Mitsinjo Forest
Overview
Madagascar Parks
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Insight guide to Madagascar.
Mitsinjo Forest (Parc Mitsinjo) borders Analamazaotra National Park and is run as a community project by a local guides association. The forest patch is more degraded than Analamazaotra, but part of the project’s objective is rehabilitation through the planting of indigenous trees. As in the national park, the main activity is tracking Madagascar’s flagship lemur, the indri. Night walks are a big draw as they are not permitted inside Analamazaotra.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
The relatively small tract of forest is home to seven indri families, and sightings are pretty much guaranteed. Common brown lemur and eastern woolly lemur are often spotted as well. Wildlife to look out for during night walks include the nocturnal Goodman's mouse lemur, chameleons such as Parson's and stump-tailed chameleon, leaf-tailed geckos and a variety of frogs.
Scenery
Mitsinjo Forest is made up of degraded mid-altitude rainforest. Many of the big trees have been logged and what’s left is mainly secondary forest with a lot of undergrowth. Part of the forest is an abandoned plantation and this area is being reforested with new indigenous trees. Visitors can contribute financially or take a tour and plant a tree.
Weather & Climate
Due to the altitude of the rainforest, the park has a cool, wet climate. It rains throughout the year, but the Wet season months from November to April see very high rainfall. The rains peak from January to March and this is often referred to as the cyclone season. In the Wet season, temperatures reach up to 27°C/81°F. The cold Dry season months from May to October see daytime temperatures of 21°C/70°F.
Best Time To Visit
Mitsinjo Forest can be visited throughout the year. The shoulder months of October, November, April and May are very nice as the weather is mild and there isn’t too much rain. In October and November many lemurs have babies. The wettest months from January to March are best avoided. Some animals, reptiles and amphibians especially, are less easy to spot in the Dry season months.