All 3 in 3 days here: ~90%
Ranomafana National Park
🇲🇬 Madagascar
Africa, Madagascar 532 spp. recorded
Ranomafana National Park is a mountainous tropical rainforest reserve in southeastern Madagascar, defined by steep, mist-covered valleys and rushing rivers. Unlike drier deciduous reserves in the north, this dense, evergreen landscape supports specialized biodiversity adapted to heavy rainfall and lush canopy growth.
-21.204° S 47.444° E
🦜 Nature
268 Species sighted
25,562 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Oct Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 374 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: ~40%
Recent sightings in Ranomafana National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSounds of Ranomafana National Park
Morning soundscape0:50
Madagascar · 2015
© Kilian Wasmer · XC304733 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
41Jan
55Feb
46Mar
48Apr
57May
26Jun
53Jul
50Aug
49Sep
67Oct
61Nov
61Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Vohiparara
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Cryptic Chameleon~90%+10%
Pandanus Frog~80%+30%
Peacock Day Gecko~80%≈
Deceptive Chameleon~80%+20%
Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog~70%+20%
Baron's Mantella~70%+20%
Madagascar Bulbul~60%-20%
Ivohimanita Madagascar Frog~60%+20%
Madagascar Cuckoo~60%-10%
Ranomafana Nosed Chameleon~60%≈
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko~60%-30%
Souimanga Sunbird~50%-20%
-
Varibolo
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko~90%+10%
- Cryptic Chameleon~90%+10%
- Peacock Day Gecko~80%≈
Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose~70%+10%- Deceptive Chameleon~70%+10%
- Ranomafana Nosed Chameleon~70%+10%
- Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog~70%+10%
Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko~60%+10%- Madagascar Bulbul~60%-20%
Madagascar tree boa~60%+10%- Madagascar Cuckoo~50%-20%
Striped Day Gecko~50%-20%
-
Amboditanimena Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Baron's Mantella~90%+50%
- Cryptic Chameleon~80%≈
- Madagascar tree boa~70%+20%
- Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose~70%≈
- Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko~70%-20%
Red-bellied Lemur~60%≈- Deceptive Chameleon~60%-10%
- Peacock Day Gecko~60%-30%
- Pandanus Frog~60%≈
- Ivohimanita Madagascar Frog~60%+20%
Blue Coua~50%-10%- Madagascar Bulbul~50%-30%
-
21.291° S, 47.428° E
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko~70%-10%
Golden Bamboo Lemur~70%≈
O'Shaughnessy's Chameleon~70%-10%
Milne-Edwards' Sifaka~70%-10%- Madagascar Bulbul~60%-20%
Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher~60%≈
Madagascar Magpie-Robin~60%≈
Glaw's Chameleon~50%≈- Peacock Day Gecko~50%-30%
Red-tailed Vanga~50%-10%
Pitta-like Ground Roller~50%-10%- Souimanga Sunbird~50%-20%
-
Karibotel Ranomafana
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Striped Day Gecko~90%+20%
- Peacock Day Gecko~90%≈
- Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko~80%-10%
- Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose~70%≈
Whitebelly Reed Frog~70%+30%- Cryptic Chameleon~60%-20%
- O'Shaughnessy's Chameleon~50%-30%
- Madagascar tree boa~50%≈
- Deceptive Chameleon~40%-20%
- Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko~40%-10%
- Milne-Edwards' Sifaka~40%-40%
- Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog~40%-20%
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 212
🐒 Mammals 90
🦎 Reptiles 90
🐸 Amphibians 140
532 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
101 Threatened 1 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
76% 📊
Coverage (199 species at ≥5% of 532 in the inventory)
37% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (5 reptile, 4 bird, 3 mammal)
87% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
83 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
26 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
57 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.3
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
Over the next couple of hours in Ranomafana we found six different lemur species: greater bamboo lemurs, golden bamboo lemurs, Milne-Edward’s sifakas, grey bamboo lemurs, red-bellied lemurs, and red-fronted brown lemurs.
Theo has been tipped off that we like all wildlife so we see some rare birds, the endemic Pita/ground roller, an indigenous vanga on a nest, the satanic leaf gecko and the strange giraffe-necked weevil.
Photo by Sandra Neely, Red-bellied Lemur, Ranomafana National Park Other adventure tours endure much longer days of driving than we did, but one does have to put up with some long drives to see the country.
Eventually, we arrived at a spot where there was a grey bamboo lemur, also known as the eastern lesser bamboo lemur, hiding in a tree.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Ranomafana National Park?
532 species
Ranomafana National Park has 532 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (about 80%), Peacock Day Gecko (about 80%), Cryptic Chameleon (about 80%), Madagascar Bulbul (about 80%) and O'Shaughnessy's Chameleon (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Golden Bamboo Lemur (about 80%); among amphibians, Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog (about 60%).
When is the best time to visit Ranomafana National Park for wildlife?
June and October–January
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in March–April and July.
Can you see a Ranomafana Nosed Chameleon in Ranomafana National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Ranomafana Nosed Chameleon sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April and August (about 80%).
Can you see a Milne-Edwards' Sifaka in Ranomafana National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Milne-Edwards' Sifaka sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 179 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May–June, August, October and December–January (about 80%).
Can you see a Golden Bamboo Lemur in Ranomafana National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Bamboo Lemur sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 165 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, May–June, August, October and December (about 80%).
Can you see a Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko in Ranomafana National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 155 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April–May, August and October (about 90%).
Where in Ranomafana National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Vohiparara
The richest sighting zone is around Vohiparara, followed by Varibolo and Amboditanimena Trail, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Ranomafana National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Ranomafana National Park rates 4.3/5: 66th of 316 parks worldwide and 40th in Africa. 67 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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