Baie de Baly National Park

Best known as the home of the critically endangered ploughshare tortoise, this remote park has dense dry, bamboo and mangrove forests, sand dunes and beaches, lakes and rivers. In addition to eight lemur species (Decken's sifaka and brown lemurs are most commonly sighted), the beaches are nesting grounds for green, hawksbill, Madagascar big-headed and loggerhead turtles. The four circuits through the park take from one to six hours; the longer circuits usually include a pirogue ride.