Lokobe Reserve
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Nosy Be, Madagascar
- 9 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore nature in different forms when you join this tour to Lokobe reserve. Our tour guide will pick you up from your hotel for this private full-day tour. We will drive through the fields of Ylang Ylang, and then proceed on a canoe ride to cross to the village of Ampasipohy. Hike around the park to discover different animals, including snakes, lemurs, chameleons, and more. Lastly, you'll enjoy tasty meals for lunch in the village.
- Explore Lokobe reserve and nature experience
- Ride in a canoe to get to the village of Ampasipohy
- Discover the smallest chameleon in the world
- Enjoy a tasty lunch in the village
What's Included
- Lunch
- Private transportation
- All Fees and Taxes
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
If you are a passenger on a cruise ship, we will put your name on a sign at the port of Hell ville, Nosy Be.
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Lokobe Nature Special Reserve
5 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level
- Not recommended for people who are not used to walking or doing physical effort
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Michele_G
We got off to a rocky start. Our tour guide didn’t show up, but they quickly found us a new guide who was amazing!! We stopped all along the route to see plants, trees and chameleons along the road. We headed out to the reserve and experienced so many lemurs in their natural surroundings. The boats were very cool and we got a bit of our workout in paddling across. Lunch was amazing and the children even gave us a tickle massage in exchange for some gum. 100% recommend!
Reviews
4.7
based on 43 reviews
suave_L, May 2026
Great experience exploring the jungle -meet a friendly lemur, see a chameleon or cool-off in a waterfall pool.
Matthew_G, May 2026
We met Appolino immediately after getting to Port. Extremely friendly, informative, and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the ride to the beach area and loaded into a handmade canoe, we were then towed by boat to the Isle of Lemurs Nature Preserve. The locals were very friendly upon our arrival and washed our feet off. The walk through the jungle was a nice pace. We had 2 guides that could spot anything. Tiny chameleons, frogs, geckos that looked exactly like the tree, boas, and of course the beautiful lemurs. My wife had several crawling on her arms and shoulders. They were incredibly soft. We held the boa around our shoulders. My wife took a dip under the waterfall which was the runoff from the mountain. Absolutely beautiful. Held the chameleons. Too much to write. After getting back we were served an incredible authentic Malagasi meal, fish, shrimp, beef skewers, coconut, and fruits. They were funny and energetic. We've traveled frequently as well as 8 other cruises. This was my wife's favorite and I had to agree. If you want to see Madagascar in a day, this is it. Thank you Yemaya, Appalino, and his fellow guide.
mickycarter2, Nov 2025
An excellent day trip, with very knowledgeable guides who managed to spot a lot of camouflaged creatures.Be sure to bring insect repellent, good walking shoes and a lot of small notes of local currency as there is an expectation of a tip, by the local children, for services like rinsing feet, assisting with the boat etc.
Some tissues and wet wipes are also recommended as the toilet facilities are limited but also for cleaning your hands after the delicious local lunch.
Larry, May 2025
Booked this tour with Viator as an shore excursion on a cruise ship. I had received an initial email from the tour operator about the pick up which said someone would meet us when we got off the ship. We arrived at the correct time and place but could find no one waiting for us. I asked around the other tour operators that were there if they know if someone was Yemaya Tours was around but no one knew anything. We even tried calling the number given by the tour operator but that number was dead. Finally after about an hour, another tour operator approached us and said that they knew the Yemaya people and that they could not make it to the port but that they had made alternate arrangements for us and asked us to go with a free lance tour guide and operator. I asked this free lancer if he could let me talk with the Yemaya people. I then did talk to someone who said they were from Yemaya and they said to go with this tour guide, however, the person I talked to could not verify my name or booking number. At that point I thought I was being scammed. I insisted that we were not going to pay more money. After much discussion, we decide to take a chance and went with this free lancer, Don was his name. The tour actually ended up being very good. Don provided much information about the island and during the jungle walk we did see lemurs, a boa constrictor (very close up) and chameleons. Be warned the trek through the jungle was on narrow paths, steep sections and loose rock. It is at least a moderate hike and good supportive foot wear is recommend. We also had to row out to the jungle site for about 30 min but we did get towed back. Also be warned that you will get wet up to your knees in getting to the canoe. The meal after the jungle was the best part. It almost made up for the confusion at the port but throughout the trip I was expecting them to ask us for more money. Fortunately, that did not happen and we got back to the port OK. However, the stress and confusion at the port ruined what could have been a 5 star day.
Michele_G, May 2025
We got off to a rocky start. Our tour guide didn’t show up, but they quickly found us a new guide who was amazing!! We stopped all along the route to see plants, trees and chameleons along the road. We headed out to the reserve and experienced so many lemurs in their natural surroundings. The boats were very cool and we got a bit of our workout in paddling across. Lunch was amazing and the children even gave us a tickle massage in exchange for some gum. 100% recommend!
Joe_B, Mar 2025
Our day started by meeting our lead guide, Appolino, at the pier. From there we walked a short distance to our waiting driver who drove us to Ambatozavavy. Along the way Appolino taught us basic facts about life, culture, history and wildlife of Madagascar.
Once we arrived in Ambatozavavy, we met another naturalist guide, Roger, who joined us for a canoe ride to Ampasipohy where we began our hike into Lokobe Reserve.
Between Roger and Appolino, they share an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and animals of Lokobe. They took turns narrating our hike where we would stop along the way to learn about yet one of their many endemic species using both common and scientific names.
We were fortunate to see a menagerie of animals including, but not limited to black and mouse lemurs, Madagascar ground boa, brown mantella frog, brown leaf chameleon, leaf tailed chameleon and even the world’s smallest chameleon brookesia nana!
Along the way we enjoyed a welcomed stop at a cascading waterfall where we were able to refresh and recharge. Then it was time to hike back to Ampasipohy to our waiting canoe and make our way back to Ambatozavavy.
In Ambatozavavy we enjoyed a family style lunch with Appolino who explained what each dish was. We were lucky to enjoy today’s fresh catch of barracuda, shrimp, Madagascar mangrove crab and more.
Following lunch we reconnected with our driver who drove us back to the pier with Appolino who shared more information about his country and Malagasy lifestyle.
We were surprised to learn Appolino’s English language was self-taught. His command of English, knowledge and easy going professional style is an asset as a tour guide.
Bogdan_C, Dec 2024
We came by the NCL cruise boat to Hell Ville on Nosy Be, and Frank, our guide, was already waiting for us. I should mention that the communication with Yamaya's tour company before our visit to Madagascar was incredible. Immediately after booking via Viaotor, he contacted us and made sure about all details of our visit. Thus, we felt so informed and sure that all would go fine with our tour. Frank was just a fantastic, enthusiastic guide. He and our driver would even stop on the road when a chameleon or a particular flower was spotted. We came to the fishermen village which is the base for the boat trip to Lokobe reserve. Besides Frank, the local guys from the village helped us row their traditional wooden pirogue canoes to come to the reserve. The hike through the jungle was fantastic per se, as the terrain is so scenic, passing over several creeks. We saw numerous endemic plants and animals, besides the famous lemurs. After coming back to the village by boat (on a way back they used a motor boat in order to save the time), we had a delicious lunch of grilled fish, squid and meet. Also, a delicious fruits. Overall, it was just a fantastic experience with the most memorable rowing of my life! Thank to you, Frank, and your helpers!
Adrian_W, Dec 2024
Superb. Wonderful. The best experience possible. The tuk tuk ride from the cruise terminal was fun. The canoe ride even better, but the jungle trek was inspirational - hot, sweaty but well worth the effort. Our guide was first class. The lunch provided was excellent. Thank you for a memorable and wonderful day.
James_S, Nov 2022
First we were driven to a place to have some fruit and wait for our canoe. There was a room with a toilet but no sink or way to wash our hands. Then we had to board a canoe, ours had a motor on it, others did not. Those guests had to paddle. After 15 minutes we landed on the reserve. This excursion was very much more strenuous than advertised. We walked up and down steep hilly areas with rocks, tree roots, and vegetation to contend with. Our guide was terrific in keeping me upright. I couldn’t have done with without his helping hand. We saw a few lemurs, an owl, and a boa constrictor in addition to chameleons and insects. On the way back, our motor ran out of gas, and out came the paddles. We were served lunch at the same place where we had fruit. We were on an excursion from a cruise ship, and we told our guide we had to be on the last tender to our ship before 2 pm. It was about 2:10 when we got there, but they let us get on the tender. That was much too close for comfort.
Thesa_K, Nov 2022
The lemurs came really close, which was nice.
This excursion is very nice and the guides are great!
This trail is not for people in a wheel chair or similar, because you have to walk on rocks, climb a little and walk on really small pathways.. Don't forget to bring mosquito repellent and water!
Carlo_F, Aug 2025
Beautiful boating in pirogue of about 30 minutes. Then I ride in the forest among lemurs, frogs, geckos and chameleons. Very interesting. The only thing would have been nicer to have lunch at the lodges instead of the starting village. Prepared guides
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Sarah_E, Aug 2024
Man geht leider nicht sehr weit in den Nationalpark hinein, sondern bleibt nur auf ein extra hierfür gedachte Wege.
Der englischsprachige Guide von Fossa war super, leider war der im Lokobe Park angestellte Guide etwas mürrisch. Er hat uns aber sehr viele der Tiere zeigen können.
Ein Highlight war, dass wir zum Park in einem traditionellen Boot paddeln konnten.
RAYMOND_C, Feb 2024
Excursion bien organisée, bien accompagnée ... Les guides Frank et Roger étaient formidables, très compétents, très accueillant et très rassurant! Chauffeur idem!
la visite était bien équilibrée par rapport au temps disponible, avec une bonne alternance trajet en voiture, passage en pirogue, visite du parc Lokobé, repas et retour au port! même le petit contre-temps dû à une petite panne de voiture a été très bien maîtrisé!
Nous avons ainsi pu voir tout ce qui était proposé dans l'annonce, grace à nos guides nous avons pu voir tous les animaux "au programme" : Lémuriens de jour et de nuit, serpents, grenouilles naines, caméléons grands et petits, etc. .... et en plus un petit bain rafraichissant dans le bassin sous la cascade!
merveilleuse et mémorable journée !
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Bonjour.
Contente de vous avoir aperçu ce jour là en mode express à votre sortie du port et surtout ravie de lire que vous avez apprécié votre excursion avec nous. Vous narrez si bien, merci pour ce beau descriptif.
Et même vous me faites découvrir des nouveautés ( un bain rafraîchissant dans un bassin sous une cascade)
Encore merci de nous avoir choisi. Bonne continuation.
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From $83.87
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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