Ranomafana National Park is in the southeastern part of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

Haute Matsiatra Haute Matsiatra (in Malagasy: Matsiatra Ambony) is a region in Madagascar. It borders Amoron'i Mania region in north, Vatovavy-Fitovinany in east, Ihorombe in south and Atsimo-Andrefana in west. The capital of the region is Fianarantsoa, and the ...

and

Vatovavy Vatovavy is a region of Madagascar. Its capital is Mananjary. It was created by dividing the former region of Vatovavy-Fitovinany on 16 June 2021. Cyclone Batsirai made landfall at Mananjary in 2022, leaving 90 percent of the city destroyed. A ...

. With more than 41,600 hectares (161 square miles) of

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equator ...

, it is home to several rare species of flora and fauna including the golden bamboo

lemur Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are endemic to the island of Madagas ...

, the greater bamboo lemur, black and white ruffed lemur and Milne-Edwards sifaka, and over 130 species of frogs. Bird species including ground rollers, blue vangas,

short-legged ground roller The short-legged ground roller (''Brachypteracias leptosomus'') is a species of bird in the ground roller family Brachypteraciidae. It is the only living species in the genus ''Brachypteracias'' and is endemic to Madagascar. It is threatened by ...

s and

brown mesite The brown mesite (''Mesitornis unicolor'') is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar. It is one of three species in the mesite family or the Mesitornithidae, and though classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation ...

s can be seen. The park was established in 1991 with the purpose of conserving the unique biodiversity of the local ecosystem and reducing the human pressures on the protected area. It is part of the World Heritage Site Rainforests of the Atsinanana. Adjacent to the park is the Centre ValBio research station, established in 2003 and managed by

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system' ...

with a focus on biodiversity research, community health and education, environmental arts and

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands ( forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A de ...

. The place name comes from the Malagasy words "hot water", because there are hot springs.

Geography

The park is northeast of

Fianarantsoa Fianarantsoa is a city (commune urbaine) in south central Madagascar, and is the capital of Haute Matsiatra Region. History It was built in the early 19th century by the Merina as the administrative capital for the newly conquered Betsileo kin ...

and west of

Mananjary Mananjary is a city located in Vatovavy, Madagascar with a population of 25,222 inhabitants in 2018. It is the chief city of the Mananjary district. It contains a town of the same name, situated on the southern part of the east coast, where the M ...

in the regions of

and

. National Road 25 and National Road 45 cross the park.Parcs Madagascar
The park office is at the entrance in the village of Ambodiamontana, at from Ranomafana.

Flora and fauna

The park is an important example of

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

, with very high levels of biodiversity. There are a number of lemur species, including: *

Aye-aye The aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') is a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate. ...

, ''Daubentonia madagascariensis'' *

Brown mouse lemur The brown mouse lemur (''Microcebus rufus'') is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the rufous mouse lemur, eastern rufous mouse lemur, red mouse lemur, or russet ...

, ''Microcebus rufus'' *

Crossley's dwarf lemur The furry-eared dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus crossleyi''), or Crossley's dwarf lemur, only found on the island of Madagascar, as with all other lemurs. It has a pelage Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consis ...

, ''Cheirogaleus crossleyi'' * Golden bamboo lemur, ''Hapalemur aureus'' * Greater bamboo lemur, ''Prolemur simus'' * Milne-Edwards's sifaka ''Propithecus edwardsi'' * Peyrieras's woolly lemur, ''Avahi peyrierasi'' * Ranomafana grey bamboo lemur, ''Hapalemur griseus ranomafanensis'' * Red-bellied lemur, ''Eulemur rubriventer'' * Red-fronted brown lemur, ''Eulemur rufifrons'' * Sibree's dwarf lemur, ''Cheirogaleus sibreei'' *

Small-toothed sportive lemur The small-toothed sportive lemur (''Lepilemur microdon''), or small-toothed weasel lemur, is a primate species in the family Lepilemuridae that—like all extant lemurs—is endemic to Madagascar. The species lives in dense rainforest in southea ...

, ''Lepilemur microdon'' * Southern black and white ruffed lemur, ''Varecia variegata editorum''

Tourism

A local guide is required for visitors entering the park. Guides can be arranged at the park office. A typical excursion would include viewing several species of lemur, gecko, chameleons, and bird species. Typically, tourists explore the Talatakely forest. Talatakely has well-defined paths and stairs, however, sturdy shoes should be worn as the path can be slippery, especially when wet. If there are special interests, such as birding, specialists can be arranged through Centre ValBio for excursions. Guided tours are not available at nighttime. However, walking alongside the road and looking for eye-shine in the adjacent can typically allow tourists the chance to see mouse lemurs. Kayaking or canoeing can be arranged and a hot springs pool is located in Ranomafana.

Scientific research

The flora and fauna of Ranomafana have been subject to extensive scientific research. Scientific publications have been published. There are four main sites for scientific research. Talatakely is located within walking distance of the research station, Centre ValBio, and is also accessible to tourists off of Route 25. Talatakely is where the original research camp was located and is one of the few locations in the park where ''Prolemur simus'' can be seen. The three remaining research sites maintain bush camp facilities and are Vatoharanana, Valohoaka, and Mangevo. In addition to these main sites, research has been conducted throughout the park.

Lodging

There are a lodge and an ecolodge of a private tourist operator at the entrance of the national park. There are also several hotels in Ranomafana village available for lodging. Additionally, it is possible to camp at the campsite near the main road through the park or to find lodging at Centre ValBio, where most of the scientific research is based.

References

External links

www.parcs-madagascar.com
{{authority control Protected areas established in 1991 National parks of Madagascar Haute Matsiatra Vatovavy 1991 establishments in Madagascar Madagascar subhumid forests Important Bird Areas of Madagascar