Farankaraina is probably the least famous place I visited in Madagascar, but it was an amazing experience. The biggest reason to visit this park is that you have the biggest chances of seeing wild aye ayes in the world. The place has more wildlife than only the aye ayes and consists of a beautiful rainforest next to the beach. If you want to know more about the place, which is not even mentioned in the Lonely Planet (2020), keep reading.

Price: Difficult to say, as it is mostly part of a Masoala trip.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: 2 hour by boat from Maroantsetra through lovely nature.

How much time needed:  1 Day and night. 

Aye Aye

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture, but this is the species to find in Farankaraina. This nocturnal creature lives on the whole island, but finding the species is very difficult. However, in Farankaraina, you absolutely have a good chance, although not guaranteed, of course. I was also lucky to see one individual in a big tree, and it was more than fantastic. This is a big reason to visit this place. You can also see aye aye at Aye Aye Island, but these individuals are captured out of the wild, so do not support this. Finding a wild aye aye for me was the highlight of my 7-week trip to Madagascar.

Day hike

Although the place is famous for its night hikes, a small day hike is also very nice, and you have chances of seeing white-fronted brown lemurs and maybe snakes, Western lesser bamboo lemurs, and birds. The hike is easy and not too long, so you can have a nice hike. The rainforest is very green, and walking here is just very nice. You have a good chance of seeing the crested ibis here, which is pretty difficult in the rest of the country.

Night hikes

Night hikes are the name of the game here, mostly because of the aye aye, but there are more nocturnal animals to see, like the giant leaf-tailed gecko, the greater dwarf lemur (see picture), and Peter's mouse lemur. The hike is mostly easy and the chance is big to see multiple lemur species in the night, and seeing aye aye is something special. 

Beach

Just next to the beautiful rainforest is a beautiful beach, which is very impressive. It is such a cool experience to be on a gorgeous beach with crabs, and then 10 metres behind you, the rainforest starts. The beach also gives a beautiful view of the gorgeous Antongil Bay.

The way here

To get to Farankaraina, you probably come from Maroantsetra, and you have to take a boat tour from there, but that is a fantastic boat ride already. You pass beautiful rainforest and palm trees, and it is already a fantastic start to a great week. The canoe goes easy, but that is fantastic. When arriving by boat, you have to walk a pretty easy path for 30-40 minutes. 

When to visit

Farankaraina is a place that is vulnerable to cyclones during the months of January to April, so do not go here during this time. The other months are all great to visit, and you should go to this area. 

Where to stay

In Farankaraina, the only option to seep is in very basic bungalows. The bungalows are spacious but basic. They are in the middle of the rainforest and very close to the beach. Sleeping in the middle of the forest is an amazing experience. We were here by ourselves, and that made the experience even more memorable. Close to the camp, there is a good chance of seeing the Western lesser bamboo lemurs.

In combination with + itinerary

Farankaraina is mostly a one-night stop, which is part of a "Masoala week." A Masoala week mostly exists from Monday to Monday (the flights from Tana arrive and depart only on Monday). Mostly the week looks something like this if you put in Farankaraina, which is the least popular place, but you should do it:

Monday: Arrive in Maroantsetra and look for tomato frogs

Tuesday: Head to Farankaraina and have a day and night hike

Wednesday: Head to Masoala and do hikes

Thursday: Masoala

Friday: Masoala

Saturday: Head to Nosy Mangabe and have day and night hikes

Sunday: Head to Maroantsetra

Monday: Go to Tana

Tours

There are some tour operators that are doing tours to this area, although Farankaraina is often not on the itinerary. I booked through Visit Masoala, and I do not regret it a second. It was fantastic and could not be better. Lauriot is the man organizing it, and he wants the best for you. He is happy to help throughout the stay and for all your needs. Here is a link:

https://visitmasoalablog.wordpress.com

Final thoughts

This undeservedly overlooked place by tourists, gave me the personal highlight of my 7-week Madagascar trip by seeing the biggest nocturnal lemur in the world. The forest in Antongil Bay, in combination with the beach, makes this a very mesmerizing place; you do not want to skip this in this area. This was an unexpected huge highlight, and even though the accommodation is basic, it is worth the stay.

If you want to know more about this area or Madagascar, check out: