Visiting Zazamalala: An Unforgettable Wildlife Experience
Come to visit us at the Zazamalala forest and botanical garden for an unforgettable wildlife experience! You will walk through original deciduous forest of west Madagascar, the most threatened ecosystem in the world. In our great botanical garden you will find a large collection of plants from the spiny forest of south Madagascar, 100 different palms and numerous trees, shrubs, lianas and orchids.
Enjoy a safe hike with our experienced guides and meet a lot of rare and unique animals, such as 11 species of lemurs, among them ring-tail lemur, collared lemur, verreaux sifaka and the red- and white-fronted lemur. You will find 14 species of snakes and 5 species of chameleons, among them the giant oustalet’s chameleon. At the turtle breeding station you will meet critically endangered flat-tail tortoise and the Madagascar big-headed turtle.
You will be impressed by our bird colony with hundreds of herons and egrets and you may encounter endangered birds, such as Sakalava rail and Sacred ibis, as well as crocodiles.
After finishing this impressive tour, you can enjoy a cold drink or a basic meal. On your request (requires prior confirmation) we can also organize workshops about the traditional life of the Sakalava tribe and Tropical reforestation.
Spotting nocturnal animals
New is an evening walk through the Zazamalala forest. Usually the naturalist is spoiled with plenty encounters, such as eating and mating snakes, tenrecs, grotesque insects, geckos, frogs, sleeping chameleons, and … nocturnal lemurs.
There are 6 different nocturnal lemurs at Zazamalala:
- Phaner pallescens (western fork-crowned dwarf lemur / Lémurien à fourche pâle)
- Mirza coquereli (Giant mouse lemur / Microcèbe géant de Coquerel)
- Lepilemur ruficaudatus (Red-tailed sportive lemur / Lépilémur à queue rousse)
- Cheirogalus medius (Fat-tailed dwarf lemur / Chirogale à queue grasse)
- Microcebus murinus (Grey mouse lemur / Microcèbe mignon)
- Microcebus griseorufus (Grey-red mouse lemur / Microcèbe gris-roux)
Our experienced guides Erica and Tahiry welcome you at zazamalala, but prior reservation is required. We have infrared binoculars and flash lights to aid you with spotting animals.
Practical information:
- Opening hours: daily all year round. Nocturnal visits, requires prior confirmation
- Location: along the National route +/- 35 km from Morondava, excellent road, no 4×4 car required
- Information and requests:
- Marie-Erika: +261 34 4798040
- Tahiry: +261 34 9109463
- Simon Rietveld: +31 (0) 6 36258593
- E-mail: zazamalala@gmail.com
Prices visiting Zazamalala 2025:
Entry fee: 70.000 Ar.
Entry fee youngsters 6-17 years of age and visitors of Malagasy nationality: 20.000 Ar.
Children under 6 years free of charge.
Nocturnal hike, all nationalities: 100.000 Ar.
Combined diurnal visit /nocturnal hike: 115.000 Ar.
Guides free of charge.
We hope to meet you soon!
