Seeing lemurs in their natural habitat is one of the most unique experiences on Earth! Lemurs are only native to Madagascar, yet can also be found on the nearby Mayotte Island. As an Acupuncturist on the on the Grand Africa Voyage cruise, one of my main bucket list desires was to see lemurs. And gloriously, I experienced Madagascar and Mayotte lemur encounters. So, read on to discover 2 ways to see these amazing, yet endangered species in their natural habitat.
My Madagascar and Mayotte Lemur Encounters
Madagascar and Mayotte are the only 2 places in the world, where you can see lemurs in the wild. I enjoyed 2 experiences with lemurs at Lokobe National Park in Nosy Be, Madagascar and the nearby Mayotte Island. Plus, I observed many other unique flora and fauna, including panther chameleons and boa constrictors. I save my best lemur experience in Mayotte for last, so don’t miss this below!
Lokobe National Park – Nosy Be, Madagascar
Located in northwestern Madagascar, Lokobe National Park is on Nosy Be, an island off the coast. This park is the last remaining primary forest in the region. It’s home to the rare black lemur and Nosy Be panther chameleon. Madagascar is one of the most biodiverse hotspots in the world with 90% of their species not found anywhere else in the world, including the lemurs. Because of deforestation, most species of lemurs are endangered, with 15 species being extinct. Madagascar’s rainy season runs from January to March, so it’s best to go outside this time frame.
My Lokobe National Park Tour
I took a scenic boat ride across the bay to the island where the national park is located. The water was crystal clear and a vibrant turquoise. Scrambling off our boat, just offshore, we walked into the hilly forest with our guide. We went late morning, which is not a great time to see lemurs. The best time to see wild lemurs is around sunrise. Unlike the nearby island of Nosy Komba, the Lokobe wild lemurs are not fed by the guides. This is responsible, so as not to affect their behavior and ability to exist in the wild on their own.
Our group saw up close the panther chameleon, green gecko, python, boa constrictor and leaf- tail gecko. We saw the black lemurs, but they were high up in the canopy. Thankfully, later I see many lemurs very up close on Mayotte Island (see end of blog). Overall, I loved my walk in the forest at Lokobe National Park with intimate looks at unique flora and fauna.
Check out my YouTube Video!
About Mayotte, Comoros
The island Mayotte is an overseas department and collectivity of France in the archipelago of Comoros. It is located in the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique. Its capital city and cruise port where we docked was in Mamoudzou. Lemurs recently were introduced to Mayotte from their native land, Madagascar. We heard that many lemurs cohabitate in the southern part of the island on N’gouja Beach.
N’gouja Beach
Madagascar and Mayotte Lemur Encounters
Some friends and I took a 1.5-hour taxi ride from Mamoudzou to the N’gouja Beach. This gorgeous beach is spectacular for snorkeling and swimming with sea turtles. Best of all, the lemurs can be found on the beach climbing amidst the exotic Baobab Trees. We walked past the Le Jardin Maore Ecolodge and restaurant along the beach. And there they were, about a dozen common brown lemurs.
These brown lemurs were introduced to Mayotte from Madagascar. They live in groups known as soldiers, consisting of up to 15 members of their troops. These adorable species have bright orange eyes, a long, wet snout, short arms and long tail. The Lemur social system maintains a female dominant structure.
The biggest highlight for me among this troop of lemurs was observing
a mother lemur with her puppy.
Baby lemurs are born in October, so my timing was perfect in November. Lemur puppies spend the first few weeks in their mother’s abdomen. I observed very close and the mother didn’t seem bothered. My pictures and videos say it all! How adorable!
Overall, Madagascar and Mayotte Lemur Encounters
My experience at the beach in Mayotte exceeded anything I could ever imagine with the lemurs. I found the lemur personalities very sweet. I also loved watching them jump and swing between the trees. They are very agile and amazing jumpers. Seeing the mother lemur and her puppy was the absolute best. Overall, I am very grateful for my unique and intimate lemur experience at N’gouja Beach. However, if I returned to Madagascar’s Lokobe National Park, I would go around sunrise to see the lemurs more up close.
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