Masoala National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Masoala Tours

Expert

Anthony is the author of the Lonely Planet guide to Madagascar.

Masoala National Park has an astonishing range of lemurs, small predators, reptiles and amphibians. It’s also excellent for humpback whales. Exploring the park can be difficult, but the remoteness of this unspoiled wilderness opens up a whole world of possibilities. The very localized red ruffed lemur is most sought-after, but other prized lemurs include the Masoala woolly lemur and Masoala fork-marked lemur.

Red ruffed lemur Common

Humpback
whale Common

Masoala
woolly lemur Occasional

White-fronted
brown lemur Common

Masoala
fork-marked lemur Occasional

Masoala
sportive lemur Common

Mouse lemurs Occasional

Tomato frog Occasional

Panther
chameleon Occasional

Leaf-tailed
geckos Common

Aye-aye Very Rare

Fossa Very Rare

Lowland
streaked tenrec Rare

Greater
hedgehog tenrec Rare

Wildlife Highlights

Masoala is a hiker’s paradise and it’s along the hiking trails that you’ll most likely see many of the park’s 10 lemur species. The endemic red ruffed lemur is regularly spotted, although you often hear them before you see them. They’re very vocal and loud. Beautiful moths and butterflies flutter around the dappled light in the forest. Humpback whales are commonly sighted in Antongil Bay from July to September during their breeding season.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Masoala’s best weather (with less rain) is during the Dry season from August to November, but different animals are active at different times. Lemurs have their young around October and November, and reptiles are most active from September to February. From July to late September, humpback whales stay in Antongil Bay to breed and calf. Otherwise, the possibility of heavy rains during the Wet season (December to July) means that these months are best avoided.