Intro
Untouched and uninhabited by humans for 80 million years, Madagascar’s endemic wildlife has flourished, with 150,000 out of Madagascar’s 200,000 species being endemic to the island. With over 100 types, lemurs are the dominant primate in Madagascar. They thrive here due to the lack of competition. Species include the indri lemur, ring-tailed lemur, verreaux’s sifaka and pygmy mouse-lemur, while subspecies of lemur include lorises and bushbabies. Ring-tailed lemurs, mouse lemurs and bamboo lemurs have become particularly renowned worldwide after featuring in the DreamWorks film, “Madagascar”.
Parc National de l’Isalo and Parc National d’Andasibe are recommended sites to see lemurs, with early morning being the optimal time to view particular species due to their nocturnal tendencies. Other mammals indigenous to the region are ring-tailed mongoose, fossas, eupleridae and the Madagascan flying fox, each highly distinctive. Comparable to a tiny cougar, the carnivorous fossa mainly feeds on lemurs and resides in isolated regions of the forest. It can be found in Kirindy Forest, while the ring-tailed mongoose live in Ranomafana National Park.
For avid bird watchers, Madagascar is home to five endemic bird families, most of which are found in the rainforest. The most celebrated include the Madagascar paradise-flycatcher, scaly ground rollers, nelicourvi weaver and Madagascan fish eagle. Mantandia and Perinet are exceptional national parks for bird watching, as well as areas including Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve and Berenty Reserve.
During the summer months it is possible to observe whales migrating.
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Endemic Wildlife of Madagascar (13 days)
Discover bizarre and unique animals of the world's '8th continent'
Andasibe Extension (4 days)
Explore one of Madagascar's best National Parks
Wildlife of Madagascar
Discover Madagascar's native animals and exotic birds
Cycle tour of Antsirabe (1 days)
Take a cycling tour of Madagascar's 2nd city
Trekking in Madagascar
Trek through Madagascar's forests and roam its coastline
Madagascar's Beaches (1-7 days)
Soak up the sun on one of Madagascar's idyllic beaches
Best of Ethiopia & Madagascar (21 days)
Rock-hewn churches, dramatic landscapes and endemic wildlife.
Classic Madagascar (14 days)
Discover incredible nature and endemic wildlife
Marojejy & The North (11 days)
The Eighth Continent calls the adventurer in you.
Judith Bate , Hidden Treasures of MadagascarIt was an amazing trip. We saw so many different areas of Madagascar and had so much variety in our itinerary. We were extremely fortunate to have Alain as our guide. His knowledge of the botany, wildlife, history, peoples, customs etc of Madagascar was exceptional. His love of his country was obvious and he was passionate about sharing his knowledge with us. I will definitely recommend Travel The Unknown's tour of Madagascar to others.
Janet Douglas , Hidden Treasures of MadagascarWe had an excellent trip to Madagascar. The guide was superb - very, very knowledgeable and personable. All went very well. Madagascar is not for the fainthearted though - very long travelling days on poor roads would discourage some, as would the poverty especially in the country. But the people are friendly, the accommodation and food very good, the scenery very interesting to spectacular and the wildlife(especially the lemurs) are wonderful.