lemurs which thrive there in fair numbers.)

On Nosy Mangabe, you're bound to be shown the remarkable fringed gecko Uroplatus fimbriatus. This is the biggest of the 10 known species of leaf-tailed geckos, a genus confined to Madagascar. Some of them mimic bark, and some look like dead leaves. The fringed geckos on Mangabe are also notable for their teeth, of which they have more than any other living reptiles or mammals (300 +). To enhance their camouflage, the fringed geckos have lichen-like dermal flaps around their bodies to obliterate any possible shadows. When irritated, these lizards stand up abruptly on all-fours, bend their tails upwards and open their wide gapes, sticking out their fleshy crimson tongues. (Amusing to human observers, understandably horrifying to other animals!)

Later, we set off by boat again, this time east to the Masoala Peninsula. Our landing point was a coastal Betsimisaraka fishing village, Ambanizana. From there, a network of trails lead off into the steep, rainforest-clad slopes of the Masoala National Park. The view looming out ahead was awesome - mountains covered in tropical rainforest and an everpresent mist blanket gave the feeling that we had come to the end of the Earth. Deep in the rainforest, a movement just off the path distracted me. Some 3 metres away, on the leaf litter, a stunning scaly ground-roller froze, blending into the dappled forest floor. I watched, mesmerised, for about 10 minutes, turned to say something to my guide...and suddenly my 'megatick' was nowhere to be seen.

It was dusk when we decided to clamber down the steep, high slopes and head back for Ambanizana village. From there, the plan was to head to another small, remote hamlet nearby where we were to stay in a village hut. But the canoe that was supposed to take us across a wide river mouth on the Masoala was nowhere to be seen. So, to get to our digs, we stripped and waded. I positioned myself carefully in the centre of the garrulous party - the breakers of Antongil Bay could be seen crashing in the moonlight not far off, and the sharks off eastern Madagascar are worth taking seriously. Once on the other side, we negotiated a narrow footpath through a swampy area. And there, I had one of my most memorable Malagasy mammal sightings in all my travels around the island: a 'fanalouc' (Eupleres godouti) appeared at the edge of the swampy forest and stood in full view for almost a minute. This peculiar animal is one of the largest of the 8 Malagasy viverrids and with its long legs, bushy tail, large ears and long, decurved snout, the fanalouc looks rather like a deformed cross between a fox and a weasel of sorts - just another of the more bizarre denizens of the Malagasy forests. It is very rare and hardly ever seen by tourists, as confirmed by our friend Nick Garbutt, who has just released the stunning book 'Mammals of Madagascar'. He, too, has only seen it once, also in a large rainforest national park.

But back to our nocturnal Masoala diversion: That night, the drone of frogs, insects, nocturnal birds and other animals was almost deafening, but it contributed to the overwhelming feeling of Malagasy magic. As is custom in Malagasy villages, the President de la Fokontany, or head of the council of elders, inspected us and after his approval, the hospitality extended was top notch. We were treated to an enormous meal, including a spicy stew, vegetables or 'brede', fish and plenty of rice, which accompanies all Malagasy meals. A child brought an ill-tempered streaked tenrec for us to see. When disturbed, it raises its punk-like prickles and tries to headbutt the enemy in the mouth. It's not to be laughed at, though. "There's a belief here, that if you are in the rainforest and a tenrec dances, swinging its arse at you, and you laugh at it, you'll lose your way...", our guide informed us.

The house we slept in was raised on stilts, because of the very high rainfall in eastern Madagascar. (Climate also dictates that the Masoala - the highest rainfall area of the island - is best visited from late August to December only). The local rooster, which had positioned itself under the floorboards, had a seriously warped sense of timing, crowing its head off throughout the night. At dawn, I looked out of the house and watched a colorful flock of Madagascar blue and Madagascar green pigeons, feeding in a fruit tree. Exquisite!

The above account details just a few of the many lingering memories I have of the great Masoala rainforest. During my time there, I saw so much - new species around every turn and to me, it remains the most beautiful place in all of Madagascar. For any keen naturalists visiting Madagascar at the right time of year, it is a really worthwhile area to spend time in.

TRAVEL TIPS FOR THE MASOALA PENINSULA

How To Get There: You can fly from Antananarivo to Maroantsetra, the gateway town to the Masoala and Nosy Mangabe.

How To Get Around: Getting to Masoala National Park and Nosy Mangabe island is only possible by boat. There are a few motorised boats in Maroantsetra who will do the transfers. One-way transfers to the Masoala are about FF 250 - 500, depending on who do the arrangements. Boats leave only in the early mornings for these transfers, due to the sea conditions on the Bay of Antongil. On Nosy Mangabe and on the Masoala Peninsula, you walk around with local guides trained by the national parks office in Maroantsetra. There are paths around the steep, rainforest clad slopes in both places. Birders: be sure to do day trips to the vicinity of Andranobe, actually a research camp of the Peregrine Fund's Africa & Madagascar Division. Organise this well in advance through reputable tour operators, who can contact the Parc Masoala office in good time.

Where To Stay: At Maroantsetra, the recently opened new ecolodge Relaise du Masoala, is the upscale accommodation. Alternatively, the rustic hotel Coco Beach is perfectly fine. On Nosy Mangabe is a good campsite, now complete with kitchen and shower and toilet facilities. There are also campsites on the Masoala peninsula.