Points stand side by side, separated by narrow passages. At a distance, the tsingy of Bemaraha recall a forest. However, these needles are neither dead trunks nor petrified trees: they belong to a cut limestone massif.
UNESCO describes this karst relief of western Madagascar as a set of high pinnacles and gorges. It is now part of the Andrefana dry forests. Mineral formations rub shoulders with wooded habitats and other environments where species specific to Madagascar live. The stone decoration does not replace any plant presence.
The word forest is used here as a visual comparison. It helps to imagine the accumulation of spikes, and then becomes misleading if taken literally. The change of gaze is precisely what makes the place striking: the familiar silhouette of a tree canopy appears without wood and branches. The landscape looks like something we know, while telling a completely different story.
What we know
Metaphoric “Forest”; limestone needles, not fossilized trees.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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