Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Insight guide to Madagascar.
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Insight Guide to Madagascar.
Philip is the author of the Insight Guide to Madagascar.
Andasibe-Mantadia comprises two separate protected areas: Analamazaotra NP and Mantadia NP. Analamazaotra (also known as Andasibe and formerly as Périnet) is Madagascar’s most popular park and home to the largest of all lemur species, the teddy-bear-like indri. Their incredibly noisy wailing call will stay with you forever. Mantadia, 20km/12mi further north, is less often visited but worth the day trip for its primary forest.
Aside from the indri, you might see the beautiful diademed sifaka, and the shy grey bamboo lemur. Stay awake long enough to take a guided night walk on the main road outside the park: spotting colorful chameleons, frogs and mouse lemurs by torch is a great experience.
You’ll stay in the popular Andasibe section of the park, which comprises mid-altitude mountain rainforest. Unfortunately, a lot of the big trees have been cut down and what is left is mainly secondary forest. We recommend a visit to the Mantadia part of the park, which consists of pristine primary forest with huge trees reaching high into the sky. You’ll get a chance to see flowering orchids from October to December.
Weather & Climate
The park has a cool, wet climate. You can experience rain throughout the year, but the Wet season months from November to April see the highest precipitation. In these months, temperatures reach up to 27°C/81°F during the day and the humidity is sky high. The cold Dry season months from May to October see daytime temperatures of 21°C/70°F and nights get as cold as 9°C/48°F.
You can visit Andasibe-Mantadia throughout the year. The shoulder months of April, May, October and November are particularly nice as the weather is mild and there isn’t too much rain. Animals, including reptiles, which are less easy to spot in the Dry season months, are active during this time. In October and November, you might see lemur babies.
Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.
The wailing indris of Andasibe
4/5
After arriving in Antananarivo, the busy capital city of Madagascar, the first stop on my safari was Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. More than anything, I wanted to see lemurs. With 14 species recorded, Andasibe was unlikely to disappoint....