Journey to the world's most extraordinary Island

As the end of the year draws near, I’m off again on what I think could be my biggest adventure yet. Tomorrow, along with my friend Sheila, I’m heading to the oldest island in the world. An island that is home to more than 15,000 species found nowhere else on Earth, with more unique plants and animals than any other island on the planet.

It’s going to be special. We’re off to MADAGASCAR!

Sheila has been busy WhatsApping me pictures of weird and wonderful creatures, along with an alarming amount of information about their sex lives. Take the fossa, for example. For a few days each year, the poor female is pursued by males equipped with what is apparently the largest penis-to-body-size ratio of any mammal. This impressive piece of engineering is supported by a penis bone, allowing the male to perform for up to six hours at a time. By comparison, chameleons have a pair of penes. Yes, that’s two. Conveniently, they only fit females of the same species, helping them avoid an awkward case of mistaken identity.

So, what might we see? There’s the disco spider, the giraffe-necked weevil, pelican spiders, bats with sucker-like feet, and the rather golem-like aye-aye, which uses an extraordinarily long finger to fish grubs out of tree trunks. Of course, the jewel in Madagascar’s crown is the lemur. There are more than 100 known species of lemur on the island, many of them endangered due to deforestation and the ever-changing pressures on their habitat. But more than anything, I can’t wait to see my very first lemur in the wild.

For the first time this year, I’m travelling on an organised tour. The transport and roads looked like a huge challenge, and I wanted to see as much as possible, so I’m letting the tour company take the strain. There should be bustling cities and spectacular national parks, avenues of baobab trees, Indian Ocean beaches, Madagascan music, and plenty of zebu steak.

Madagascar promises a lot, but it is also one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 75% of the population live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than £1 a day. It will undoubtedly be a trip of contrasts.

But right now, I’m simply excited to be going. In just 24 hours, we’ll board our Kenya Airways flight (hopefully, they have changed it 3 times already), first to Nairobi and then onwards to Antananarivo, better known as Tana.

The last but one adventure is about to begin.