Where is the geological formation called Tsingy located?

The Tsingy rock forests are unique geological formations found only in Madagascar. The Tsingy is a geological formation of limestone rocks. It is called a ‘forest’, despite the scant vegetation that is found there, due to the appearance of the tall rock pinnacles rising from the ground. The formation of the Tsingy began some 200 million years ago when layers of calcite at the bottom of a lagoon formed a thick limestone bed.

The area contains a very rich biological diversity on a world level, due to its faunal and floral species, their rarity and containment presenting spectacular adaption and insular characteristics, enabling the conservation in situ of endemism and biological diversity.

The Tsingy de Bemaraha in West Madagascar is the largest of such formations The other ‘Tsingy’ is the Red Tsingy near Amber National Park (northern Madagascar). The Red Tsingy however, is not a similar geological formation. The pinnacles look the same – but the Red Tsingy is made of mud and not solid rock like the Grand Tsingy of Bemaraha.