In Search of Madagascar’s Unique Wildlife
One of our WT adventurers joined our Madagascar: Off the Beaten Path, and came back with beautiful images of unique wildlife found nowhere else in the world.
Madagascar is a fascinating island. As a result of geographic, climatic, and other factors, more than 75% of its plant and animal species are found nowhere else in the world. On my trip with Wilderness Travel, we journeyed all over the island to see its many amazing species. Here are some of my favorite images.
We began in Diego Suarez on the northern tip of the thousand-mile-long island, and made our way down to Ankarana National Park, where we saw our first lemurs, the Sanford’s brown lemur, and the crowned lemur.
After a brief stopover in the capital of Antananarivo (or “Tana”), we flew to the seaside town of Morondava on the west coast. We had great close-up views of the baobab trees on the Avenue of the Baobabs. Then we visited the Kirindy Forest, where we saw Verreaux’s sifaka lemur.
We also spotted the chief predator of the lemurs, the elusive fossa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore.
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, spanning more than 1,000 miles in length and is nearly 250 miles wide. That said, it takes some time to get from one amazing place to the next. After flying back to Tana, it was a full-day drive to our next major stop, Ranomafana National Park. From here, we set out on foot to hike over hilly terrain to watch a group of bamboo lemurs. They didn’t pay too much attention to us—they were more interested in eating bamboo.
And we were also fortunate to see the ring-tailed mongoose.
In Isalo National Park, we watched the antics of innumerable ring-tailed lemurs, as well as some red-fronted brown lemurs.
We then drove towards Andasibe National Park, stopping along the way at La Mandraka Nature Farm, which featured an extraordinary array of chameleons. From neon green to bright crimson, the chameleons knew how to blend in (and stand out) of their surroundings.
Once in Andasibe, we were treated to a variety of lemurs during a couple of hikes, including the lovely Indri, one of the largest living lemurs.
This was a truly incredible experience, not only for the wildlife photographer, but for anyone interested in exploring one of the most unique habitats in the entire world.
—Text and photos by 18-time WT adventurer Charles Hertz, Madagascar: Off the Beaten Path.
