Avenue of the Baobabs, near Morondava, Madagascar

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A 1500 year old Baobab

Years ago, I saw a photo in the Lonely Planet calendar of the Avenue of the Baobabs, and had always been curious to see these bizarre trees.  It was what really sparked my interest to come to Madagascar, and it didn't disappoint.
There is a small number of species of baobab trees in Madagascar (I believe 6 of 8 of the world's total), but all share the same thick round trunk, with spindly branches look.  Since we got back on dry land after the river trip, we had seen quite a few different varieties, and it was quite exciting to see them dotted along the horizon as we drove towards Morondava.  Apparently, they are one of the slowest growing trees, with 10 to 20 year old trees still only as high as your knees.
Along the way, we passed by villages based around some of these old trees including one little place with 4 exceptionally old trees.  They believe that these trees are between 1500 and 2000 years old, with the oldest and largest being very sacred to the people of the village.  You can see from the photo to the right, just the immense size of the trunks, as 6 of us are pictured at it's base.

Beautiful baobab trees

We met many kids along the rough 4x4 drive, and had some fun experiences including dancing to the music from our vehicle with kids copying in the distance.  Through the bizarre landscape, there was also a huge baobab, that had two trunks intertwined, which they called the tree in love.
But then we reached the highlight of our journey for me, the Avenue.  Not very long in length - possibly only a few hundred metres - the trees were very thick and quite dense along the road compared to other areas, so to speak.  I found it quite an enchanting place, and very surreal.  They are such a bizarre looking tree, and to see so many in one place really does look out of this world. 

The Avenue with traffic

We managed to stay for a few hours, watching the sky change from day, to sunset, to dusk with a colourful warm afterglow, then to eventually night.  I couldn't get enough of seeing these beasts.  It was so picturesque, and I couldn't stop taking photos.  It also seemed like you couldn't take a bad photo, as the trees were so photogenic. Although there were some other tourists there for sunset, it seemed peaceful and tranquil.  All except for a few of the locals calling out "Fa-za" which means tourist in Malagasy, then trying to sell you something.
Since this was  highlight, we decided to return again, this time for sunrise.  There were even fewer people here, and it was nice to see the area come to life for the day.  The locals washing in the nearby water holes, the zebu carts getting geared up for the days work, and the trees getting set for yet another day of curious tourists like myself.  *Stub

The Avenue of the Baobabs

Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset