Lined Day Gecko, Analamazoatra Reserve
It goes without saying, but I can't emphasise enough the importance of having a guide with local knowledge of the area. Our guide for our time in Andasibe was Barry; a hugely passionate man about his local forest. I have nothing but praise for him. I have spent a lot of time with different wildlife guides across the world but with Barry you could really tell he loved what he did and genuinely cared for his fellow 'wild' neighbours. The park is comprised of two areas; Analamazoatra Reserve and Mantadia National Park. As our main interest in visiting Madagascar was for its wildlife we spent more time in Analamazoatra Reserve - it is easier to find and watch wildlife here than the primary rainforest of Mantadia. It is also arguably the best place to see the Indri which is the main reason for most for visiting. Mantadia is not to be missed though. You feel like you've been transported back to a primeval time when prehistoric beasts roamed the earth. After checking in to the hotel we were off again into the Analamazoatra Reserve as Barry was keen to show us the Indri and anything else along the way. Despite it being one of the most visited parks in Madagascar Barry led us to a small family of three Indri; two adults and a baby. The Indri is known locally as 'Babakoto' which is ambiguous in its translation. One belief is that it means "grandfather" while another says it means "little father". They have been described as looking like overgrown teddy bears due to their fluffy and tufted ears. It was a fantastic experience to be able to get so close to them and being at their level as opposed to looking up through the tree canopy.