Tsaratanana Reserve, Protected nature reserve in Antsiranana Province, Madagascar.
Tsaratanana Reserve is a protected area in northwestern Madagascar featuring forests, rivers, waterfalls, and hot springs distributed across different elevations. The landscape transitions from densely forested valleys to higher mountain regions with diverse ecosystems.
The reserve was established in 1927 to protect Madagascar's northern mountain ecosystems and water sources. This early conservation effort was among the first of its kind on the island.
The reserve is a strict nature reserve, closed to the public, so no local traditions are practised inside it today. Its name comes from the Tsaratanana massif, formed of crystalline rocks of the Vohibory formation. The massif was first recorded by the northern Madagascar geodetic mission in July 1899.
The reserve is a strict nature reserve closed to the public, so entry is not possible without prior authorisation. It lies 57 km north of Bealanana and about 120 km from Antsiranana, in the Diana, Sava and Sofia regions. The nearest towns serve as bases for the surrounding area.
Maromokotro, inside the reserve, reaches 2,876 m (9,436 ft), the highest point in Madagascar. The reserve also holds at least four endangered frog species found nowhere else, among them Rhombophryne guentherpetersi, Rhombophryne ornata, Rhombophryne tany and Cophyla alticola.
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