Fodor's Expert Review Arboretum d'Antsokay

In the 1980s, Swiss amateur botanist Hermann Pétignat I began turning the poor soils here, 12km (7 miles) southeast of Tulear, in order to cultivate and preserve more than 900 native species of plants. Many succulents and endangered species are included, and the arboretum provides a habitat for numerous birds, reptiles, and mammals, including lemurs. An interpretive center has displays about the rich local environment and the importance of conservation.