Madagascar Safaris

The beautiful island of Madagascar sits some 500kms off the coast of mainland Africa but could be (and often is) referred to as another continent such is the difference of the wildlife experience. Gone are days in safari vehicles looking for large mammals and predators, replaced by spending plenty of time on foot, looking up into the trees for smaller, altogether more friendly wildlife.

Lemurs are naturally the key attraction for any visitor to Madagascar, with 111 different species on the island which have, interestingly, all evolved from one single species over the past 35 million years. They can be seen across much of the island, with the easiest place to see them being the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, which is an easy drive from the capital Antananarivo.

Visitors looking for more specialised mammals should head to the Kirindy Forest on the west, close to the town of Morondava, where a significant population of the cat-like fossa, Madagascar’s largest predator can be found.

On the remote east coast, there is the chance to see the unique nocturnal lemur known as an aye-aye which is one of the most endearing creatures you will see anywhere in the world.

Further up the coast, off Ille St Marie, July to September each year is whale watching season, with humpback whales migrating down the coast a very common sight.

Aside from mammals, Madagascar is also home to a variety of bird life with excellent guides able to spot a myriad of species as you travel. There are plenty of reptiles here as well, with chameleons a particularly common occurrence, whilst the absence of venomous snakes may help allay some fears of the bush’s most misunderstood inhabitants.