Off the southeastern coast of Africa lies the island of Madagascar, most famous for its vast and unique biodiversity. 90% of all plant and animal species are endemic to the island—meaning they are not naturally found in any other parts of the world. Lemurs and the catlike fossa are native only to the island.

The official language, people and culture of Madagascar are called Malagasy. Madagascar’s culture is heavily influenced by Southeast Asian and East African cultural practices and beliefs, reflecting the origins of the island’s multiethnic population. Around 52% of the Malagasy population practices animism, 41% are Christian, and most of the remaining 7% are Muslim. Although about half of the Malagasy population does not adhere to traditional animist beliefs, Malagasy culture places great importance on the veneration of ancestors, the belief in the power of magic, and an emphasis on fihavanana (solidarity), vintana (destiny), tody (karma), and hasina, the concept that individuals are imbued with sanctity and their actions can either increase or diminish it.

1. Avenue of the Baobabs

Centuries-old giant baobab trees line both sides of an 853-foot stretch of dirt road in the Menabe region of western Madagascar. Baobabs, a prehistoric species that predates mankind, serve as a symbol of life as they thrive in the arid climate where little else can grow. Six of the eight species are endemic to Madagascar. In Malagasy, the trees are also called “reniala” or “mother of the forest.” Baobabs can grow to a height of up to 98 feet and store large volumes of water in their massive trunks, which attracts animals to chew on the tree’s bark to get to the moisture inside. In addition to serving as natural monuments, the baobabs are extremely useful with over 300 uses. These include harmlessly tapping the trunks (up to 30 feet in diameter) for water, harvesting the iron-rich leaves, roasting seeds to make a coffee substitute or pressing them to extract oil rich in vitamins A, B and C, using roots to create a red dye, and harvesting the fruit, which has six times more vitamin C than oranges.

2. Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park and Nature Reserve

Located in northwest Madagascar, this UNESCO World Heritage Site encompasses two geological formations: the Great Tsingy and the Little Tsingy, which together cover almost 600 square miles. The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is mainly comprised of a forest of tsingys— pointy limestone rock formations that stand approximately 320 feet high. A limestone seabed created over 200 million years ago rose to create a plateau and subsequent heavy rain slowly eroded the limestone to form the sharp, needlelike tsingys. The Malagasy word tsingy means “the place where one cannot walk barefoot” or “walking on tiptoes.”  The adjacent nature reserve of undisturbed forests, mangrove swamps and lakes is home to rare and endangered animals, including over 11 species of lemur, the indigenous primates of Madagascar, six bird species, and 17 species of reptiles, including the smallest known chameleon which is so tiny it can fit on a fingertip.

3. Royal Hill of Ambohimanga

Located in the Madagascan highlands near the capital Antananarivo, the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, comprised of a royal city and burial site, is one of the most important spiritual and historic sites for the Malagasy people. The royal palace of Ambohimanga, meaning “blue hill,” is located on the highest of the 12 sacred hills of Imerina. According to legend, in the 15th century, King Andrianjaka first declared 12 hills of Imerina as sacred due to their spiritual significance to the Merina, the largest Malagasy ethnic group. In the 16th century, King Andrianampoinimerina, who is considered to be one of the greatest political leaders in the history of Madagascar, designated the current 12 sacred hills, including a few of the original sacred hills declared by King Andrianjaka. The number of hills maintains a spiritual connection to the 12 lunar months of Malagasy cosmology.

Ambohimanga served as the spiritual capital of the Merina from King Andrianampoinimerina’s reign until the royal family was exiled in 1897 by French colonizers. They attempted to undermine the significance of the hill by transferring relics in order to break the Malagasy people’s resistance and ethnic identity. Though the French further desecrated the sacred forests surrounding the hill, Ambohimanga retains its spiritual significance and draws pilgrims to worship Malagasy ancestors.

4. Manda

Mistranslated as Fort Manda, the correct name for the 19th-century fortress is simply Manda, the Malagasy word for fortress. Located on Madagascar’s northeastern coast, Manda remains the last standing fortress built by the Merina to defend against foreigners who attempted to invade via the Indian Ocean, and is one of the few remaining forts from the 19th century in the world. King Andrianampoinimerina’s son King Radama I ordered the fortress walls to be built in a circular fashion as it was the symbol of harmony. Within the fortress walls are the remains of barracks, officers’ houses, a prison and an arsenal. The walls, which stand up to 26 feet tall, were built by hand from a combination of sand, coral and eggshells—the latter of which is a sustainable aggregate alternative in concrete construction.

5. Pirate Cemetery of Île Sainte-Marie

Off the eastern coast of Madagascar lies Île Sainte-Marie, known locally as Nosy Boraha, which is home to the world’s only pirate cemetery—the final resting place of sailors, sea traffickers, pirates, settlers and foreign forces. Due to its proximity to the spice route, an overland and maritime trade route between Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe, the island’s many inlets and bays were the ideal place for pirates to hide out and attack ships for their precious cargo. The plaque detailing the history of the graveyard says the famous pirate Olivier Levasseur, nicknamed “The Buzzard,” lived on the island in 1721. According to explorers, notorious 17th-century pirate Capt. William Kidd once inhabited the island. In 2015, underwater explorers discovered what is thought to be the wreckage of Kidd’s ship, the Adventure Galley. Around 30 gravestones remain, including a large, upright black tomb in the center of the graveyard, which, according to locals, is Kidd’s final resting place.

6. Tsimanampetsotsa National Park

The Tsimanampetsotsa National Park is divided into four distinct landscapes: Lake Tsimanampetsotsa, the Mahafaly Plateau edge, the Mahafaly Plateau, and the Eastern Zone. Within the park are three features distinct to Tsimanampetsotsa National Park: the Mitoho Grotto, the Baobab “Grandmother,” and the banyan tree sinkhole. The park is named after Lake Tsimanampetsotsa, a salt lake whose name means “lake in which no dolphins live.” With over 110 bird species, 40 reptile species and five lemur species, along with a few amphibian species, the park is one of the best places to see flora and fauna truly unique to Madagascar as over 90% is endemic to the island. In addition, the park is the only known location of the endangered Grandidier’s mongoose. Almost 200 plant species grow within the park, including the “Grandmother Baobab,” an ancient fony baobab that could possibly be the oldest baobab in Madagascar.

Located on the Mahafaly Plateau is the Mitoho Grotto, a sacred cave used by the local Antambahoaka (the Malagasy ethnic group with the fewest number of people) for centuries to make offerings and sacrifices to the “invisible people” (spirits) that inhabit the cave. In addition to its sanctity, the Mitoho Grotto is a significant fossil location—fossil remains of giant tortoises, crocodiles and lemurs, along with the now-extinct giant fossa have been discovered in the cave. Further along is the ancient banyan tree, whose massive roots descend like long spindly fingers into the limestone sinkhole and pool below.

7. Ranomafana National Park

Located in southeastern Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park was established in 1991 after the rare golden bamboo lemur was discovered by the American primatologist and conservationist Patricia Wright five years earlier. The golden bamboo lemur is the only known primate that survives on a diet of bamboo. Ranomafana was created in order to protect the unique biodiversity of the tropical rainforest. In addition to its 30 endemic species of birds, Ranomafana National park is home to 85 other bird species, 90 butterfly species, more than 100 varieties of frogs, 13 species of lemurs and 350 types of spiders. Ranomafana, meaning “hot water,” earned its name from the naturally occurring thermal springs.

8. Masoala National Park

Situated in northeast Madagascar, Masoala National Park is the largest of the island’s protected areas. The park protects a diverse range of habitats, including a tropical rainforest, a coastal forest, flooded forest marshland, and three marine parks that protect coral reefs. Half of all flora and fauna on the island are found in Masoala. Visitors may have the chance to see the small lowland streaked tenrec, an odd-looking creature with bright yellow quills and stripes and a nose that is longer than those of mice, hedgehogs and shrews. The lowland streaked tenrec’s barbed quills, similar to those of a porcupine, can detach to keep themselves protected from predators.

The nearby island reserve of Nosy Mangabe is home to brookesia, the world’s smallest chameleons, aye-ayes, the world’s largest nocturnal primates, and the black and white ruffed lemur. In addition to the flora and fauna, Nosy Mangabe has various hiking trails and waterfalls, an abandoned lighthouse and an ancient cemetery that is believed to be where the first inhabitants of Nosy Mangabe are buried.

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Asiya is an Algerian-American writer who graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2016, earning a BA in journalism and English. She was an editorial intern and contributing writer for Warscapes magazine and the online/blog editor for Long River Review. She is currently studying for her Master’s in Library and Information Science. @AsiyaHaou