Ankarana National Park - day 2 part 1

We started off our next day in Ankarana hiking to the Lost River and then on to the Bat Cave (part 2). 

Currently it is winter in Madagascar, and though it remains pretty hot, it's very dry, especially in Ankarana.  While this is good for us because many of the rivers have dried up and are passable and there are fewer mosquitoes and bugs, the forest is not as lush and many of the animals are hibernating.  The first stop on our hike was the Lost River.  Although it is completely dry in the winter, in the rainy season it is a powerful river.  It is called Lost because at one point it disappears into a giant hole in the ground and doesn't reemerge for many kilometers.  We were able to see the hole, though obviously not the river itself.  Also, on all of our hikes, but especially the one to the Lost River, we saw many fossils of shells and ancient sea creatures, one is pictures above.

We of course saw more lemurs on the way.  One of the pictures also includes an interesting tree, which in the dry months sheds it's bark.  Or guide said that the name of the tree is also a slang term for white people, as we look the same after we burn in the sun.  I see what he means.