Lake Alaotra, largest lake of Madagascar

Lake Alaotra is Madagascar's largest lake, located in the island's northern central plateau at 750m altitude.

Location

Covering 900 km2, the lake is surrounded by many habitats such as open water, marshes, reedbeds, rice paddies and forests decreasing by day by agricultural practises.

Importance

Central Madagascar is the most important rice-growing region of 100,000 hectares producing 200,000 tons of rice per annum, so Lake Alaotra is known as the rice basket of the country. Fishery is another activity practised by the locals.

Biodiversity

The region is a rich habitat for wildlife, home to some of the rarest and endangered species of the island, and the lake is closed to Zahamena National Park, the only place to watch the Critically Endangered Lac Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), commonly known as the "bamboo lemur", the world's only primate exclusively living in wetlands.

Due to Lake Alaotra being an ecological niche with its extremely rich in fauna (birds, water species) and flora biodiversity and the very high level of local endemic species, Lake Alaotra and its marshes have been included as a Ramsar area since 2007 (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, No 1312). 

Ethnic group

The ethnic group living in the Lake Alaotra region are the Sihanaka ("people of the swamps"). Since the 17th century, rice cultivation has been their main and heavy ressource. The Sihanaka also became infamous in the 19th century as prosperous slave traders, taking advantage of their geographic position on the principal trade route between Antananarivo, the former kingdom of Imerina's capital city and to the eastern port of Toamasina, supplying the Mascarene Islands of Reunion and Mauritius in slaves. They were and are still feared for their magico-religious rituals. 

Our alaotra fragrance

Our fragrance capture the atmosphere of Lake Aloatra, its surroundings, its ever growing rice paddies, its population with mysterious practises, and brings awareness on the local biodiversity highly threatened by rice crops' heavy machinery, overfishing and lost of forests. For this, the olfactive profile of the perfume starts with an intense fresh watery minty green opening. It then, become gradually lactonic with rice notes and soft florals with fruity hints, to decrease with earthy and dark of reed and woods.

Order our Discover Set or select our Alaotra fragrance to experience the Lake Aloatra's spirit captured in a bottle.