MADAGASCAR | Sunday, 23 November 2014 | Views [310] | View Larger Image
Our second day of trekking brought us to Camp Two, set next to a beautiful clear stream with views towards a granite cliff draped in forest. Our guide headed off into the jungle to look for the Sifakas loudly noting that they hadn't been seen for a number of weeks and they could be anywhere.
Late in the afternoon, we heard an excited howl emanating from the forest. Apparently he had found them. We rushed up the hill, trying not to slip on the steep stairs as we climbed higher and higher. As we got closer, the calls were coming from the jungle off the side of the trail. The cook who had come to show us the way ducked off the trail onto a steep hillside covered in undergrowth.
We followed as quickly as we could but the steep terrain, mud and vines were making it difficult to keep up. All the time I was getting my camera ready to take the first coveted shots. Just as we arrived at our guides side, the Sifaka family started to move, leaping from tree trunk to tree trunk away from our position. I was able to take one fleeting shot of the Sifaka heading into the forest before they disappeared across a stream.
I suppose this is why they are known as the Angels of the Forest, as we weren't quite sure from our first encounter if they were actually real.
