MASOALA National Park is Madagascar’s largest national park and perhaps the most exciting and diverse. The park is only accessible by boat or on foot. It is therefore most suited to the adventurous traveler with plenty of time and/or budget to embark on something close to an expedition.
The park is known for its spectacular scenery with primary and coastal forests. The Masoala Peninsula has become one of Madagascar’s top conservation priorities for its extensive rainforest and high biodiversity of plant and animal life.
Despite the high number of animal species, wildlife in the rainforest can be exceedingly difficult to spot. Nevertheless you may find the red-ruffed lemur, white-fronted brown lemur, aye-aye, greater hedgehog tenrec, fossa, fanaloka, falanouc, and a number of bird species. You can also look carefully for chameleons and relatively abundant Uroplatus geckos. There are also lots of insects.
Masoala National Park, which is to the northeast of Madagascar, was established in 1997 and covers an area of about 2,300 square kilometers and the marine parks covers an area of 100 square kilometers. It is also a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This park features a massive flooded forest, coastal forest, rainforest, mangrove as well as marsh. The island features exceptional flora and fauna and ten species of lemur that include the Red Ruffed Lemur. The Nosy Mangabe located close to the park is one of the best sites here.
The harbors at the Masoala is also home for several birds. Among them, the rare species found here are Helmet Vanga, Tomato frog and Red Owl. In addition, the island also features the Madagascar Serpent-eagle and it can be seen in many parts of the Madagascar region.
The Masoala National Park includes three more parks which are Tampolo, close to the west, Ifaho, to the east, and Ambodilaitry, the south. These parks are rich in marine life and is also one of the best places for snorkeling and kayaking. The Antongil Bay is visited by the Humpback Whales in massive numbers at the time of its migration.
The villages close to the park features a number of guest rooms and bungalows. The visitors must be accompanied by an approved guide.
Finally, there are number of trips organized by the park. The park can be accessed by a boat which takes about three hours and the best time to visit here is during fall, from September to December.