d d 70, Dagoretti Road, Karen, Nairobi Tel: 020 883224 Fax: 020 883223 Mobile: 0726 480035 Email: info@ treasures. co. ke www. treasureskenya. com d d 70, Dagoretti Road, Karen, Nairobi Tel: 020 883224 Fax: 020 883223 Mobile: 0726 480035 Email: info@ treasures. co. ke www. treasureskenya. com d d The House of Treasures, known for its distinctive blend of merchandise sourced from three continents, regularly fills its store with new consignments of merchandise from Asia, Africa and Latin America. View the new furniture, fabric, jewellery collections, and large selection of artefacts and home accessories, as well as gift ideas for Christmas at No. 70 Dagoretti Road, Karen, Nairobi. d DiscoverHiddenTreasures

WILDLIFE 90 Seriously weird snakes Amongst the most bizarre of all Malagasy species are the Langaha snakes. Nature has endowed these reptiles with the most extraordinary noses. The names are descriptive: spear- nosed and leaf- nosed snakes. I would add ' brandysnap- nosed', for how else would you describe the adornment on the twig- mimic snake? Wildlife hotspots Madagascar's wildlife owes its exceptional variety to the many different habitats that occur on this mountainous island. There are rain- drenched forests in the east, full of towering evergreen trees; dry, deciduous forests in the west; and the south is virtually a desert. In between there are high mountains, areas of limestone spikes and spires, and bare, grass- covered hills. When the first mammals made it to Madagascar, perhaps on islands of floating vegetation washed here from Africa, they and their descendants fanned out to colonise all parts of their new home, gradually adapting their bodies and lifestyles to their environment. So to see a fair spectrum of Madagascar's wildlife, you should try to visit one site in each of the island's three main ecotypes: rainforest, deciduous forest and spiny desert. The most accessible rainforest is the mid- altitude Andasibe ( Andasibe Mantandia National Park), the home of the indri as well as other lemurs including the beautiful diademed sifaka and lots of birds. The guides here are the best in Madagascar, so whatever your interests you won't be disappointed. You may even hit the jackpot and see a leaf- tailed gecko. Or even, just possibly, an aye- aye. A similar mid- altitude rainforest is Ranomafana, a full day's journey south of the capital where, if you're lucky, you can see 12 species of lemur including two of the rarest – the golden bamboo lemur and the greater bamboo lemur. At night you'll be able to watch mouse lemurs and the striped civet that turns up as regular as clockwork for the meaty snack provided by the guides. If it's real rainforest you're after, complete with downpours and huge trees with buttress roots, you should head for the Masoala Peninsula in the east. It's only accessible by boat, however, and a full week is normally required to do it justice. You may be rewarded by a sighting of the helmet vanga or the rare red- ruffed Kenya Airways commenced flights to Madagascar at the beginning of November ( see pages 1 and 163). BOTANICAL RARITIES Many people believe that the discovery of new species requires arduous expeditions to the remotest corners of the planet, but if you ramble around any of Madagascar's protected areas, you will likely pass scores of species that have not yet been described and named by scientists. It's only in the last two or three decades that Madagascar put out the welcome mat to plant scientists. More recently these foreign scientists have been joined by a cadre of brilliant young Malagasy botanists, and through their combined efforts the island can now boast about 11,500 recorded plant species. However, there is a race against time to describe the disappearing flora. Already some species have become extinct in the wild, but new conservation efforts bring promise that most can be saved. So when you wander through a nature reserve take the opportunity to look at the plants; you may just be looking at a new species. lemur. Most visitors combine the peninsula with a visit to the small island of Nosy Mangabe, where good views of leaf- tailed geckos are assured. Perhaps the most beautiful accessible rainforest is Montagne d'Ambre ( Amber Mountain) National Park. This isolated patch of forest is not linked with the eastern rainforest band, so the wildlife is different. To complete the visitor's comfort there are two excellent lodges nearby. Just to the south is Ankarana, but here you're entering the domain of dry, deciduous forest plus tsingy, the Malagasy name for the fortress- like limestone plateau decorated with fields of razor- sharp limestone pinnacles. Below the ground is a substantial network of caves, passages and subterranean rivers. The crowned lemurs that live here hang around the campsites to the delight of tourists. For classical dry forest you need to move south to Ankarafantsika National Park ( Ampijoroa), a two- hour drive inland from the west coast port Mahajanga. This park offers gentle strolls along broad trails, with plenty of wildlife including the snazzy chestnut- and- white Coquerel's sifaka, one of the long- legged lemur species that cross open spaces by ' dancing' on their back legs. Anjajavy offers the same smorgasbord of animals but in considerable comfort. This fly- in resort is not cheap but the combination of abundant wildlife, wonderful beaches and a luxurious lodge is hard to resist. Popularly known as the spiny desert or spiny forest, the thorn bush of the south is a must- see for visitors to Madagascar, and most end up in Berenty. Lemur Island was filmed here and, indeed, it's hard to find a documentary on Madagascar which wasn't filmed, at least partially, in Berenty. Apart from the cheerful ring- tailed lemurs there are dancing sifakas, lots of birds and reptiles. Finally Ifaty, a coastal resort north of Toliara ( Tulear) where the unprotected and rapidly dwindling spiny bush appears on all birding and botanical itineraries as it is home to rare, locally endemic species found nowhere else. Bottle baobabs, tall pachypodiums and spiny octopus trees create a fascinating habitat aptly termed ' nature's botanical lunatic asylum'. Chris Birkinshaw, Missouri Botanical Garden msafiri The voluptuous saucer- sized flowers of a new species of Macrostelia. Only 16 individuals survive in a forest fragment on the east coast Honoré Andriamiarinoro HILARY BRADT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Red- ruffed Lemur, the lan-gaha, or twig- mimic snake, an infant brown lemur NICK GARBUT