Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve

This reserve in Madagascar's Melaky Region protects a karst limestone landscape of needle sharp pinnacles known as tsingy, rising above cliffs over the Manambolo River, and its local name is generally translated as the place where one cannot walk barefoot. Established in 1927 and long held under IUCN Category Ia strict nature reserve protection, the reserve had its southern portion reclassified as a national park in 1997 while the northern section retained strict reserve status, and UNESCO inscribed the whole site as a World Heritage Site in 1990 for its distinctive geology, surviving mangrove forest and populations of lemurs and other wild birds. Most visitors reach the reserve from the town of Morondava, about 150 kilometers to the south.