Avenue of the Baobabs

Protected Natural Monument Since 2007. Around Twenty Giant Grandidier'S Baobabs, Up To Thirty Metres Tall And Several Centuries Old, Standing Along A Dirt Road In What Was Once Dry Forest; The Single Most Reproduced Image Of Madagascar · Morondava, Menabe

The Avenue of the Baobabs is a stretch of dirt road about twenty kilometres north of Morondava, lined with around twenty giant Grandidier's baobabs, the tallest species on the island. They are survivors of the dry forest that once covered this plain, left standing when the trees around them were cleared for rice and fields. Some are said to be several centuries old and reach thirty metres, and their bare trunks look far too thick for the thin crown on top. The light at sunset and dawn is the whole reason people come. It is free to visit, there is no ticket gate and the road is also used by carts, bicycles and local people, so you share the space. Expect crowds of photographers near sunset, vendors of souvenirs and children asking for gifts. The place is smaller than pictures suggest, and midday is flat and hot. Go early or late, and treat it as a stop of a few hours rather than a whole day. Many visitors find the dust, the heat and the sellers tiring, but the first sight of the trunks usually makes up for it.

Dirt road between Morondava and Belon i Tsiribihina, about 20 km north of Morondava on the western coast, Morondava, Menabe, Madagascar

This is an open public road, so there is no ticket office and no closing time, and visiting is free. The best light is dawn and the last hour before sunset. The road is dirt and can become muddy or impassable in heavy rain, roughly December to March, and the track north from here to Belon'i Tsiribihina closes in the wet season. Morondava is the base for tours, transport and lodging; a driver or tuk-tuk can take you out for the sunset. Book a driver the day before in the busy dry season. Details are unverified.

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