A lemur day

We had a banana and banana bread and coffee then left on the bus for a different local NP in search of more lemurs. It was 3.5 hours of demanding trekking. We started off on a path but the guide thought if we slithered steeply down in among branches, creeping among undergrowth and slippy leaves then climb up the other side we’d see the diadem Safaka. We just got there - I was propped against a branch to prevent myself slipping down the slope - when they took off, jumping through trees and back to the place we’d been 20 minutes before. Back we went by a similar route in reverse and this time we saw them quite well. During the walk we also saw some more Indris.

We had an omelette for lunch then left on the bus for a lemur and crocodile sanctuary in the grounds of a posh hotel which had a golf course and helipad. We paid 30,000 each (£8) and got (with some difficulty on my part as my knees were complaining after the arduous morning, into a 2 person canoe to be taken to the island. There we saw common brown lemurs which are squire dominant, plus the dancing Safaka, black and white ruff, red ruff and the lesser bamboo lemur.

The crocodile area was a bit of a waste of time for those of us who have seen lots in the wild.