The most beautiful natural sites to discover Andasibe

Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is very popular for its famous indri. This lemur alone is the reason tourists flock to Andasibe.

The indri: a famous lemur. The park's altitude (1,000 m on average, with elevations ranging from 900 to 1,250 m) explains the presence here of a rare and astonishing lemur: the indri. With an average height of 75 cm to 1 m (its tail is tiny by comparison: 5 cm at most!), weighing 7 to 10 kg and sporting a black and white coat, it is the largest of all its congeners. The way it stretches and stands is reminiscent of that of humans, hence its great success. It is a herbivore (very fond of fruit), and lives by day in groups of few individuals. Females can have up to three young per litter. The indri is best known for its spellbinding vocal prowess: howling? Siren? No one really knows. But the charm works. To see them, you need to arrive very early in the morning (around 5 a.m. from September to December, 8 a.m. from March to August).

The rest of the fauna. Several varieties of lemur live in the park: there are 14 in all, including the aye-aye and the varika mavo or cathemeral lemur. There are also 108 species of birds, 51 species of reptiles (including the boa manditra) and 84 species of amphibians.

Flora. The forest is mainly composed of ravinalas, pandanus and eucalyptus. With its abundance of majestic orchids (over a hundred species), tree ferns, lichens and sacred lianas, nature here is king. It rains a lot: average annual rainfall is around 1,700 mm (humidity is over 90%). Equip yourself accordingly. The only more or less dry season is from September to mid-November: the rest of the year, it's often rain, fog or drizzle that will accompany you on your visit! A raincoat is therefore essential. From July to September, it's not very hot either.

Various tours are available. In the Analamazaatra park (entrance just after the Feon'ny Ala, a very interesting free on-site interpretation center): 3 possible itineraries: count 40,000 Ar for the Indri 1 circuit, 50,000 Ar for the Indri 2 circuit, and 60,000 Ar for the Adventure circuit. In Mantadia Park (entrance after the Vakôna Forest Lodge): six trails have been set up: hiking time between 2 and 8 hours; guide fees between 40,000 Ar and 60,000 Ar for 1 to 4 people.

The flora consists of eucalyptus plantations and primary forest. This well-designed reserve includes a small informal museum, a crocodile lake, various species of reptiles and amphibians, several endemic plants, a superb aviary and, above all, a "mini-park" for lemurs, including several islets with different species. We travel by canoe from islet to islet, to get up close and personal with the park's specimens, some of them tame. An unforgettable encounter.