Visiting The Lemurs In Madagascar: My Experience
- Konrad Tillman
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Intro
One of the most enthralling moments of my life came on our trip to Madagascar, as we were able to visit all five species of lemurs in just one morning out by Andasibe.
Madagascar is known for its natural beauty, friendly people, and wildlife, so when my guide offered us a trip out to Andasibe to visit the wildlife, there was only one thing to say: yes.
The Experience
Waking up bright and early at Hotel Vakona, our guide greeted us as we sat around and had our morning coffee. It wasn’t long before it was time to get on the road to go to the first stop.
There are five different types of Lemurs in Andasibe, and the nice part about Hotel Vakona is that the drive to the main place for the Lemurs is no more than 7 minutes, as it is quite literally on the reserve.
So when we arrived, our guide had already arranged for one of the local guides to take us to see these lemurs. With no idea what to expect, we embarked on a mission on foot to go see 3/4 available at this location.
It couldn’t have been minutes before we heard the rustle in the bushes, and boom, a lemur was jumping right over our heads to a tree next to us. Gosh, these things are acrobatic, cute, and beautiful by nature.
We ended up getting to see the first two species of lemur by foot, the panda-looking one (I almost wore my Panda hat), and the brown species.
However, the guide quickly led us to another location approximately 5 minutes away, where we saw the “dancing lemur”. My gosh, these species hop like none other I have ever seen in my life, and they could make the music video to the song “Jump Around”.
KING JULIEN!
Finishing up with the walking part, our guide directed us to a small boat that would take us to see the King Julien Lemurs. As we weren’t taking malaria pills due to every pharmacy being sold out in the country, it was a bit nerve-wracking due to the sheer amount of mosquitoes close to the water on the boat…
Perhaps you’ve seen Madagascar, and if you have, you should recognize this beautiful species of lemur. I’ve gotta say, on the whole reserve, there must have been no more than 10 tourists in the whole 2 hours we spent there. Very different from most places in the world, hence the reason I love Africa as a continent.
The 5th Species
Our final stop of the day was to go and see the 5th species of lemur, and actually the biggest species of Lemur around. However, the problem is that the reserve where these are located is actually another 15-minute drive away through some rough roads…
Once we arrived, our guide arranged another guide who would take us through the forest to see these beautiful lemurs. Only one issue: they weren’t as friendly with tourists. Hiding in the trees, we eventually managed to get a small glimpse of them, but not up close like the others…
And just like that, the tour of the Lemurs had finished; It was off to go eat lunch before heading back to the capital
Final Thoughts
If you are thinking about coming to Madagascar and visiting the lemurs, don’t hesitate. While it might be a 4-hour drive through the backcountry along winding roads, it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Getting up close, no more than 6 inches away from one of the fluffiest-looking creatures in the world, is undeniably cool. Gosh, I treasure this memory looking back at it from a few weeks ago…
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