Isalo National Park, lies amidst the Jurassic-era highlands of the country’s southwest. Established in 1962, it protects over 190,000 acres of land dominated by a dramatic sandstone massif that has been eroded by time and weather into an otherworldly collection of plateaus, canyons, gorges, and pinnacles. Iron and mineral deposits stain the rock formations a rainbow of different colors, and the dense forests and grassland plains that surround them are filled with unique flora and fauna. The park’s pristine forests provide a home for no fewer than 14 lemur species, ranging from the iconic ring-tailed lemur to the endangered Verreaux’s sifaka. Over 80 bird species have been recorded, of which 27 are endemic to Madagascar.