Kirindy Forest

Kirindy is a research forest managed for conservation rather than a national park, and it has become known for one animal: the fossa, Madagascar's largest carnivore, a long-bodied relative of the mongooses that is genuinely hard to see anywhere else but turns up around the camp here, particularly in the mating season from around November to December. The forest also holds Verreaux's sifaka, red-fronted brown lemurs, the giant jumping rat found only in this corner of the island, and on night walks the world's smallest primate, Madame Berthe's mouse lemur. The habitat is dry deciduous forest, leafless and grey for much of the year and startlingly green after rain. Accommodation is a simple camp in the forest, and most visitors combine it with the baobab avenue on the way in.

What you actually see

• Fossa - Madagascar's largest carnivore, most likely around the camp.
• Verreaux's sifaka - the dancing sifaka of the western forests.
• Giant jumping rat - the endemic rodent found only in Menabe.
• Night walks - mouse lemurs, including the world's smallest primate.

When to go

The road is best April to November. Fossa are most visible in the mating season around November and December, which overlaps the start of the rains, so there is a genuine trade-off between access and sightings.

Honest expectations

The camp is basic, with limited power and simple food. Fossa are wild and sightings are luck even in season. The forest is hot, dusty and thorny. Night walks are the highlight for many and require a guide. The road in is rough and slow.

Nearby

The Avenue of the Baobabs is south; Morondava is the base town.