Where to see lemurs in Madagascar
Indri, ring-tails, sifakas, the aye-aye and mouse lemurs: where each one lives, when to go, and how close you really get.
Lemur safari in Madagascar
Start with the lemur you most want to see and the time you have. Our private routes look for indri at Andasibe, bamboo lemurs at Ranomafana, ring-tails at Anja, or the aye-aye on a night visit at Ankanin'ny Nofy. Sightings are never promised.
Which lemur trip fits your days?
A short Andasibe visit, a journey east or a route south cover different ground. Choose the route before adding more species to the list.
- Andasibe, 2 days / 1 night: start and finish in Antananarivo. Visit Vakona's habituated lemurs, take a guided night walk and spend the next morning looking for wild indri in Analamazaotra. From €320 per adult.
- Eastern Madagascar, 10 days / 9 nights: two nights at Andasibe, then Ankanin'ny Nofy for the Palmarium and an evening looking for aye-ayes. Continue along the Pangalanes Canal to Île Sainte-Marie. From €1,620 per adult.
- Classic South, 11 days / 10 nights: Andasibe first, then back through Antananarivo and south on the RN7 to Ranomafana, Anja and Isalo, reaching Ifaty before a return flight from Tulear to Antananarivo. Choose this route for rainforest lemurs and ring-tails. From €1,730 per adult.
These starting prices are per adult, from two people. The trip pages show the inclusions and exclusions; the Classic South price excludes the return domestic flight. Your written quote confirms the route, hotels and final price for your group and dates.
Before we plan
Tell us what matters most
In your trip request, tell us your travel month, total days in Madagascar and number of travellers. Name the lemurs you most want to look for, your approximate budget per person and whether you want time by the sea.
Tell us how long you are comfortable walking on forest trails, how you manage slopes and whether photography needs a slower pace. If you prefer to keep to wild forest visits rather than the habituated lemurs at private reserves, say so. We can discuss reshaping the route before you book.
A real person in Antananarivo replies with a written itinerary and price, usually within 24 hours. There is no payment to ask.
When to come
Best time to see lemurs in Madagascar
Lemurs live in Madagascar throughout the year. Your dates affect the walking conditions and the routes that make sense, rather than whether the animals are on the island.
May to mid-November is our usual starting window for a lemur trip. For Andasibe, Madagascar National Parks recommends May to October for wildlife visits and notes that rain is possible even then.
Send your travel month with your request. An Andasibe visit and a longer route across the island need different planning; we will advise on the route for your dates. Our month-by-month guide gives the wider picture.
Wildlife photographs
Lemurs and other wildlife
Choose your route by the habitats it visits. Wildlife sightings are never promised. Aye-aye photograph: estrella123.
Wild forest and private reserves
What kind of encounter do you want?
In Analamazaotra and the other national parks, you follow a park guide to watch wild lemurs in the forest. Where the animals are feeding decides what you see. Bring binoculars or a long lens rather than expecting a close photograph.
Vakona and the Palmarium are private reserves with habituated lemurs accustomed to people. This is a different experience from a forest search. Tell us if you would prefer your itinerary to focus on wild forest visits.
In either setting, do not feed or touch lemurs. The IUCN primate specialists' visitor guidance recommends keeping at least 7 metres away, including beneath a tree.
Questions
Lemur safari questions
Start with the time you have, the species that matter and the walking you want to do. We can then compare a route and a price.
When is the best time for a lemur safari in Madagascar?
Lemurs live in Madagascar all year, but the most suitable route depends on your dates. May to mid-November is our usual starting window. At Andasibe, rain is possible in any month; Madagascar National Parks recommends May to October for wildlife visits. Tell us your month rather than assuming the same conditions across the island. Our season guide goes month by month.
Where are the best places to see lemurs in Madagascar?
It depends on the species. The indri, the largest living lemur, lives in the eastern rainforest around Andasibe. Ranomafana has the golden bamboo lemur and Milne-Edwards' sifaka, and ring-tailed lemurs live among the granite boulders of Anja Community Reserve and in Isalo. In the dry west, Kirindy has Verreaux's sifakas by day and mouse lemurs at night, and in the far north, Montagne d'Ambre has crowned and Sanford's brown lemurs. Our guide to where to see lemurs goes species by species.
How close do you get to lemurs in Madagascar?
It depends on the setting. In national parks you watch wild lemurs with a park guide, and a close sighting is never promised. Vakona and the Palmarium are private reserves with habituated lemurs accustomed to visitors. Tell us if you prefer to focus on forest visits. Do not feed or touch lemurs in either setting, and follow the guide's instructions on distance. Our lemur guide explains the differences.
Can I see lemurs on a short trip from Antananarivo?
Our 2-day Andasibe trip starts and finishes in Antananarivo, with one night at Andasibe. It visits Vakona's habituated lemurs, takes a guided night walk looking for mouse lemurs and frogs, and spends the next morning in Analamazaotra looking for wild indri. From €320 per adult, from two people, with vehicle, guide and park fees included. If ring-tails are your priority, compare the Classic South route, which includes Anja.
Do you need a guide to see lemurs in Madagascar's national parks?
Madagascar National Parks requires an authorised guide for visits to its parks. Our trips include park entrance fees and local guides, so a park guide walks the trails with you, while your English-speaking driver-guide travels with you between the parks. Tell us about your walking pace before we plan the itinerary.
Where can I see an aye-aye in Madagascar?
On our eastern route, we look for aye-ayes during a night visit at Ankanin'ny Nofy, by the Pangalanes Canal. The 10-day Eastern Madagascar trip spends two nights there and visits the Palmarium, a private reserve with habituated lemurs. This is different from searching for an aye-aye in wild forest, and a sighting is never promised. If the aye-aye is your priority, mention it in your request.
Before you go
Guides for a lemur trip
Andasibe National Park: indri, night walks and how to visit
The indri, how to arrange a guided night walk, Mantadia, Vakona and Peyrieras, rain and leeches, and how many days to give Andasibe.
Ranomafana National Park: bamboo lemurs, steep trails and how to visit
The golden bamboo lemur and Ranomafana's other lemurs, how hard the trails are, guided night walks, the fees, Centre ValBio and how many nights to stay.
Where to see ring-tailed lemurs in the wild
Where ring-tailed lemurs live, how a visit to Anja works, Isalo and the Tsaranoro valley, when babies ride on their mothers' backs, and how close you should get.
Sifakas: where to see Madagascar's dancing lemurs
The nine sifakas, why they dance on two legs, which forest holds which species, the months for babies and how close you really get.
Night walks in Madagascar: what comes out after dark
Mouse lemurs, sportive lemurs, sleeping chameleons and frogs: where night walks run, access rules, what to bring and the months when there's most to find.
Compare three private lemur routes
Prices are per adult, from two people. Open each trip for the itinerary and its inclusions and exclusions.
Andasibe, 2 days
One night from Antananarivo: Vakona, a night walk and a morning looking for indri in Analamazaotra. From €320.
Eastern Madagascar, 10 days
Two nights at Andasibe, the Palmarium and an aye-aye night visit, then Île Sainte-Marie. From €1,620.
Classic South, 11 days
Andasibe, Ranomafana and Anja for rainforest lemurs and ring-tails, then Isalo and Ifaty. From €1,730.