Imagine a lemur drawn by Quentin Blake – all pointy and scratchy, long bony fingers and goblin eyes. That’s what an aye-aye looks like. Apparently, there was one in a tree, fast asleep in a hole 15 metres above our heads. We were waiting for it to wake up. Head torches ready. Necks craning. Just one glimpse and I’d be happy. Just one glimpse of this nocturnal, elusive and most mysterious of all lemurs...
But the forest was flickering with lightning. I could feel the tension building in the muggy Malagasy evening air. Deep bass thunder mingled with the percussion of piping frogs and the whining falsetto of cicadas. The storm was minutes away.
“Wake up!” I silently urged the dozing creature high in the canopy above me. But even as I stared up at the branches, the first drops of rain struck my face, warm and heavy.
The island ark
Not all lemurs are as challenging to find as the aye-aye. Two weeks earlier, at the start of my wildlife odyssey in southern Madagascar, I had barely stepped foot in the rich, tropical stew of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park before indri began calling. It sounded like whale song in the forest: a siren cry, swelling, reverberating, holding the forest rapt with each melancholic note. Following my guide, William, along a vine-tangled path we soon found the singers – half a dozen piebald lemurs clutching tree trunks and fixing us with large, round, lemon-coloured eyes.
This story is from the July/August 2020 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
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This story is from the July/August 2020 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
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Vermont, USA
The Wanderlust team relocated to New England for part of this issue, as we explored a lush state filled with outdoor escapes, historic towns... and lashings of maple syrup
Unique North America
See a side to the USA and Canada beyond the big cities and discover incredible stories and special wildlife with our pick of the trips
The call of the Rockies
From historic ski lodges to rustic backcountry cabins and a mock-Scottish castle, we pick the stays in Canada's Rocky Mountains that make the most of their setting
A new dawn for the Garifuna community
When the Garifuna people settled in Belize, they had to carry their traditions and culture with them; now a new trail is inviting visitors to explore this heritage through local communities
On the edge of history
In south-west Colorado lies the largest archaeological preserve in the USA, a series of vast cliff dwellings whose residents 'vanished' overnight. But was the answer to their disappearance in plain sight?
Tigers burning bright
As India celebrates 50 years of its Project Tiger conservation scheme, we visit the reserves of Madhya Pradesh to see how its success has impacted a tiger population that once looked in danger of disappearing
SEASON'S GREETINGS
From fiery fall foliage to art fairs and harvest festivals, opens up a wealth of across the USA and Canada autumn experiences
Waking a sleeping GIANT
A slow drive along the North Wales Way, from the English border to Anglesey, reveals not only a land of incredible local food and castles, but a region that is slowly reimagining itself
The rebirth of old JEDDAH
As efforts to restore Al-Balad, Jeddah's historical district, take hold, we get an exclusive peek at how art and culture are taking centre stage
Star-studded escapes
Wilderness, history and wildlife combine at some of Britain's most iconic stargazing sites, as more and more travellers are looking to the heavens
