Day 3 & 4: Ranomafana National Park

After another morning of driving on rough roads, we finally reached our first national park where we would spend 2 days exploring. Ranomafana national park is a vast area of tropical rainforest and was established in 1991 following the discovery of the golden bamboo lemur. The park protects several rare species and offers biodiversity research facilities for universities all over the world. Th park's name is derived from the Malagasy words “rano mafana” translating to “hot water” due to the hot springs in the nearby town of Ranomafana. We ate chicken, vegetables and potatoes for lunch at the visitor centre, washed down with passion fruit juice, before attending a lecture from the head of the biodiversity research department. Having grown up in the local area and pursuing a Master’s degree in Biodiversity Conservation our lecturer was passionate and informative about the National Park. He explained the biological significance of the area and the education projects for local people which all contributes to protecting the park from the traditional slash and burn technique that destroys the vital habitats for the rare lemur species.

Following the lecture the sun was beginning to set which is the optimum time to see the nocturnal creatures of the rainforest, so we headed out on a wildlife spotting walk with a local guide. Despite July being the dry season, it was raining heavily in this region and large raindrops dripped from the leaves. Hery explained to us that most animals would be higher up in the canopy and it was important when looking up to ensure our mouths were closed, no matter how much in awe we were. He explained that last year he was talking to a tourist, and she began bleeding heavily from the mouth, the source of the problem was a leech on the inside of her cheek that has fallen from the leaves when she was looking up at wildlife. He also advised that being beneath the animals means they may drop “juice or chocolate treats” on our heads. So, with our mouths firmly close, armed with strong torches and waterproof clothing – we headed into the rainforest.  

Our local guide walked calmly and purposefully, scanning leaves methodically looking for signs of life. The main sightings were chameleons that relaxed on the leaves and gradually changed colour as the torch light illuminated them. A blue-legged chameleon and a deceptive short-nose chameleon seemed to be the most abundant in the area. A brown mouse lemur scurried across branches with beautiful large eyes that glistened in the torch light. His head and body combined couldn’t have been longer than 10cm and his tail assisted balance on the narrow branches he negotiated to find food. I was very satisfied to have seen a mouse lemur on my first wildlife walk and it showed promise for the days to come. Following the walk we went for dinner, a couple of members of the group opted out – already suffering from bad stomachs which Hery warned is extremely common for tourists in Madagascar, no matter how vigilant you are. I decided to be more cautious with meat having seen it hanging in the daytime sun coated in flies as stray dogs sniffed it. I opted for the typical pile of bean mush with rice, in the hope that I would avoid the traveller’s stomach.  

The next day offered a full day of exploration in Ranomafana National Park where we would complete a 7 hour hike across the rainforest in search of more wildlife. The rain still persisted and the upper canopy extended into a thick layer of dense cloud. Today we were joined by another local guide, and Hery seemed to enjoy relinquishing his responsibility and strolling at the back of the group. The forest trails were poorly defined and caked in thick mud as a result of the heavy rain. In addition to our local guide we also had a “spotter”, a young man with a beaming smile and infectious laugh. He clutched his radio and ran ahead in flip flops into the dense jungle, hacking his way through the vegetation, unfazed by the mud as he imitated lemur noises and scanned the trees. Our spotter would locate the animals and radio our guide who would lead us there. In no time we were frantically climbing up a mud lined slope, being slapped in the face by wet leaves and attempting to avoid prickly plants as we were led towards the first lemur sighting. Just slightly above our heads sat two golden bamboo lemurs, a mousey brown colour with a small round shape – they calmly ate bamboo shoots occasionally shaking the rain off their fur. Sadly, both the golden bamboo lemur and the greater bamboo lemur are critically endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting, but the national park offers them some protection and hope. We continued through the rainforest as mud accumulated above my knees, we passed a mischievous mongoose, exotic colourful flowers and commemorative stones placed by locals when a community member passes away.  

Up ahead our spotter had found another lemur species and we were led deeper into the rainforest, negotiating the low branches and muddy slopes, we clambered after him as he moved with ease through the terrain. On a distant branch a lonely round brown lemur sat calmly and meticulously selecting bamboo shoots while occasionally gazing into the distance. We were told that this was Simone, the last surviving greater bamboo lemur in the area since her father passed away in 2022. Her nearest relatives live 25km away but due to deforestation, the rainforest has been fragmented creating patches of habitat. Although today she was alone, the guides told us that since 2022 the golden bamboo lemur family we’d met previously had displayed very rare behaviour by gradually accepting Simone into their family, despite her belonging to a different species. On colder days she can be seen huddled with the golden bamboo lemurs which provided a slight silver lining to the devastating predicament of this resilient little lemur.  

The wildlife sights were numerous throughout the afternoon from a praying mantis, to a satanic lead-tailed gecko to red bellied lemurs and a pandanus frog. The rainforest was alive and it made the 7 hour hike through the jungle unforgettable. We returned to the accommodation to luckily discover no leeches, remove the wet muddy clothes and refuel before our next chapter of the adventure. I had thoroughly enjoyed my time in the national park, although I was left with mixed emotions which is a common theme when travelling through a country like Madagascar. I was happy that I’d seen the wildlife and that organisations around the world are supporting and funding the park to protect the animals. However the devasting effect of unsustainable deforestation was apparent through the rapid decline of species, threatening the vulnerable biodiversity of the island. I am hopeful that the initiatives such as those in Ranomafana National Park will be enough to allow the lemurs to thrive once again. But I know that image of Simone, the last surviving greater bamboo lemur in the area, sitting on that branch will not leave me.