3 Best Sights in Madagascar

In the 1980s, Swiss amateur botanist Hermann Pétignat I began turning the poor soils here, 12km (7 miles) southeast of Tulear, in order to cultivate and preserve more than 900 native species of plants. Many succulents and endangered species are included, and the arboretum provides a habitat for numerous birds, reptiles, and mammals, including lemurs. An interpretive center has displays about the rich local environment and the importance of conservation.

A prehistoric Coelacanth fish, thought to be extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period until one was found in 1938, is among an impressive display here. The fish is not so well preserved, but other specimens, as well as seashells and maritime art, including cameos, are in good shape. A rare conus milneedwarsdii shell—a type of sea snail also known as the Glory of India—once moved a collector to offer his Land Rover in exchange for the piece.

The bizarre baobab tree may be the most noticeable attraction at this 60-hectare (148-acre) park managed by the environmental group Reniala (the name means baobab in Malagasy), but the area shelters many other curiosities native only to southeastern Madagascar. Lemurs, odd insects, 60 bird species, and a number of orchids exist on the property. Night visits can be arranged to view the nocturnal creatures. The reserve is 29 km (18 miles) north of Tulear.