Ifotaka Forest
Wildlife & Animals
Madagascar Parks
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Insight guide to Madagascar.
Ifotaka Community Forest Reserve is a great place to observe and photograph some key lemur species. The very habituated ring-tailed lemurs are very common in the gallery forest. Verreaux's sifaka is less easy to find here, but sightings are pretty much guaranteed in the spiny forest section of the community reserve. Night walks offer a chance to see lemurs and chameleons that are not active during the day.
lemur Abundant
sportive lemur Occasional
mouse lemur Occasional
mouse lemur Occasional
flying fox Common
chameleon Occasional
hissing cockroach Occasional
ground gecko Rare
Wildlife Highlights
Night walks in the spiny forest are highly recommended as they offer a chance to see species only active at night. Three nocturnal lemurs are present, namely white–footed sportive lemur, grey mouse lemur and grey-brown mouse lemur. Nighttime is also a very rewarding time to see chameleons, such as the warty chameleon – they show up white when lit up with a spotlight.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
Wildlife viewing is good throughout the year, but the camp is closed during part of the Wet season from January to late March. December tends to be wet and humid and some visitors might find the conditions oppressive. 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).
