Lemurs of Madagascar: Behind the shot

Before the trip to Madagascar, people kept on asking me why are you going there? What is there to see in Madagascar? Let’s admit it, Madagascar is surely not a top-notch tourist destination and I chose it as my honeymoon destination. Although this island is not very well connected, like other nearby renowned destinations like the Seychelles and Mauritius, I was truly determined to make this trip. The reason behind this is primarily BBC’s documentary which I get never tired of watching, especially the cute lemurs of Madagascar. Moreover I tend to be attracted to the unusual and Madagascar is surely not a destination for everyone. You have to be ready to face some interesting challenges, like the chaotic roads of Antananarivo bustling of people and markets, the disastrous road conditions and also the lack of electricity in most parts of the island. But the reward was truly awesome since I had close encounters with one of the most curious mammals on Earth – the lemurs of Madagascar!

These extremely cute creatures are endemic of this island, which is the fourth largest in the world. These primates evolved in a unique way and have adapted to the seasonal environment they live in, and this is what makes them unique. In Madagascar there nearly 100 different species of lemurs, from bamboo lemurs, to ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, crowned lemurs, nocturnal lemurs and the larger Indri. Spotting them and getting close was not an easy job, especially in Andasibe rainforest the terrain was extremely difficult. It was raining all the time, there was mud all over the place and with these conditions lemurs tend to seek shelter. However we were lucky to spot some of these wonderful creatures and get really close as well in certain instances. These are my favourite shots of various lemurs and also a couple of behind the scenes photos of myself trying to capture the following images. You can also go here to view my complete gallery of Madagascar.