Palmarium Hotel

The journey to Palmarium is by water. A motorboat navigates the dark, placid Canal des Pangalanes, a chain of waterways that runs parallel to the Indian Ocean coast. Fishermen in dugout pirogues pole past villages built on stilts and banks thick with pandanus. After a two-and-a-half-hour transfer from the port of Toamasina, the boat slows and draws up on to a wide sandy beach fronting Lake Ampitabe. The staff are there on the sand to greet you.

The lodge exists within the 50-hectare Akanin’ny Nofy Reserve, and its twenty bungalows are scattered throughout the forest. Black-and-white ruffed, crowned, and black lemurs move freely through the trees, often appearing on the private wooden terraces that extend out over the lake’s edge. Evenings begin with the Indri’s territorial call echoing across the water. The main lodge, a thatched-roof structure open to the lake, serves meals of zebu and fresh fish prepared with produce from nearby communities.

Exploration of the reserve is on foot, following sandy paths that wind through the littoral forest. A guide leads you to endemic carnivorous pitcher plants and the specific territories of resident lemur families. At night, a different ecosystem appears. A short boat ride across the lake reveals a small island where, by torchlight, one can find the nocturnal Aye-aye foraging for grubs high in the canopy, a specific encounter that defines a stay at Palmarium.