No idea what Mamuka actually translates to, but we’ve decided it means “Lemurs and Tortoises.” We spent a couple of days during our EcoTour on “Lemur and Tortoise” Island and it was AWESOME.

Lemurs: Softer Than a Parrot

We walked into the village and immediately found the first tortoise. We fed it a few bananas, got some photos and measurements and then went in search of the lemurs. Nicholas and I thought that we’d have to hike through the forest and only see the lemurs from a distance. With this in mind, we made our way through the ten hut village of Mamuka. We got maybe thirty yards in when a lemur popped out from behind a hut. Then another. And another, climbing down from the trees. Soon, we were surrounded by lemurs. We counted six females, seven males.

Kara and a Cuddly New Friend

Abdou, our first mate on the catamaran, had brought bananas. He kept off in the distance, away from the lemurs, bananas tucked under his shirt. One by one we walked over to him, he sneakily handed us a banana and we returned to the lemurs who were immediately upon us. If you had a banana in your hand, the lemurs wanted to be on you. We were just trees bearing one fruit. They would jump from the ground, and climb onto our arms. They’d jump from trees and land on our shoulders. They’d eat from a shoulder top perch as well, which gave us ample time to pet their soft fur and get a few squishes in. It was awesome.

We found the other tortoise later. It was just as big as the first, and had to be coaxed out of the forest behind the village. He got some bananas and love as well before we returned to the beach for one more lemur squish and then head back to the boat.

Giving the Tortoise Some Love