Guide to Masoala

Masoala is located in Antongil Bay, which, for me, is the most beautiful area of Madagascar. The beautiful rainforest, the relaxing beach, the wildlife, and the sea make this region a magnificent area to spend a perfect week. Masoala is also the only place in the world where you can find the red-ruffed lemur, and there are more species to discover. This must be on your bucket list when in Madagascar. If you want to know more about this region, keep reading.

Price: Difficult to say, as it is almost always in combination with hotel visits and with other parks in the area.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: 2 hour by boat from Maroantsetra by going out on sea

How much time needed: 3-4 days.

Hiking

There are different hiking trails in Masoala, which gives you the opportunity to see the beauty that this national park has to offer. The hiking trails are a bit rough, but not too rough. You can have a great time climbing some trails, and there are great paths. There are not too many flat areas, but the trails are doable for almost everyone. Hikes can take from 1 hour to multiday tracks.

Red ruffed lemurs

The red-ruffed lemur is personally my favorite lemur species, which is endemic to Masoala. The movements are great, and the size is the most classic lemur for me. They are around 4 kilograms, and that makes them one of the heavier lemurs. The sound they make is audible through almost all parts of the forest.

Other wildlife

Besides the beautiful red-ruffed lemur, there are more lemurs. Another diurnal lemur is the white-fronted brown lemur, which is often seen in this area. Nocturnal lemurs include the Masoala sportive lemur (see picture), Rufous mouse lemurs, Masoala woolly lemur, and the greater dwarf lemur, and they are all sometimes or most of the times seen during night hikes. There are also snakes, chameleons, geckos, birds (especially the hemet vanga), ring-tailed mongoose, and more to find on the hikes through the forest. This place is full of wildlife.

Night hikes

The night tour in Masoala is fantastic. There are chances to see 4 species of lemurs (we found 3), reptiles, insects, and birds. The walk is mostly right next to the coast, but you will be surprised to find so much wildlife. You will walk to a small village to find an animal I did not find somewhere else: the lowland streaked tenrec, which is endemic to Madagascar (as many animals are). Seeing 3 of them was fantastic.

Snorkeling Tampolo Marine Reserve

Masoala National Park also consists of a marine park, where you have a good option to do some snorkeling, and you will find some fantastic, colourful fish and some coral. You can go snorkeling right from the beach, and that makes it even more interesting. You can walk here by going by the beach or come by boat, depending on the weather. You can also find some mangroves here, and they are easy combined.

Beach

Right next to the tropical rainforest is a great beach, where you can hang out between the hikes you are doing. The beaches are clean, quiet, and have fantastic colours. There are snorkeling options, but they are not as great as in Tampolo. The sunset can be fascinating as well, depending on the weather.

The way here

You probably come from Nosy Mangabe, Maroantsetra, or Farankaraina, and you have to come by boat. A trek is also possible, but I don't have any information about that. During the boat tours in Antongil Bay, there is a possibility to find dolphins (I did) and tuna fish jumping out of the water. During June to September, there are also chances to find humpback whales. During the boat tour, you also have to enjoy the surroundings.

When to go

I would say that September through December are the best. The place is often quiet, but during November and December, it can be really quiet. During January to April, it can be cyclone season, and it is not advisable to get here. May to December are safe to come, but it can be rainy throughout the year, even in the dry season.

Expensive

Because of the remote location, it is tough to get to, and the remote location makes the destination more expensive. There are only some more expensive hotels, and the transport from Maroantsetra is expensive. It is mostly a week-long package with other parks, and this week can add up to above €1000 per person for the week, depending on the organization and accommodation.

Where to stay

On the coast, there are several options for accommodations. The most obvious one is the Masoala Forest Lodge, which has very interesting packages but can be a very expensive experience. The hotel I stayed at was the fantastic Dounia Forest Lodge, which had very spacious rooms and good food and services. Other options are Chez Arol and Hippocampe, which are a bit more basic and closer to the villages. All hotels are close to each other and can have the same hikes and experiences.

In combination with... + itinerary

I would visit Masoala for a couple of days and make it 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 put in Nosy Mangabe and Farankaraina for sure. My perfect itinerary for this week looks like this:

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: Hike in Nosy Mangabe, head to Maroantsetra, maybe some cultural event in Janel park

Monday: Go to Tana

Tours

There are some tour operators that are doing tours in this area. You can contact Masoala Forest Lodge directly, but they do not do packages with surrounding parks, so keep that in mind. 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

Masoala is an expensive and tough-to-reach destination, but it is absolutely worth visiting. The tourism is low, the nature is probably the most beautiful in Madagascar, it has some fantastic endemic wildlife, the beach is gorgeous, snorkeling is available, and the environment is amazing. This is a week you will remember forever, and you should go to this part of the country.