Ecolodge Chez Arol

Set against the edge of the Masoala Primary Forest, on Madagascar's northeast coast near the Bay of Antongil, Ecolodge Chez Arol works as a base for exploring one of the country's largest tracts of rainforest and marine parks. Seven en-suite cabins make up the whole property, each fitted with mosquito nets and hot water. It is a modest, working camp, not a resort. Guests reach it by motor launch from Maroantsetra, arriving through mangrove channels and along a coastline where beaches give way to dense forest. The surrounding park holds red ruffed lemurs, helmet vangas, leaf-tailed geckos and, at night, mouse lemurs and aye-ayes, tracked on guided walks that range from a few hours to multi-day treks. A short boat crossing reaches Nosy Mangabe, a forested island reserve, and the reef off Ambodiforaha offers snorkelling among coral gardens. The lodge sits within a village-run marine reserve, and its guides work alongside local associations on reforestation, rice cultivation and a solar-electricity scheme that now lights over a hundred homes nearby. Meals are taken in full board, cooked to order for guests returning from the trail. Nights carry the sound of the forest close by, cicadas and, occasionally, a calling lemur. Trips can run from a single day to a nine-day circuit through Masoala and Makira forests.