Kirindy Private Reserve
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Kirindy, 50 km northeast of the town of
Morondava, is a privately managed forest by a Swiss company dedicated
to a
selective and sustainable logging (Centre de Formation Professionelle
Forestière). It comprises one of the most outstanding and
threatened wildlife
habitats in Madagascar:
the dry deciduous forest, whose extension has been reduced to 3 per
cent of
their original extent. Dominated by majestic baobab trees and a forest
canopy
of even 14 m altitude, this protected area of approximate 100 square
kilometres
is the only place where the world's smallest known primate, the giant
jumping
rat, occurs. This animal can hop like a miniature kangaroo, but is also
seen
walking on all four limbs. The Sakavala people living here are mainly
proud
zebu holders. |
Kirindy is the best place in the whole island
to observe fossas, specially during the mating time between October
and December. It also home
to seven species of lemur. The most common are
the common brown lemurs and the Verreaux's sifakas. These long-legged,
seven-pound lemurs, white with dark patches, leap among tree trunks
high in the
canopy, propelled by their powerful hind legs but continually
maintaining an
upright posture. The remaining species are nocturnal: the rare
Coquerel's giant
mouse lemur and pygmy mouse-lemur, fork-crowned lemur, Gray mouse
lemur, western
fat-tailed dwarf lemur and red-tailed sportive lemur. Several bats,
tenrecs,
mongooses and
rodents complete the
mammal population.
40 bird, 50 reptile and 15 amphibian species
are also found in this magnificent forest. |
The grey
mouse lemur is the biggest
of all
nocturnal lemurs
©
Madagascar Travel Guide |
The
flora is also quite unusual and contains
several locally endemic plant species. The two species of baobabs of
Kirindy
reach here simply unbelievable sizes. Baobabs are believed to be sacred
by the
locals. A local tradition says that baobabs were the first trees that
the gods
planted. Due to the gods inexperience they planted them upside down,
which
justifies the bizarre look of these amazing trees.
There is a good network of
paths in the reserve
and the staff will help you with your explorations. The night-walk is a
highlight to every visit to this area. Visitors can spot nocturnal
lemurs,
fossas, the giant jumping rat, reptiles, frogs and rare insects.
There are two differentiated seasons in this
part of the island. The rainy season is very hot (up to 40°)
and lasts from December
to March. Due to the rain Kirindy is often not accessible during the
last part
of the rainy season and it can be closed depending on the amount of
rain. The
best time to visit the Reserve is at the beginning of the rainy season,
since
the forest is green, all the animals are active and the road is still
“Ok”. The
bad point is that it can be crowded during this life explosion.
The rest of the year (end of March until the
beginning of January) temperatures are milder (25° to
15°) and it rains almost
nothing. During this long dry season the forest is leafless and many
reptiles
and small mammals hibernate.
The fossa, the largest predator
of Madagascar
© Madagascar Travel Guide
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Kirindy
Reserve is only a two-hours drive from Morondava with a jeep. This
makes it an
ideal one-day- trip, which most visitors actually do. Nevertheless, if
you do
not stay overnight you miss the very rewarding night walk.
There is a
daily taxi-brousse from Morondava to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina which takes
around 4
hours and drops you at the main road, a pair of km from the reserve
entrance.
In
recent years visitor facilities have
improved. At the Reserve entrance there is a small office and a
restaurant
serving local dishes. There are also several bungalows with mosquito
nets,
shared or private facilities, shower and even electricity during a
couple of
hours a day (40,000 to 52,000 Ar) and a cheaper dormitory with communal
facilities.
Camping is no longer possible since there have been some
fossa attacks recently.
Entry
fee is 20,000 Ar a day per person. The guide during the walks costs
12,000 Ar per hour, and
20,000 Ar for the
night walk.
