Eastern Madagascar - Madagascar - page 306

Sights & Activities
The real draw here is the rare indri, Madagascar's largest lemur, whose unforgettable wail
can be heard emanating from the misty forest throughout the day, most commonly in the
early morning. There are about 60 resident family groups of two to five indris each. You
may also see woolly lemurs, grey bamboo lemurs, red-fronted lemurs, black-and-white
ruffed lemurs and diademed sifakas. In 2005 the Goodman's mouse lemur was discovered
here and identified as a distinct species. Eleven species of tenrec, the immense and colour-
ful Parson's chameleon and seven other chameleon species are also found here. Over 100
bird species have been identified in the park, together with 20 species of amphibian. The
park is also home to the endemic palm tree Ravenea louvelii , found nowhere else on the is-
land.
There are three organised walking trails, all of which are generally easy going. The most
popular trail is the Circuit Indri 1 (Ar15,000, about two hours), which includes the main
lakes and the territory of a single family of indris. The slightly longer Circuit Indri 2
(Ar25,000, two to four hours) visits the lakes and encompasses the patches of two separ-
ate families. The Circuit Aventure (Ar35,000, up to six hours) does all of the above, plus
some moderately more strenuous walking.
Night walks (Ar10,000) take place along the road on the perimeter of the reserve, and
are not permitted in the forest itself. You will probably be able to see tenrecs and mouse
and dwarf lemurs on this walk. Bring a torch (flashlight).
Behind the MNP office is the small Parc à Orchidées (Orchid Park; 7.30am-noon
& 2-5.30pm), which is at its most attractive in October. By late summer it's almost com-
pletely dried up. There's no signage so you need a good guide to fully appreciate it.
PARC NATIONAL DE MANTADIA
Parc National de Mantadia, located about 21km north of Parc National d'Andasibe, was
created primarily to protect the indri, and also hosts the black-and-white ruffed lemur. A
quiet, beautiful area with numerous waterfalls, it is undeveloped and seldom visited com-
pared with its popular neighbour to the south, so if you're here in high season it's well
worththedetourtoescapethecrowds.Iftheweatherhasbeenwet(whichitoftenis),watch
out for leeches on the trails. Established circuits include Circuit Rianasoa (Ar15,000, one
hour), Circuit Chute Sacrée (Ar15,000, about 1½ hours) and Circuit Tsakoka (Ar40,000,
about three hours). For more of a challenge, you can also embark on an Adventure Circuit
of two to three days, camping in the park (Ar50,000 per day).
Permits and guides can be obtained at the MNP office in Parc National d'Andasibe. En-
trance permits are for one/two days, cost Ar25,000/37,000 per person and are good for both
parks. You'll need all your own camping equipment if you're planning to stay the night; the
MNP camp site (tent sites free), just outside the park, has no facilities. To get to Mantadia