October, 2023

Andasibe National Park

Andasibe National Park is renowned for its unique biodiversity, lush rainforests, and wildlife. The park is home to multiple species of lemurs, a wide variety of plant life, including over 100 species of orchids, over 112 species of birds, waterfalls, night hikes and miles and miles of trails.

Many conservation efforts are also happening in this park. They are removing the eucalyptus trees and planting native species so the lemurs will be able to travel across larger corridors in the park.

There are groups working with the community to help them take an active role to protect their environment. These groups have helped build local schools and have trained community members how to monitor lemurs, birds and frogs. They have also trained local guides to do night walks and become educated on the species of plants and animals in their forest. By providing jobs and education, it’s also helping to protect the forest.

This is the most visited National Park in Madagascar and it’s a real gem.

All About Lemurs

Lemurs are a unique group of primates found only on the island of Madagascar, making them one of the most iconic and exclusive wildlife species on the planet and one of the few mammals on the island.

There are over 100 different species of lemurs, ranging in size from the tiny mouse lemur to the large indri. Many of the lemur species are nocturnal, which is the reason we did so many night hikes.

Lemurs exist in a matriarchal society where the female is the boss. They are known for their unique physical characteristics, such as their large, reflective eyes and vocalizations, which they use to communicate with one another.

The main reason we wanted to visit the island of Madagascar is due to conservation concerns. Many lemur species are endangered or critically endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, and other threats. Over 90% of the population is in severe poverty and makes less than $3 a day. This results in loss of forest, cutting it down to make charcoal for their daily cooking.

Night Hiking is Safe

When nearly all mammals in the forest are lemurs and an occasional fosa, walking at night is safe and provides a great evening show. This is when the chameleons, frogs, lizards and tree boas come out to eat. It’s also a great time to find birds sleeping in the trees.

Bird Counts

We saw a great number of new bird and mammal species recorded on this trip. There are 117 birds that are endemic to Madagascar (you won’t see them anywhere else in the world except here). We recorded 88 new birds, of which 82 are endemic and we recorded 120 birds seen overall.

Would We Return?

It’s approximately 9,300 miles from Indianapolis to Antananarivo and no matter how you slice it, that’s a lot of time in an airplane. From start to finish we traveled for about 36 hours. As I’ve said many times, travel within the country is difficult because the roads are in such terrible shape and the amount of traffic is unbelievable. Many of the roads we traveled on were dirt roads that were equally as poor as the “asphalt” ones. The air is continually filled with smoke from all of the burning that is happening around the country.

If you are planning on traveling to Madagascar, make sure you use a travel company. We are sure that we could not have done this travel on our own. While we never got sick, safe food and water is a difficult option and you should never eat from the small villages – unless you truly want to test out your antibiotics.

While we were doing some pretty intense hikes, the tourist groups going to see lemurs were using some of the same trails we were starting out on. There is a lot of climbing and it’s not handicapped accessible and just about every hotel has lots of steps (at our last hotel it was 101 steps to get to our room).

While we are thrilled that we finally made it to Madagascar, we can honestly say that this trip was “one and done”.