Madagascar's Lemurs
A 15-day holiday to the island of Madagascar in search of lemurs, birds and other special wildlife.
Indri by Nick Garbutt
One hundred and sixty-five million years ago the huge prehistoric super-continent of Gondwanaland began to break up. As the new continents embarked on their slow, inexorable drifts towards their present locations, the island of Madagascar was left isolated in an everwidening sea. This isolation allowed the island’s prehistoric fauna and flora free rein to evolve in their own unique way and, today, over 80% of all Malagasy wildlife is endemic, occurring nowhere else on Earth.
Perhaps the most familiar, and endearing, of these endemic creatures are the lemurs, one of the very first primate families to evolve and one that is now restricted to Madagascar. This 15-day tour focuses on them (offering an alternative to our popular and successful 23-day tour), and will take you lemur-watching to four of the island’s very best wildlife reserves, Berenty, Isalo, Ranomafana and Andasibe. Whilst the lemurs will no doubt take centre stage, you can be assured that the supporting cast of birds, reptiles and other wildlife will not be ignored.
Our holiday begins with a flight to the Malagasy capital of Antananarivo (Tana for short!). From here we catch an internal flight to Fort Dauphin and then drive the short distance to Berenty, Madagascar’s foremost lemur reserve. Berenty is situated beside the Mandrare River and is comprised of Tamarind gallery forest and pockets of the bizarre spiny forest. We will explore it using the extensive network of gentle trails which makes wildlife-viewing straightforward and Berenty the ideal introduction to Madagascar’s varied animal- and plant-life. We will be based here for two nights to enjoy the reserve’s confiding troops of Ring-tailed Lemurs and the celebrated ‘dancing lemurs’ of Berenty, the Verreaux’s Sifakas which venture down to the ground to cross in crab-like hops between trees. There are also nocturnal lemurs to look for here, including Grey Mouse Lemur and White-footed Sportive Lemur, while amongst a wide range of other wildlife are tenrecs, civets and chameleons, plus a range of endemic birds that include the beautiful Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher.
Rufous Mouse Lemur by Robert South
We next make the short flight to the coastal town of Tulear from where we drive to Ranomafana National Park, breaking the journey with a 2-night stay at Isalo National Park. Ranomafana is a beautiful mountainous reserve enveloped in lush rainforest. This is one of Madagascar’s newest national parks, established to protect the rare, and only recently discovered, Golden Bamboo Lemur which occurs nowhere else on Earth. We will be based here for three nights whilst we explore the network of forest trails in search of a wide variety of lemurs and other wildlife. Species to look out for include Milne-Edwards Sifaka, Red-bellied and Red-fronted Lemurs, Greater and Lesser Bamboo Lemurs, the nocturnal Eastern Woolly Lemur and, if fortunate, maybe even the rare Golden Bamboo Lemur itself. This is also a great place to see the Malagasy Striped Civet or ‘Fanaloka’ as it is known in the local language. Birds to look out for include Pitta-like Ground Roller, Brown Mesite, Pollen’s Vanga and Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity.
For our grand finale we journey back to Tana and then east to the rainforest reserve of Andasibe (also known as Périnet). Here we will enter the forests at dawn to hear the eerie cries of the beautiful Indri, the largest and most vocal of the lemurs. It is a truly mesmerising experience to stand in the forest at first light listening to the different Indri families calling to one another from the tree-tops, a sound which, once heard, is never forgotten. We will spend four nights at Andasibe to ensure that we have plenty of time to fully appreciate the sight and sound of the Indri, and the other lemur species present. These are likely to include Brown Lemur, White-ruffed Lemur and Diademed Sifaka; whilst, if very fortunate, we may even catch a glimpse of the bizarre Aye-aye. Although sightings of this nocturnal lemur are on the increase, and a Naturetrek group visiting in 2001 were lucky, Aye-ayes are still a rare and very fortunate treat! Additionally, we are sure to find plenty of birds, including the Red-fronted Coua, Malagasy Pygmy Kingfisher, Rufous-headed and Scaly-legged Ground Rollers and Velvet Asity, plus a range of reptiles such as Parson’s Chameleon, Brevicornis Chameleon or perhaps a Ground Boa.
With the plaintive cries of the Indri still fresh in our minds, we must reluctantly return to Tana for our early morning flight back to London, leaving the unique creatures of this lost world far behind and returning to the more familiar wildlife of home.
Client Comments
"Desire spent four hours and walked 10km on our penultimate day to find a Parsons Chameleon for us, a call way beyond his duty and we thank him so much for that. Roland our guide in Isalo also deserved a special mention for his friendliness and efforts to find wildlife for us. Also our guide in Perenty, Maurice, did all he could to find wildlife and make our holiday such a pleasurable one" S.V., Jersey
"...the holiday experience was superb. Dave Mallon was a great tour leader...he was great fun to be with and had a good fund of stories to tell without being over-talkative. Claude Rambelosen, our local naturalist, had a good knowledge of the lemurs, most birds, and especially the reptiles and amphibians..." R.U., Lancs
"Dave was very supportive and efficient...his knowledge of the flora and fauna was impressive, and he 'managed' us very skilfully. We had an excellent group of people and enjoyed a lot of fun too!" B.U., Lancs
"This was a truly wonderful trip, with a group that gelled together and some excellent sightings - well worth the early risings and long walks. Dave Mallon was, for me, the perfect tour leader, being not only very knowledgeable and competent but also entertaining and fun to be with. He imparted information well and his ability to communicate readily with the local people was a valuable bonus. He took great care of us both in terms of our physical well being and our enjoyment of the wildlife, always ensuring that people saw what they wanted to see - quite an achievement given the wide-ranging interests of the group! Dave was more than ably supported by Claude Rambelosan who was also extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and a good communicator. The local guides and support staff, particularly our driver and his assistant, were all very good and helpful. Maurice at Andasibe was a great character and an excellent guide. This was my first experience with Naturetrek but you will certainly be amongst my first choices when planning my next adventure. Many thanks" V.K., Notts
"Excellent. We had some fantastic Lemur sightings and the other amazing wildlife of Madagascar didn't fail to disappoint either. The leader, Hilary Bradt was lovely , extremely knowledgable and fun to be with. Her personal knowledge of the country meant that we got to see some extra things and experience some great local food which we probably wouldn't have done otherwise. Our local guide was fantastic also, and nothing was too much trouble!! Many thanks!" N.O., Somerset
"This was immensely rewarding in terms of the richness and diversity of wildlife seen. Certainly one of the most fulfilling we have ever done. We cannot praise your leader, Andy Smith, too highly, he was caring, equitable and knowledgeable. An excellent trip, hugely enjoyed." C.S., London
"Excellent value, enjoyable trip." D.A., Yorks
"First of all, I would like to say that I really, really enjoyed this holiday. It was our first experience of Naturetrek...We look forward to our next trip...!" A.M., Northumberland
"Gerald was enthusiastic and good fun...We both really enjoyed our time in Madagascar and saw far more than we anticipated we would. In addition to 18 types of lemur, the birdwatching was very productive. As we specifically wanted a wildlife holiday we were very satisfied with the trip." B&L B., Oxfordshire
"Firstly, I must thank you for an excellent tour to a fascinating country. Given the diverse interests of the group, I thought the leaders managed to appeal to all interests admirably. Once again, many thanks for a superb and memorable trip." S.D., Surrey
"I would like to say that I really, really enjoyed this holiday. We look forward to our next trip with Naturetrek." A.M., Northants
"I have admired your brochure for several years. On a personal level, I found the leader pleasant and easy to get on with, a very affable fellow. The paradisier extension was superb!! A real treat at the end!" S.M., Northants
"Both our main guide, Cathy, and our local guide, Desi, were excellent" A.B, Edinburgh
"Cathy (tour leader) and Desi (local guide) were both outstanding. To tailor a holiday that satisfied all in the group was no mean feat and it is a tribute to them both that I enjoyed it so much." T.H., Warwicks
"The tour leader Cathy Harlow was an excellent and good humoured leader. Her local knowledge was invaluable. She undertook to organise the purchase of drinking water and tipping on behalf of group, which relieved us of a considerable burden of responsibility. She was very considerate of our various ills which were unavoidable in a country like Madagascar, so we managed to maintain a good inter-group dynamic. The local agent was very professional. We always seemed to get the best, most experienced and committed guide. Great service!" K.T, Devon
"I know this was the first time Cathy lead a tour for you but she was excellent. She knew her subject, had excellent guide books for all aspects of wildlife. She was very caring. Our local guide was also excellent and great fun." J.M, Dorset
"A hugely enjoyable trip, a big thank you to all involved and particularly to our two leaders, Cathy and Desi who worked together to ensure everything went without a hitch and everyone's interests/requests were catered for. Special mention needs to be made of Cathy's kindness, thoughtfulness and consideration for everyone's needs which was exceptional, as well as her tireless enthusiasm that kept everyone's spirits high on the long drives etc. The trip lived up to and surpassed all expectations" K.S., Sheffield
