The lowland forest trails behind the coastal camps are the core. Red ruffed lemur, a species restricted entirely to this peninsula, is the headline, along with white-fronted brown lemur and the extraordinary helmet vanga. This is also among the best places to look for the aye-aye's smaller relatives and for leaf-tailed geckos, which need a guide's eye to find at all.

Nosy Mangabe, an island reserve in Antongil Bay on the way in, is the classic overnight stop. Aye-aye were introduced here decades ago and the island offers the most realistic chance of the species anywhere, on night walks among the buttress roots.

Antongil Bay itself fills with humpback whales from roughly July to September, when they arrive to calve and mate in the sheltered water. Boat trips out of Maroantsetra put you among breaching adults and mothers with calves.

The reef and shoreline in front of the camps add snorkelling directly off the beach — a rare thing to be able to combine with primary rainforest in one day.

September to December is the practical window, avoiding the cyclone season and the heaviest rain. Even then, expect rain: this is one of the wettest regions in Madagascar and equipment needs proper waterproofing.

Practicalities

Maroantsetra is reached by air from Antananarivo, and boat transfers along the coast to the lodges take one to two hours and are weather-dependent. There is no infrastructure inside the park beyond trails and simple camps.

A local guide is required, and the good ones are excellent — they find in minutes what you would not find in a day. Leeches are a fact of life on the trails; gaiters help.