Berenty Private Reserve
Wildlife & Animals
Madagascar Parks
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Insight guide to Madagascar.
Berenty is a great place to observe and photograph some key species. The very habituated ring-tailed lemurs are very common, even around the lodge. Also numerous and relaxed are the red-fronted and red-collared brown lemurs and their hybrid babies. Night walks in the spiny forest offer a chance to see the white-footed sportive lemur and the diminutive grey mouse lemur.
lemur Abundant
brown lemur Common
brown lemur Common
sportive lemur Occasional
mouse lemur Occasional
mouse lemur Occasional
flying fox Abundant
tortoise Occasional
lizard Common
ground boa Rare
tortoise Rare
Wildlife Highlights
Verreaux's sifakas are delightful to watch when they leap in a dancing fashion across treeless areas. As they prefer to stay up in trees, this behavior is rarely seen in other parks. Aside from cuddly lemurs, the reserve is a great place to see the Madagascar flying fox. In fact, Berenty is known to be home to the largest fruit bat colony in southern Africa.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
Berenty can be visited throughout the year – the sanctuary is very accessible and trails are easy and flat. The wettest months from December to March tend to be hot and humid and are better avoided. The lemurs are around at any time, but reptiles and some mammals are less active during the coldest months from June to August. April is a special time to see ring-tailed lemurs ‘stink-fighting’ (competing for mates).
