Lokobe National Park

The island's last patch of primary lowland rainforest, home to black lemurs

The southeastern tip of Nosy Be is covered by Lokobe, a small but precious survival of Sambirano lowland rainforest. The reserve is home to the black lemur, the panther chameleon, leaf-tailed geckos, boas and a dense, dripping understorey of palms, ebony and ferns.

Access is by pirogue from the village of Ambatozavavy on the east coast — the boat ride along the mangroves is part of the experience. Walks last two to three hours and are led by Sakalava guides from the surrounding villages, who depend on the park's tourism. The forest is hot and humid: bring water and good shoes.

things to do sight national park wildlife
A story
Lokobe is sacred to the Sakalava who live around it, and was protected by traditional fady (taboo) long before it became a national park in 2011. Cutting trees inside the forest was prohibited under ancestor-veneration custom, which is why a fragment of primary rainforest survived on an island this small and this farmed.