- The Indri -
The biggest lemur in the world and in Madagascar
You admire the world through what you love ( Lamartine )
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The Indri
( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )
family of indridae is, with its 75 to 90 cm ( adult size ), the largest of the current lemurs. It's the only lemur without tail ( It has tail but a very small one ). Weight about 8 to 12 kg. The Indri ( or the Black & White Teddy-like lemur ) can live up to 30 years old. Inhabits humid rain forests ( in the East part of Madagascar ). The most indicated spot for its observation is ANDASIBE ( a small Natural Reserve of 810 ha, at an altitude of 1 000 meters ).
The Indri
( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )
is diurnal, found in a small group of 2 to 10 individuals, and not exceeding a territory of 7 ha, the Indri eats chiefly leaves : 32 different species of leaves, it's why it's impossible to breed it in captivity. That means the Indri Indri eats approximately 1,5 kg of leaves per day. This biggest lemur of the world seldom goes down to the ground, and it does it only when it feels an acidulated taste in its stomach, also it neutralizes it by eating the ground.
Indri choose a horizontal branch each night as a sleeping site. Sometimes two members of the family will sleep huddled together. The infant will sleep with its mother and the next youngest offspring will usually sleep with the father. The Indri is active during the day. They wake up several hours after dawn and choose their sleeping site 2-3 hours before sunset. They don't moove during the night unless they are threatened by severe storms or predators.
Madagascar : the Tsingy, Nosy Be area, Baobab
Here is the Black and white ruffed lemur
The Indri
( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )
is mature at 7-9 years of age and it gives birth to only one baby every 2 or 3 years, with a 6 months gestation. The Indri copulate in November. The baby catches to the belly of its mother, the baby stops to suck its mother after 8 months, at which time it is able to move through the trees by itself.
The Indri cries and voice
( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )
Indri has several strange cries, prolonged and modulated ( communication cry, love cry, alert cry, … ), with a loud voice. Compared to other mammals, primates in general are very vocal, and lemurs are no exception. Lemurs will not only respond to alarm calls of their own species, but also alarm calls of other species and those of non-predatory birds.
Lemur calls can be very loud and carry long distances. The loudest is the Indri, whose calls can be heard up to 2 km or more and thus communicate more effectively the territorial boundaries over its 34 to 40 hectares home range.
Both Ruffed lemurs and the Indri exhibit contagious calling, where one individual or group starts a loud call and others within the area join in. The song of the Indri can last 45 seconds to more than 3 minutes and tends to coordinate to form a stable duet comparable to that of gibbons. Some of the most common calls are predator alarm calls.
The predators of their babies are the " Fosa " ( the biggest carnivore in Madagascar ) and some raptors. When they are afraid, they move by successive jumps from branches to branches. And it is always the female which decides the direction where the group must take.
In general, levels of aggression tend to correlate with relative canine height. The Indri has smaller canines and exhibits lower levels of aggression. When neighboring groups of the same species defend their territories, the conflict can take the form of ritualized defense. The Indri defends its home range with ritualized " singing " battles.
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Carnivorous plant, with Liantsoa & Francine - Ravo November 2005 ©
Liantsoa & a lemur sp. (Ravo November 2005 ©)
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Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
( formerly known as Perinet, Madagascar )
Is actually made up of two parks : Reserve Speciale Analamazaotra and Mantadia National Parc. Its proximity to the capital Tana ( Antananarivo ), 140 Km away , or 3 - 4 hours drive along Route Nationale 2, makes this one of the more popular and easily accessible parks in Madagascar.
The Fauna that you usually see at
« Andasibe Perinet - Mantadia National Park » are :
Indri ( the nowadays largest lemur in the world, an endangered lemur ), Black & white ruffed lemur, Eastern wolly lemur, Red-bellied lemur , Brown rufous lemur, Rufous mouse lemur & Diademed sifaka. Parsoni chameleon, Brevicornis chameleon, Chamaeleo gastrotenia, Brookesia, Nasutus chameleon, Zonosaurus sp. & Phelsuma sp. lizards for reptiles. AND Madagascar paradise flycatcher, Blue coua, Madagascar turtle dove, Madagascar vasa parrots, Forest-rock trush, Madagascar brush-warbler, Madagascar partridge, Madagascar little grebe, Common moorhen, Madagascar coucal, Malagasy kingfisher, Blue vanga, Red-fronted coua, Madagascar bulbul, Madagascar mannikin, Madagascar red fody, Common myna, Tylas vanga, Madagascar magpie-robin, Stonechat, Cuckoo-roller & Madagascar cisticola for birds.
It's better to have two days to visit these 2 Parks
( Andasibe Perinet and Mantadia )
A good trekking through Pandanus trees and tree-ferns. Where you can see too a large numbers of epiphytes and orchids. Andasibe Perinet - Mantadia National Parkis in a mid-altitude rainforest ( about 1000 m - 1200 m ), very easy to get to, just at 3 Kms to the North of the main N2 Antananarivo-Toamasina road ; about 140 Kms or four hours drive from Antananarivo.
The pleasant drive over highlands into the escarpment passes through many mud-hut villages and picturesque mountain landscapes. The climate is not too hot, and rain falls mainly at night so the mistshrouded rainforest creates an awesome spectacle in the early morning.
You can visit too the village of Andasibe which is a small medieval village. But it's a village which merits a couple of hours exploring and soaking up its inherent serenity. Andasibe and Mantadia area lies in a region of low hills covered by degraded forest and is punctuated by beautiful small lakes.
The most striking feature about the Indri Indri lemur is its voice :
While other lemurs grunt, the Indri sings an eerie and very loud wailing sound that resembles a police siren, and it carries for up to 3 Km away. Family group often occupy ranges which are proclaimed by territorial calls, helping to maintain spacing between groups of Indri. The best time to spot the Indri is either early morning or late afternoon.
The Indri was classed as vulnerable by the IUCN, the world's largest conservation organization. By 1970 it was listed as endangered. It's estimated that the total population could be as few as 1000. To see and to observe them don't hesitate to contact me at : ravo.madagascar@gmail.com
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Proposition of trip to discover the Indri
( the biggest lemur in the world )
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With amazing and wonderful unique landscapes such as the famous Baobabs Avenue at sunset and in the day, the Tsingy of Bemaraha National Park, the forest of Kirindy Mité National Park, etc. With a lot of day lemurs species and a lot of nocturnal lemurs species. With walking, trekking and beach-time.
D1: Tana – Antsirabe
Arrival in Tana ( Antananarivo ) usually in the afternoon ( p.m. ), if not I will rectify the itinerary. Welcome and change to have local currency at Tana airport then direct drive by night to Antsirabe where we will take dinner.
D2: Antsirabe – Kirindy
A long day drive with an early morning departure, but through beautiful different landscapes. Drive to Kirindy dry forest with a walking-visit through the famous Baobabs Avenue. Kirindy western dry forest nocturnal walk to see nocturnal wildlife ( Kirindy forest is THE BEST place in Madagascar for that activity ), chameleons, lizards, etc. About nocturnal lemurs you can see there :
- the Grey mouse lemur
- the Madame Berthe's mouse lemur
- the Fat-tailed dwarf lemur
- the Pale fork-marked lemur
- the Red-tailed sportive lemur
D3: Kirindy – Bekopaka
a.m. ( morning ) walking-visit of Kirindy dry deciduous forest to see lemurs in the day such as the Sifaka lemur ( the dancer lemur ) and the red-fronted brown lemur. Visits of ALL the main Baobabs interest in the area : the sacred Baobab ( the biggest Baobab-tree in the whole area ) and the loving-Baobabs. The two species of day lemurs at Kirindy dry forest are :
- the Verreaux's sifaka
- the Red-fronted brown lemur
Then continuation drive to Bekopaka with an arrival there at the end of the afternoon.
D4 : Bekopaka
Full day hiking-visit of the big Tsingy of Bemaraha National Park ( NP ), which is a stone forest with limestone uplands, with peaks, with limestone needles, and with clifftop vistas ( need good walking-shoes, sunglasses ).
D5 : Bekopaka – Morondava
Full day drive back with the sunset at the famous Baobabs Avenue.
D6 : Morondava – Belo sur Mer
Go to Belo sur Mer in the morning by little typical motorized dug-out Vezo canoe. After lunch continuation always by little typical motorized dug-out Vezo canoe to the wonderful ladscape of Kirindy Mité NP with its very old and very huge Baobabs surrounded by forest and surrounded by sandy banks. With lakes and sometimes with more than one hundred gregarious flamingoes. I was been there in June 2024 and it's really wonderful to be there before sunset. Go back to Belo sur Mer where we will be there after sunset in the dark.
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D7 : Belo sur Mer
Free time in Belo sur Mer at a good hotel in front of the beach with possibility of walking-visit of the village in the afternoon if you want, to see this typical big western Vezo village which is specialist in the construction of dhows.
D8 : Belo sur Mer – Morondava
Go back to Morondava always by little typical motorized dug-out Vezo canoe. Possibility of walking-visit of the little town of Morondava with its market at the end of the afternoon if you want.
D9 : Morondava – Antsirabe
Full day drive back back to Antsirabe.
D10 : Antsirabe – Andasibe
Drive to the East through Tana, drive to Andasibe NP with visit on the way of THE BEST place to see chameleons in Madagascar ( a private Park with different species of chameleons, with different sizes of chameleons, and with different colors of chameleons ). These are the list of these chameleons :
- the Parson's chameleon
- the Elephant-eared chameleon
- the Panther chameleon
- the Giant Oustalet chameleon
- the Warty chameleon
- the Carpet chameleon or Jewel chameleon
And some species of the smallest chameleon in the world such as the Brookesia species ( the Leaf chameleon )
D11 : Andasibe – Pangalanes Canal
a.m. walking-visit of Andasibe National Park ( NP ) which is an evergreen tropical rainforest ; it's to see wildlife such as lemurs, including the biggest day lemur in the world : the Indri Indri and other species of lemurs. Then continuation drive to the East coast of Madagascar with a mini-cruise on little motorboat through lush and peaceful vegetation of the Pangalanes Canal at the end of the afternoon. At night excursion-walking-visit to see the VERY RARE nocturnal lemur : the Aye Aye ; it's the biggest nocturnal lemur in the world. These are the list of species of day lemur that you can see at Andasibe NP rainforest :
- the Indri indri
- the Diademed sifaka
- the Common brown lemur
D12 : Pangalanes Canal
a.m. walking-visit of an EXCELLENT private Park of lemurs ( one of THE BEST Park to see lemurs in Madagascar : the Palmarium ). A lot of species of lemurs in the wild in this private Park ; with vanilla plantation too and with very good vistas ; carnivorous plants ). Because this place is very peaceful and quiet, let's spend a free afternoon there with possibility of swimming at a beautiful not deep big lake surrounded by forest. Possibility of walk following the sandy lake shore. Possibilty of canoeing into another very quiet lake, or just relax.
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D13 : Pangalanes Canal – Tana
Full day go back to Tana, with a little motorboat through lush and peaceful vegetation of the Pangalanes Canal first, then by car. Arrival in Tana at the end of the afternoon.
D14 : Tana
a.m. city tour by car and by foot like a local to visit the main town of Madagascar through the most authentic sights of the city : its stairs, its main Avenue, its vistas, the biggest market of Madagascar to know more about Malagasy people and Malagasy custom. Then transfer to Tana airport to catch your international flight.
PRICE for 2 people :
3450 Euros
What's INCLUDED :
- The 4WD vehicle with its driver and its fuel
- ALL means of transport mentioned in the itinerary ( such as the boat, the dug-out canoes, etc. )
- My presence as your private tour guide
- Parks fees and their compulsory local tour guides
- And all activities and visits mentioned in the Itinerary.
What's EXTRA
( that means NOT included in the price ) :
- Your international flights
- Your visa
- Your personal purchases and personal expenses ( phone calls, laundry, souvenirs, etc. )
- Your hotels
- Your breakfasts
- Your lunches
- Your dinners
- Your drinks
- And all activities and visits not mentioned in the Itinerary.
Estimated Cash Needed :
The breakfast is about 11 EUROS
per person per breakfast.
The lunch OR the dinner is about 22 EUROS
per person per meal, drinks included.
And the hotels if it's good and fairly-good mid-class hotels is about a total of 685 EUROS ( for 13 nights ).
But for fairly luxury hotels it can be about a total of 875 EUROS ( for 13 nights ).
You can do too this trip in more than 14 days with the extension to Sainte-Marie island or to Nosy Be island for beach, for beach activities and for relax. |
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I have worked in tourism in my country since ... 1993 till now as tour guide. So ... a lot of experiences ;-)
I love my country, Madagascar. I love public relations.
I love nature. I love people. I love trips.
These passions are what makes me good at my job. Thomas Peters said: « Success at work depends on passion ». I have passionate interest in tourism. And it's a pleasure for me to invite you to visit my wonderful country : Madagascar thank you.
For more details thank you to contact me at :
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Clients' Testimonies after their trips in Madagascar :
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• Erik Segers ( Belgium ) has written in « LinkedIn » :
If you want to discover Madagascar, Ravo is your man to organise your trip from A to Z. Thanks to his deep knowledge and boundless enthusiasm we had a truly first class visit of this wonderful island. Without a doubt, I do recommend, wholeheartedly.
• Another person has said, always in « LinkedIn » :
Ravo is a professional guide who knows well his trade. He’ll face any situation with mastery and good humour, without seeking personal gain. At the end of the journey he has become a friend and he really deserves to be known for everyone’s benefit ( Sylvain Lefèvre - France )
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Madagascar
a wonderland for nature lovers
RATSIMBAZAFY Ravo Nomenjanahary
Copyright © 2000 Christian-thought
Courriel : r_ravo@hotmail.com
Tél. ++ 261 32 41 063 65
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