“Analamazaotra Special Reserve” was officially created in 1970 and in 2015 went on to obtain the appellation of Analamazaotra National Park.
It occupies a total area of 810 hectares while Mantadia National Park occupies an area of 15,480 hectares and they are separated from each other by a maximum distance of 15 kilometers of forest trails that allow for movement between the two areas in 4×4 vehicles.
The most interesting area is still the Analamazaotra National Parkwhere the largest primate of the island, the famous Indri-Indri which gives its name to the entire Indridae family, which also includes the Propithecus and the Avahi, also visible in this national park.
It also has 109 species of birds, 51 species of reptiles (including the famous Boa Manditra and the chameleon Calumma parsonii,) and 84 species of amphibians and 350 species of insects that make up this spectacular primary rainforest full of lianas, moss, tree ferns, pandanus madagascariensis, pandanus vakona, wild orchids, medicinal plants … more than 1200 species of plants with an endemism rate of 77%.
72 species of mammals including 14 species of lemurs ( Eulemur rubriventer, Eulemur fulvus, Varecia variegata, Propithecus diadema, Eulemur fulvus, Varecia variegata, Propithecus diadema, Eulemur fulvus, Eulemur fulvus). Propithecus diademaAvahi Occidentalis…and various species of Microcebus).
Of these 120 varieties of wild orchids, 100% are endemic to Madagascar, as are 77% of the flora, more than 80% of the fauna and 58% of the birds.
The walking tours inside the Analamazaotra National Park are very varied and range from the tours called Indri Indri 1 and Indri Indri 2, in which we penetrate into the heart of the park to observe the largest primates of the island (Indri Indri) in their natural habitat, observing their behavior, their feeding habits, and above all listening in silence to their different cries: From alarm, copulation and communication cries, to visits specialized in ornithology in the area of Lago Verde, a natural orchard where we can observe before dusk, different species of endemic birds that come to this area of the park.
These are walking tours that last from 2 to 4 or 5 hours and take place in the middle of a rainforest that also allows us to observe the endemic flora of the east of the island of Madagascar.
In the area of Mantadia National Parkyou can make several circuits on foot, highlighting a trekking of 8 hours in which we cross an important part of the park and where we will be able to observe various species of lemurs such as the Varecia Variegata or the propithecus Diadema, among others. Another very interesting circuit in the Mantadia area is the one that penetrates the primary forest and that can last from 4 to 6 hours, depending on the physical condition of the travelers.
In this last circuit we can observe plants endemic to the island, including examples of rosewood, as well as a great variety of reptiles and amphibians.
Source ©Indigo Be Magazine