Sainte Luce Reserve

The Sainte Luce Reserve is now open to welcome you to enjoy the spectacular beauty of Madagascar. Fort Dauphin is the closest town and the point of departure to reach the Sainte Luce Reserve. It can be reached by hiking, by 4-wheel-drive, by light aircraft, or any combination of those.

This Reserve has been established to contribute to the conservation of this extraordinary habitat, it being some of the very last absolute coastal forest left in the south east of Madagascar and one of the most critically endangered micro-habitats in the country.

The Sainte Luce Reserve is open to the public, via the agent Dadamanga s.a.r.l. in Fort Dauphin, for camping, research, and day visits. The Reserve is part of 450 of hectares of protected forest and wetlands and boasts kilometres of white-sand beaches. The promotion of this forest as a research site and campground completes the protected area and ensures the protection of the entire coastline as one intact tract of forest. Come, visit us, in May - June 2010 we will have bungalows, but for the moment the accommodation is strictly camping.

450 hectares of protected primary forest, on a peninsular nestled right on the edge of the Indian Ocean... a forest full of lemurs, chameleons, and abundant wildlife all protected by your visit... the western edge of the forest is surrounded by meandering sweet water crocodile habitat and protected wetlands. Local fishermen bring the daily catch of reef fish, mud crabs and lobsters. Night walks in the forest reveal many mysteries not observed in daylight. Days are spent lazing on white sand beaches and exploring the coastline or the forest, or taking pirogue rides through the orchid-laden mangrove-lined rivers.