AVENUE OF THE BAOBABS

The Avenue or Alley of the Baobabs is a group of baobab trees, stand along the dirt road between Morondava and Belon’I Tsiribihina in western Madagascar. Its visually captivating landscape attracts tourists from all over the world, making it one of the most famous locations in the area. A dozen trees about 30m high of the species ‘Adansonia grandidieri’, which is only found in Madagascar, lie along the road. Those Baobab trees which are more than 800 years old are locally called ‘renala’ which means ‘mother of the forest’.

These trees were once part of the thick tropical forests that were once part of the geography of Madagascar. The forests were cut down for agriculture as the population of the country grew. Only the baobab trees and also as a valuable food source and building material remained standing.