Take a detour to Ampitabe Lake

 

Located about 19km near the town of Brickaville in eastern Madagascar, Lake Ampitabe is one of the lakes that separate the Channel of Pangalanes from the Indian Ocean. The saga that surrounds the place and the nature reserve which borders the lake, make all its charm.

 

Legend has it that a giant and his two wives, Rasoabe and Rasoamasay, lived in the East. Once the husband was absent, his wives became unfaithful and for revenge, the giant plunged them both into the rice fields of Darafify – which became the two lakes that bear their names, the Lake Rasoabe and the Rasoamasay Lake. They each built a new village at the bottom of the water and lived there with their oxen and their slaves. The rumour goes, that sometimes, when the waters are still, the huts at the bottom of the lake become visible...

 

At the shores of Lake Ampitabe, one of the Malagasy natural reserves, particularly rich in fauna and flora, is a place to see. This reserve is especially famous for its tame lemurs! Indris (Indri Indri), black and white lemurs (Varecia Variegata), crowned lemurs (Eulemur Coronatus) and black lemurs (Eulemur Macaco), as well as red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur Rubriventer) are the curious inhabitants of the area. Some species have been successfully domesticated by humans, others live their wild life in this area.

 

This article was featured in Prime Magazine June 2018