On our last day in Andasibe we hired bicycles from Marie and rode to Vakona Lodge. Although the bikes looked good we quickly realized they were just holding together. Lets say we had a fun time cycling about 10km to Vakona Lodge from Marie’s Guesthouse. We had lunch there which was lovely, it was a bit more expensive ($10 meals) than other restaurants in the area, but was worth it. The restaurant is set in a lovely garden with a lake, and we sat there for hours just soaking it up.

After lunch we visited the lemur park (15 000Ar). We had mixed feelings about this place. We had heard many rumors from the locals and other tourists about how the lemurs are treated and the way in which the park was managed. The lemurs had been far removed from their natural habitat. Their behavior had changed; they were comfortable around people and had been fed to please the tourists. It was however a great experience to get really up close and personal with the lemurs – they were sitting on our shoulders and climbing all over us.  Some of the lemurs you will see at Vakona:

Eastern lesser bamboo lemur

Black and white ruffed lemur

Common brown lemur

Diademed sifaka

There is also a crocodile park that homes a fossa, that we did not visit. We had heard the fossa is locked in a small cage and considering we had seen them in the wild decided not to go.  Their hotel is set in lovely surroundings, food was fantastic and seeing the lemurs so close was really awesome. We just couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy about the place considering some of the things we had seen and heard.

A huge thunderstorm started just as we were leaving and we rode home with our hearts in our chests, lightning and thunder sooo close. We didn’t feel too comfortable on metal bikes, but there was nowhere to shelter so we just legged it. To top it off the brake cable snapped on Alex’s bike and sent him flying down the hill. Thankfully we made it back safe and in one piece, phew!