The Ivoloina Wildlife Park (Parc Zoologique d'Ivoloina) is a nature reserve and zoo set within a patch of coastal rainforest beside the Ivoloina River, about 12 kilometres north of Toamasina. It is operated by the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group, a consortium of some 40 zoos and universities that has been running captive breeding and release programmes here since the early 1990s.
Thirteen lemur species are present. The black-and-white ruffed lemur and the indri are among the most striking; several species roam freely in the surrounding forest canopy and will approach visitors without coaxing. Beyond lemurs, the reserve holds spider tortoises, cryptic chameleons, and tomato frogs — small, improbably red amphibians found only on Madagascar's east coast. The naturalist guides are knowledgeable and the circuit paths are well maintained.
Getting here requires either hiring a taxi from the city (agree a price in advance and ask the driver to wait) or taking a bush taxi towards Foulpointe and asking to be dropped at the park turn-off, then walking a few kilometres along a riverside track that turns muddy after rain. story: "The Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group, which manages the park, was founded in response to Madagascar's 1985 government ban on exporting lemurs. Rather than accept the end of zoological exchange, a coalition of 38 zoos and universities turned the restriction into a conservation opportunity, investing in in-country breeding facilities instead."