Ambanja

The town of Ambanja is in northwestern Madagascar about 265 km south of Antsiranana along RN6, the popular tourist route to Nosy Be. Secondary forests near Ambanja offer opportunities to view the northern giant mouse lemur (Mirza zaza), which appears to be especially abundant in abandoned cashew orchards. The northern bamboo lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis) can also be be encountered in forests along the Sambirano River valley near the village of Benavony, southeast of Ambanja, and on the Nosy Faly Peninsula, approximately 30 km northeast of Ambanja. The Sambirano fork-marked lemur (Phaner parienti) can be seen in this region as well, sometimes even along the main roads at night. There are simple hotels in Ambanja and better ones, such as the Hotel Dauphin Bleu, about 25 km to the west in Ankify.