Allan's Madagascar Wildlife Adventure

All the wonderful images of Madagascar's wildlife shown below are courtesy of photographer Allan, who enjoyed a memorable trip to Madagascar, with the help of Far & Wild Travel. If you want to see more of his images, visit his page here.

The vast majority of tourists venturing to Madagascar are attracted by the island's wildlife. Madagascar has some of the highest biodiversity on the planet. Of roughly 200,000 known species found on Madagascar, over half are endemic, meaning they exist nowhere else on earth. Unique to the island are more than 50 types of lemurs, 99% of its frogs, and 36 species of birds.

Bee-eaters are among the most colourful birds in Madagascar. Inclusive of its tail, this small bird measures up to 30cm in length, and it weighs less than 50 grams. Its not easy to differentiate males and females as they both wear a splendid green plumage with a beige-reddish throat, and black eye bandage.

Madagascar's lemurs—isolated from evolutionary changes of the world—radiated into the large island's many niches without much competition or predation. Lemurs are found in virtually all of Madagascar's ecosystems and share some of the social and behavioural characteristics of monkeys.

Today Madagascar is home to nearly 60 species and sub-species of lemur, ranging in size from the 25-gram pygmy mouse lemur to the larger Indri.

“We are back from a super holiday in Madagascar, all went very well and we had a super time. Anjajavy Le Lodge was absolutely perfect for us, probably the nicest place we have stayed and we've been to Africa 26 times! So, thank you very much for the organisation and providing us with a very special holiday!”

Allan and Fennella spent a week at Anjajavy Le Lodge. Situated on a remote peninsula in the northwest coast of Madagascar, Anjajavy is an enchanting world of sandy beaches and azure waters, encircled by a fabulous forest reserve. The lodge reflects the rich diversity and untouched beauty of Madagascar and the natural warm hospitality of its people.

Allan and Fennella are avid bird watchers who enjoyed having a specialist bird guide for their safari throughout Madagascar.

Geckos are widespread in Madagascar. These small to moderately large lizards exist in a diverse array of forms across the island, from the neon-colored day geckos to the Uroplatus geckos (also known as leaf-tailed or fringed geckos), which are masters of camouflage with skin colour and colour patterns that almost perfectly match tree bark or moss.

One of the most famous, yet bizzare bugs of Madagascar can be found in the Eastern rainforests of the island. It gets its name from (not surprisingly) its long neck, and is called the Giraffe Necked Weevil. The best places to find this creature are the national parks of the Andasibe-Mantadia, Marojejy and Ranomafana in the spring.

Almost half of the world’s chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar. This chameleon community is not only the world’s largest, it is also the world’s most unique; with 59 different species existing nowhere outside of Madagascar.

A pair of inquisitive Sifaka Lemurs. Local Malagasy people named them for the unique call they send echoing through Madagascar's forests, which sounds like shif-auk.

If you'd love to visit Madagascar, or would like to find out more about what this beautiful island nation has to offer, just give one of our Far & Wild experts a call and we'll help you plan your tailor-made adventure to the Red Island!

Wondering when to visit? Take a look at this guide on the best time to visit Madagascar.

Looking for some more inspiration? Take a look at our best safari holidays ideas, our favourite family safaris, our big five safari guide or our top African safari honeymoon suggestions.

Start planning your ultimate safari to Madagascar by calling us on 01768 603 715.