Know Before You Go | Madagascar
Whether you're traveling to this biodiversity hotspot or just want to learn more about Madagascar, peruse this array of helpful resources. Our wildlife guides, packing tips and safari stories will inspire wonder of the island's rare endemic species, from lemurs and chameleons to towering baobabs.
Travel Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about Madagascar? We've got answers! We've compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions about the wildlife, weather and more.
Wildlife Guide
Learn about lemurs, chameleons and the other unique wildlife you'll encounter on your Madagascar adventure.
Photography Tips
Whether you're an experienced photographer or just getting started, you'll want to read these essential photo tips from our Natural Photographer blog before your Madagascar adventure.
Madagascar Wildlife Trivia
Take our quiz to put your knowledge to the test, then share it with friends to see who knows the most about this ecologically-rich island!
Weather & Climate
Find out what the typical weather conditions in Madagascar in this month by month breakdown of average temperatures and rainfall.
Packing List
We’ve made a comprehensive list of all the clothing and gear you’ll want to pack so you'll be well prepared for your Madagascar trip.
Travel Stories & Articles
Celebrate World Lemur Day with Natural Habitat Adventures
—By Mark Jordahl
You can meet the Father of Koto on a lemur safari with Natural Habitat Adventures and be enchanted by the call of the indri echoing through the forest of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.
The Singing Lemurs of Madagascar
—By Megan Brief
Found in Madagascar is one of the rarest mammals on the planet, the critically endangered silky sifaka lemur of the Indriidae family. Known by local communities as the “angel of the forest,” this arboreal primate is one of few animals known to “sing” like humans.
The New Mini Frogs of Madagascar
—By Candice Gaukel Andrews
More than 350 types of frogs live in Madagascar. Now, scientists have named 5 new species of frogs found in the island’s rain forests. The largest of these amphibians could sit on your thumbnail, and the smallest is hardly longer than a grain of rice.
Madagascar’s Dwindling Forests and Their Linked Lemurs
—By Candice Gaukel Andrews
Exclusively found in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean, lemurs are already identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as one of the world’s most endangered mammals. Moving to a new place when their old habitat gets destroyed just isn’t an option. When their forests go, they will, too.
Endangered and Endemic: The Fragile Wonders of Madagascar
—By Lisa Poppleton
Few places have more unique treasures to lose than Madagascar. Located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
Madagascar’s Wild, Wild West
—By Jordy Oleson
Madagascar is the most unique place I’ve ever been. Geographically, biologically, culturally—it is so isolated and truly seems to operate in a vacuum. This African...
A Kaleidoscope of Wildlife on Africa’s Largest Island
—Peter Davis Krahenbuhl
Madagascar is indeed a world apart, a wildlife kaleidoscope, both visually and verbally! Its rain forests are home to primitive primates such as diademed...
From Research to Ranomafana: Lemur Conservation in Madagascar
—By Emily Goodheart Kautz
I sat in the middle of the woods, waterproof notebook in hand, the pitter patter of raindrops falling around me. Out of...
Traveler Story: Madagascar Wildlife Encounters
—By Bernie Leighton
“There’s something just so amazing about walking to the door of your hotel room and having your concentration completely broken because there’s a troop of...
Fifteen Fascinating Facts About Lemurs
—By Emily Goodheart Kautz
Lemurs are only found on the island of Madagascar, located about 250 miles off the coast of Africa, and the Comoro Islands, a volcanic archipelago just to the...
Memories of Madagascar
—By Jane Schneider
We were hiking in Andasibe National Park when we came upon this gray bamboo lemur. Gray bamboo lemurs are vertical climbers, and they jump from stalk to stalk in thick bamboo forests. But this one...
