Kirindy Mitea National Park, National park with diverse ecosystems on the southwest coast of Madagascar.
Kirindy Mitea National Park is a protected area in southwestern Madagascar that covers dry forest, savanna, sandy beaches, dunes, mangroves, and coral reefs along the Mozambique Channel. The park sits where land and sea meet, so the terrain changes noticeably as you move from the inland forest toward the coast.
Kirindy Mitea was created as a national park on 18 December 1997 by decree no. 97-1453. In November 2000, management was entrusted to ANGAP, the national association for protected areas. The park covers 72,200 hectares in the Morondava district, between the Maharivo and Lampaolo rivers.
The Sakalava people have lived along this coast for centuries and their daily life is closely tied to the sea and the forest. In nearby villages, you can see traditional fishing boats and small markets where the local catch is sold each morning.
The park entrance is south of Morondava, reachable by road or by speedboat depending on your starting point. Some tracks become hard to pass in the wet season, so checking conditions before you set out is worth the effort.
The dry forest section of the park is one of the only places in the world where Madame Berthe's mouse lemur lives, a primate so tiny it can fit in the palm of a hand. Even experienced guides rarely spot one, as the animal is active only at night and blends into the leaf litter almost perfectly.
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