A wildlife guide to Madagascar: where to see lemurs, fossa and ...

Location is everything, or so the old estate agent’s maxim goes. If you ever needed proof that this extends beyond the property market, consider the island of Madagascar, 400km off the south-east coast of Africa. Some 165 million years ago, this landmass broke away from the Late Precambrian-era supercontinent of Gondwana, eventually settling in the Indian Ocean. Today, it’s home to an array of unique flora and fauna that owe everything to its remote location.

Madagascar’s geological history helped it to foster a biodiversity estimated to include 200,000 species of plant and animal life, of which 80% to 90% are endemic. The reason for this is simple: millions of years of isolation. This was among the last major landmasses to have been permanently settled by humans, between 2,000 and 10,000 years ago. By then, the island had already evolved a diverse range of habitats, including rainforests, dry forests, sub-desert spiny forest, wetlands and coastal ecosystems.

Baobab trees (Alamy)

For travellers, Madagascar’s landscapes are spectacle enough, protected across some 40-plus national parks and reserves that range from the sandstone rises of the Isalo (south) to the forest-like spires of karst rock, known as ‘tsingy’, that stretch across huge tracts of the island, the largest spanning 1,500 sq km in the west. In the more remote corners, particularly in the lesser-visited far north, the land is largely untouched, with few, if any, facilities; camping is often the only option for intrepid visitors, though even here you’ll find luxurious outliers such as the remote and luxurious Anjajavy resort or Masoala Forest Lodge.

Not all areas are so pristine, though. While human interference may have arrived late on Madagascar, reports suggest that illegal logging and habitat destruction has led to the loss of 25% of the island’s forests in the last 20 years alone, with one iconic animal suffering in particular: the lemur. More than 110 species of lemur live here, and only here! But due to deforestation, these prosimians now constitute the world’s most endangered group of mammals, with 98% facing extinction within two decades (IUCN).

It’s a complicated situation. Today’s Malagasy, descended from Austronesian settlers and centuries of arrivals from Arabia, India and East Africa, retain a strong connection to the land and sea, which manifests as a deep respect for the environment. Yet the history of conservation on Madagascar (still one of the poorest nations in the world) has often pitted its people’s needs against those of the island’s wildlife. In the growth of nature-based tourism, however, which offers locals a financial incentive to preserve the forests, there lies the potential of a lifeline for both the Malagasy and the incredible biodiversity found here. It’s a dream that is worth chasing.

Parson’s chameleon (Alamy)

The vast rainforest of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park lies just four hours’ drive east of capital Antananarivo. Here you’ll see a variety of lemurs, including the diademed sifaka, black-and-white ruffed lemur and, most famously, the indri. The adjoining Analamazoatra Reserve, too, is home to habituated groups of indri, making sighting them easier. Visitors can hike through the rainforest in search of a wide range of endemic birds, including the country’s largest forest-dwelling bird species, the Madagascar crested ibis, as well as the impressive Parson’s chameleon (the heaviest on the planet), leaf-tailed geckos and more than 100 frog species.

Best for: Known for their teddy bear-like faces and eerie-sounding calls, the indri are among the largest lemurs on the island and live entirely up among the canopies, able to leap as far as ten metres between branches in search of food.

Verreaux’s sifaka (Alamy)

The wider Menabe region is known for its Avenue of the Baobabs, a photogenic road lined with ancient Adansonia grandidieri trees toweringup to 25m high. Most visitors, however, head to the region for Kirindy Forest, which claims the world’s highest density of primates for its size. Look out in particular for the Verreaux sifaka, known for its ‘dancing’ gait when on the ground, resembling a kind of sideways shimmy. If you’re lucky, you might even spot the critically endangered Madame Berthe mouse lemur, the planet’s smallest primate, which weighs just 30 grammes. There are giant jumping rats too, which are found only in the Menabe region.

Best for: The star sighting for many visitors to Kirindy Forest is the fossa, a cat-like mammal and relation of the mongoose. It is Madagascar’s largest predator (mostly of lemurs), and this is the best place to spot them on the island.

Whale shark (Alamy)

While Madagascar is known for its forest wildlife, its waters are just as compelling. Nowhere is this more apparent than the island of Nosy Be, off the north-west coast, which is an excellent place to swim with whale sharks (Oct–Dec). Be sure to check out its Lokobe Reserve too, home to the rare black lemur and panther chameleon. Alternatively, Sainte-Marie island, off the mainland’s east coast, was a notorious pirate stronghold in the 17th and 18th centuries; now its waters are better known as a world-class spot for seasonal whale watching.

Best for: Migrating pods of humpbacks arrive off Sante-Marie’s west coast every year (Jul–Sep) to breed and calve in the shelter of the strait. Guided boat tours (often led by marine researchers) can take you close enough to see their elaborate courtship displays in full

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park (Alamy)

This UNESCO-listed park in the island’s far west is a labyrinthine landscape of razor-sharp pinnacles (tsingy), narrow canyons and caves. Most exciting of all, the challenging terrain creates isolated microhabitats home to rare endemic species, including Decken’s sifaka and the Madagascar fish eagle.

Anjajavy, a remote and exclusive resort area on the north-west coast, is reachable only by air. It is known for its pristine natural beauty, luxurious accommodation and 10,803 hectares of private nature reserve. The area is also home to 1,800 species of plant as well as localised lemurs such as the tiny Danfoss’s mouse lemur.

The Isalo is characterised by its sandstone formations, deep canyons and palm-lined oases, which form inviting natural swimming pools. The variety of landscapes that you’ll find here is truly astonishing, ranging from dry deciduous forests to grasslands and wetlands. Take advantage of the picturesque hikes and the chance to spy Verreaux’s sifaka and both red-fronted brown and ring-tailed lemurs.

Set in the remote and little-seen north-east of the island, this park is a haven for birdwatchers and hikers, thanks to its mountainous terrain. This poses its own issues for visitors, but should you want to test your legs, the challenging multi-day Mantella and Simpona treks reward with the possibility of sighting the critically endangered and ghost-like silky sifaka.

Through the spine of Madagascar runs a ridge of mountains known as the Central Highlands; Ranomafana lies on its fringes, covering 40,000 hectares of high-altitude rainforest. On its trails, tourists can seek out some very rare species indeed, including the greater bamboo and golden bamboo lemur for which the park was originally created to protect.

The Masoala peninsula, high in the north-east, is home to the largest stretch of lowland rainforest on the island and is accessible only by boat. Those who arrive here are lucky indeed, and should look out in particular for the red-ruffed lemur, a rare species that is endemic to the area.

This small reserve at the base of a large cliff, near the town Ambalavao, is managed by the local community and is particularly notable for its thriving population of ring-tailed lemurs.

Known for its tsingy formations and underground caves and rivers – some of which contain crocodiles and blind cavefish – an air of adventure surrounds this park in the remote northern tip of the island. Keep an eye out for sightings of the crowned lemur, which is found only in the north.