Isalo
National Park is located just
outside the town of Ranohira, which
is in the south central highlands. The
area, now known as the center of the sapphire trade, is sacred to Bara tribe
who use the caves and areas inside the park as burial sites. The park is known best known for its enormous
sandstone formations and canyons, tranquil pools, endemic plants, and lemurs.
Upon
arriving in Ranohira I made the short trek to my hotel in sight of the cliffs
of the national park. The following day
we hired a car to take us into the park and with a guide made the day trek
through the park. First walking through
the sandstone cliffs where we saw some of the burial sites of the Bara tribe. The tradition of the tribe is to first put
their dead in a cave, which is walled up with stones, for five years. After this time they exhume the body and move
it to their