Ranomafana National Park (Parc National de Ranomafana)

As you walk beneath the dense foliage of forest canopy at Ranomafana, tread carefully and listen for the sounds of tough bamboo stems being crushed by strong teeth echoing through the forest. With the rare and elusive Greater Bamboo Lemur finding refuge here, this thickly forested habitat is laced with waterfalls and is a haven for a plethora of wildlife.

The Ranomafana National Park (Parc National de Ranomafana) is one of Madagascar's most famous reserves, covering more than 41,000 hectares of mainly primary rainforest. This thickly-forested habitat is Madagascar's fourth largest national park.

Ranomafana derives its name from an neighbouring village and two Malagasy words: rano meaning 'water' and mafana meaning 'hot'. Here local Malagasy people discovered hot springs around a hundred years ago and these quickly became a well-visited French colonial attraction.

The Parc National de Ranomafana is an area dominated by thickly-forested hills and flowing streams. As you walk along green escarpments, fast flowing streams cascade over precipices and fall towards the Namorona River, which leaps and twists its way through the park. Sitting at the edge of Madagascar's High Plateau, the park ranges from 500 - 1,500 m in altitude and is covered in dense montane primary rainforest on its higher slopes. Large swathes of giant bamboo are found in places.

Although the forest trails are often very steep (and can be slippery after the rains), Ranomafana represents a key stronghold for Madagascan mammals and is a natural highlight of any trip. Whether hiking along the escarpment during the day or walking the forest fringes at night in search of Rufous Mouse Lemurs, Greater Dwarf Lemurs, and Small-toothed Sportive Lemurs, (or even just relaxing in the nearby warm water spas, which are said to have curative properties), the Parc National de Ranomafana is a mountainous island of thick forest in the otherwise dry, lunar landscape of the central Madagascan plains.

Wildlife

Ranomafana is renowned for its wealth of biodiversity and boasts an exceptionally rich flora and fauna species list. The primate species richness is among the highest in the world, with 12 species being found in the area. Invertebrate groups are also found in abundance throughout the park. Although there are some notably attractive bird species in Ranomafana such as the pitta-like Ground Roller and the Slender-billed Flufftail, avian species diversity is low, as is the case across all of Madagascar. There are only 110 species recorded in this area, whereas in similar areas in Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador or Peru, you are likely to find in excess of 500 species of bird.

Whilst bird diversity is low, endemism is high. Additionally, where birds fail to fill in ecological niches, other species take over; which would explain the particularly high diversity of lemurs and insects. For example, there is only one avian understorey seed disperser: the Velvet Asity (Philepitta castanea). There is also just one avian canopy seed disperser: the Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis). Plants have adapted to interest non-avian species to perform the pollination and dispersal roles they need to thrive.

Ranomafana is one of the most important places for mammals in Madagascar, with the lemur diversity being of notable interest. Three of the four species of bamboo lemur are at home in the park, with the Golden Bamboo Lemur (discovered only in 1986) being the most famous resident. Large troops of Red-fronted Brown lemurs can often be seen, as too can pairs of Red-bellied Lemurs with their young. The elusive Milne-Edwards' Sifaka is the largest lemur in the reserve and can be spotted most often high up in the canopy. Other mammal residents include the elusive Fossa, the Aquatic Tenrec (known in Malagasy as the fanaloka), the Eastern Ring-tailed Mongoose and the Red Forest Rat.

Weather Notes

Ranomafana is a moist forest habitat located in eastern Madagascar, where the climate is typically hot and subtropical. The rainy season runs between November - March and the dry season extends from April to November (sometimes stretching into December). Between January - March, torrential rain and cyclones can occur in. Annual rainfall ranges from 1500 - 4000 mm of rain.