Kirindy and Baobab Alley

Kirindy consists of a state owned national park and a smaller private reserve, which together give protection to over 800km2 of Madagascar’s outstanding nature with its unique plants and animals. This district, which lies on the west coast of  the central part of the island, consists of extremely varied habitats, dense tropical forests, dry deciduous woodlands, thorn-scrub, mangrove forests and grass covered dunes can all be seen, while lakes and the coral reefs around seven small islands in the Indian Ocean also add to the range of ecosystems found here.

The park is home to an unusually dense population of lemurs, of which the Verraux Sifaka lemur and the Katta lemur are the most prominent of the 11 species found here. Madagascar’s largest predator, the fossa, is common in the area and this park is the best place on the island to see them. Up to 10kg in weight and, including its tail, one and a half meters in length, this cat-like animal is closely related to the mongoose. Around 50 species of birds, including flamingos, can be found here as well as circa. 50 species of reptile and 15 species of amphibians. Butterflies are also common, and nearly 100 different species can be seen here.

In and around the park you can see three species of the incredible baobab tree family, and they are particularly numerous here. The largest and best known stand some 30m in height and can be seen along the road to the south of the park at a spot known as Baobab Alley, which is in the running to be one of  the most famous and most photographed places  on the island.