A Luxury Lemur Adventure in Madagascar

Madagascar’s capital and largest city, Antananarivo lies in the centre of the island. ‘Tana’, as it is affectionately known, is a unique place and where the country’s history and blend of Austronesian, Africa and European cultures are most apparent.

Glistening paddy fields and small farms stretch far out into the surrounding highlands and well into the city itself, hills packed densely with a ramshackle of buildings and ‘trano gasy’ brick houses piled on top. Causeways lead into the historic middle where classic French hatchbacks struggle up cobbled inclines, past markets, workshops, salons de coiffure, bouchers and food stalls. Atop the hills in the Haute-Ville, find quaint colonial villas (a handful of which are now charming boutique hotels), artisan shops and some surprisingly good restaurants.

In the mountains of eastern Madagascar, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park encompasses a stretch of primary rainforest that hosts an incredible array of biodiversity, most famously the indri, the largest of the lemurs. There are ten other lemur species encounter in the park, including diademed sifaka, black-and-white ruffed lemur, grey bamboo lemur and the rarely spotted but fascinating aye aye. Reptiles, such as tree boas, geckos and numerous chameleons, and more than 100 bird species abound in the humid forests.

The rainforest comes alive at night. Your guide, with the help of a torch, will pick out nocturnal dwarf and mouse lemurs in the trees by the reflections in their eyes as well as chameleons which are more easily found at night.

With your guide, drive to the start of one of the park's various trails before venturing into the rainforest on foot. An incredibly diverse place, the protected primary forest is a stark contrast to the replanted stretches of eucalyptus and pine tree that exist outside the park, with a verdant array of plant-life, much of which is endemic, including rare orchids, palm and ficus. There's also an abundance of frogs and chameleons, birds, bugs and a chance of spotting some of the 11 lemur species that live here.

Association Mitsinjo is a community run NGO which runs a project to reforest areas previously subject to slash and burn or commercial forestry, trains locals guides, hosts conservation workshops for children and carries out wildlife research. Learn about their important work on an easy hike on a trail through one of the forests they look after.

Head into the forests of the Analamazaotra Special Reserve to spot indris in the trees above you. Living in small family groups, these incredible animals can be heard for miles around when they sing, a haunting whale-like howl which even more powerful when experienced up close. As well as indri, you may also see common brown and eastern lesser bamboo lemurs on your walk.

Fly south to Ifotaka aboard a light aircraft. Depending on the aircraft, the flight will take around 3 hours.

Your days at Mandrare River Camp are flexible and varied. Highlights include a day and night walks in the nearby sacred spiny forest of Zenavo where you can spot Verreaux’s sifakas deftly leaping between the spiky alluadia, then once the sun has set, two mouse lemur species, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls and active sportive lemurs. The gallery forest across the river, reached either on foot or kayak depending on water levels, is home to numerous troops of ring tailed lemurs, and you can also visit the local village and its market to learn about Antandroy culture and customs. They’ll be some fabulous sundowners during your stay here, time to relax and perhaps even a day trip to the stunning Lac Anony, a salt water lake is separated from the Indian Ocean by a series of large sand dunes that is home to Greater Flamingos and a variety of salt water birds.

On arrival into Fort Dauphin, you will be greeted by a guide from Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge and escorted to one of the restaurants in town for lunch. In the early afternoon continue by vehicle to Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge, a bumpy but fascinating trip up the coast through a string of villages along a dirt road that takes around 3 hours.

Split your time in Manafiafy between the Indian Ocean, rainforest and the beach with a range of excursions and activities to choose from, as well as plenty of time to simply relax, watching the local fishermen come and go.

Explore the bird-rich mangroves and wetlands by motorboat or kayak, spend the day on uninhabited islands, snorkel in sheltered waters, or, in the right season, spot whales in the bay. You can also venture into the littoral forest on walks to see dwarf, mouse, woolly, sportive and brown lemurs, along with numerous chameleon, snakes, geckos and frogs, or get an insight into local life at the neighbouring village.

Return to Fort Dauphin by road. Depending on the time of your flight, there may be time to stop at a local restaurant for lunch.