Found in the southwest of Madagascar, Mikea is one of the country’s newest national parks, and offers an enticing alternative to travellers wanting to include a more seldom-visited destination in their safari itinerary, in addition to more popular parks like Masoala and Ranomafana. Mostly arid but with miles of idyllic white-sand beaches perfect as starting-off points for snorkelling excursions, as well as lakes, rivers and marshes, this national park contains plenty of areas ripe for exploration and relaxation.
One of Madagascar’s most instantly recognisable environments, the spiny forest, can also be found here. Didieras – otherwise known as the octopus tree – are common sights here. Watch for another quintessential symbol of Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur, as well as other species from the same family like the nocturnal brown mouse lemur – just a few inches long – and the charismatic Verreaux’s sifaka, whose hopping along the ground on two feet is sure to put a smile on your face.
Mikea National Park Quick Facts
- Size: Mikea National Park covers more than 700 square miles, and is bounded by the Manombo and Mangoky Rivers.
- Resident Wildlife: 63 species of bird, 24 species of fish, nine species of lemur, six species of bat and 65 species of reptile and amphibian can be found within the park’s borders.
- Growing Pains: Mikea National Park is known for its stunted Grandidier’s baobab trees, the trunks of which are shorter and wider than specimens found elsewhere in Madagascar.
- Avian Adornments: Look out for the running coua and chabert vanga here, both of which sport striking blue feathers around their eyes.
Meet the Mikea
The Mikea are one of the last peoples left in Madagascar – and indeed the entire world – practicing a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. They are thought to number no more than 1,500, most of whom live within the forests here, hunting animals like birds and tenrecs as well as gathering fruits and tubers from their surrounding habitat. Although leading lives far removed from most Malagasy (a term denoting any person from Madagascar), the Mikea are not entirely nomadic. Some groups engage in farming practices, cultivating corn and manioc during the dry season.
The Mikea’s lifestyle and relative isolation from other peoples has led to them achieving an almost mystical reputation with other Malagasy, who incorporate them into myths and legends associated with the traditional spirits of the forest. Dance, music and mask-making form key parts of their spiritual lives, and the Mikea also practice a kind of polyphonic communication based on hiccups and falsetto voices which marks them out yet further from Madagascar’s other peoples.
Some believe the Mikea to in fact be descendants of the mythical Vazimba, the original inhabitants of Madagascar who are said to have colonised the island over 2,000 years ago. Researchers have reached a less fantastical but no less compelling conclusion: that the Mikea are instead descended from villagers who fled their homes to escape from invading armies in the mid-20th century, villagers who then remained in the forests and adopted a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to survive.
Today the Mikea continue to practice their traditional way of life, and at least for those living within the borders of Mikea National Park, their customs are mostly protected from the encroachment of the modern world. When exploring the park’s savannahs and spiny forests, look for traces of these fascinating people: holes bored into baobab trees to serve as water reservoirs, huts made from grass, clay and tree bark, or bee hives harvested for their honey. With luck, you may be able to meet the Mikea yourself and come to understand their connection to the natural world that is unique among inhabitants of Madagascar.
If you’re looking to include a visit to Mikea National Park as part of your trip to Madagascar, then get in contact with one of our destination specialists who would be happy to help.
