By clicking ‘Accept’ you agree that we use Analytical cookies for gathering information about how our
website is used, as well as Advertising and social media cookies (including cookies from trusted
partners) to personalize our advertising campaigns and to allow you to share on social media.
About our use of cookies
Below you can decide which type of cookies you would like to keep switched on.
Open a list of all cookies
Functional cookies
Functional cookies are essential to using our website and cannot be switched off.
These cookies do not contain personal information and are not used for analytical or advertising purposes.ShowHide
description
Analytical cookies
(anonymous)
Analytical cookies gather anonymous information about how our website is used. The information collected
does not contain personal information, cannot be traced back to you, and
is not used for advertising purposes.
ShowHide
description
Advertising and social
media
cookies
Advertising and social media cookies (including cookies from trusted
partners) enable us to personalize our advertising campaigns, and enable you to share on social media.
ShowHide
description
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Insight guide to Madagascar.
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Insight Guide to Madagascar.
Philip is the author of the Insight Guide to Madagascar.
Isalo National Park (Parc National de l’Isalo) protects a group of mountains with spectacular sandstone formations rising up from arid grassy plains. This is prime hiking country with a range of trails available to suit different interests and abilities. Several lemur species can be found, and bird-watchers will enjoy checking off some dry country specials.
Isalo is not a prime wildlife-viewing destination. There are only three lemur species active in the day on record, but two of them are particularly charismatic: the ring-tailed lemur and the Verreaux's sifaka, known for its dance-like movement when running on the ground. The lemurs can mostly be found in the canyons, such as Maki Canyon and Rat Canyon.
The park is a photographer’s dream. The evening light usually plays its magic over the sandstone formations eroded into amazing rockscapes, canyons and gorges. A popular scenic highlight is ‘la fenêtre de l’Isalo’ (the Isalo window). This is a natural window sculpted out of the rocks, letting through the setting sun while capturing the surrounding landscape with its balancing boulders and jagged peaks.
Weather & Climate
Isalo has a dry tropical climate. Annual rainfall figures are low, but there is a Wet season from November to April. The middle of this, December to February, is very hot and humid. The coolest months are June to August with an average daytime temperature of 26°C/79°F. During this period, nights are quite cold with the lowest average of 11°C/52°F being in July.
Isalo can be visited throughout the year. Most people will however prefer the Dry season months, from May to October, when hiking conditions are perfect. The magnificent scenery of the park is enhanced by beautiful light. In the Dry season it is always sunny and bright, and most days start and finish with a photogenic sunrise and sunset.
Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.
The Grand Canyon of Madagascar
4/5
Rising from the arid, yellow plains of southern Madagascar, Isalo is one of Madagascar’s most dramatic sights and most popular parks. The red rock escarpments cut through with canyons are filled with dense forest-like vegetation. In...
Spent a full day walking through the park, including a visit to the Piscine Naturelle and through canyon. Very pleasant any enjoyable, though very hot and with not a lot of shade. With a good guide, as we had, we saw a good amount of...