Berenty Reserve
Privately Owned Reserve Of Gallery Forest And Spiny Forest On A Sisal Estate, With Habituated Ring Tailed Lemurs And Verreaux'S Sifaka That Sit Close To The Paths; One Of The Easiest And Best Known Lemur Sites · Amboasary, Anosy
Berenty is a small private reserve on the Mandrare River in the far south, on land long tied to the de Heaulme family and a sisal estate. Ownership, entry arrangements and who runs the lodge should be confirmed before you plan around them. It protects a strip of gallery forest with old tamarind trees, plus patches of spiny forest, and it is famous because the ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux's sifakas are so used to people that they sit and dance near the paths. That makes it the easiest place in Madagascar to photograph both, and it also makes it feel less wild than a national park. Expect tour groups, tame animals and a lodge atmosphere. The reserve is far from everything: most visitors base in Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro) and take a long 4x4 drive over the Amboasary road, whose state varies with the rains. It is rewarding for lemur lovers who accept the cost and the distance, and underwhelming for anyone seeking untouched forest.
Private reserve on the Mandrare River about 85 km west of Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro), reached by 4x4 or by air to Fort Dauphin, Amboasary, Anosy, Madagascar
No published gate hours that we can confirm; walks run in daylight, usually early morning and late afternoon, with guided night walks for nocturnal lemurs. Entry is not free: a reserve fee and a guide are normally paid on arrival. Visits are arranged through the lodge or a Fort Dauphin operator. The wet months roughly January to March can make the road hard or closed, so confirm access and opening before you travel.