Madagascar is well-known as the Land of the Lemurs. A mammalian species endemic to the island nation, they have evolved to fill many different ecological niches. Endemic means that they can only be found in Madagascar and nowhere else in the world. Most people don’t know this, but there are an estimated 99 different species and sub-species of lemurs. All of the species are rare and some of them are critically endangered as there are only a few hundred of them left in the world.

While sailing, we found ourselves in the remote Ramada Archipelago where one of the critically endangered species is found. Of course, we had to go in search of it! Hiking along mosquito infested forests (seriously, I still have scars…) was probably not my favorite but lured by the delicious mangoes that were in full season at the time, we were able to catch a few glimpses of this special animal. One of the coolest things about the blue eyed lemur (Eulemur flavifrons) is that the male and the female each have a different colour. The male is black and the female is reddish blonde and both sexes have amazing bright blue eyes.

Details

We went sailing in Madagascar through the excellent tour company ALEFA (http://www.pirogue-madagascar.com/). I highly recommend them. The owners have been living in Madagascar for decades and love to share the culture and offbeat destination through culturally appropriate, adventure-loving tours that range from 2-10 days.