Kirindy Forest
Dry Deciduous Forest On The Menabe Plain Run As A Research And Ecotourism Site, Home Of The Fossa, Giant Jumping Rat And Several Nocturnal Lemurs; Best Known For Night Walks · Morondava, Menabe
Kirindy is a dry deciduous forest on the Menabe plain north-east of Morondava, run as a research and ecotourism site with a camp and simple bungalows. It is known above all for the night walk. With a guide you search the forest floor and branches for the giant jumping rat, which lives almost nowhere else, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, Coquerel's mouse lemur and sometimes the pygmy mouse lemur. The fossa, Madagascar's largest predator, lives here too, but sightings are uncertain: some visitors see one on a day walk or at the camp, many do not, and the mating season, roughly September to November, is the best chance, though this should be confirmed locally. In the rains, roughly December to March, the tracks turn to mud and access can close. Kirindy is basic, hot and dusty. It is a good place for serious wildlife watching, not for comfort, and it is a far better lemur and night forest than the roadside viewpoints nearby.
Dry forest reserve about 60 km north-east of Morondava, reached by the RN8 and a track near Marofandilia, Morondava, Menabe, Madagascar
No fixed gate hours that we can confirm; day walks start early morning and night walks begin after dark, led by guides. Entry is not free: a fee and a guide are paid at the camp. The rainy season, roughly December to March, closes or damages the tracks and may close the site, so confirm access in advance. Dry months are open to visitors.