Not to be confused with the Réserve Forestière de Kirindy, the deliciously remote 72,200-hectare Parc National de Kirindy-Mitea, which surrounds Belo-sur-Mer, is one of Madagascar’s newest parks and it's well worth the effort to get here. The main draw at Kirindy-Mitea is the birdlife – 58 species in total, 18 of which are endemic to the region – although there are also nine lemur species, as well as reptiles.
Of the lemur species, only three are easily seen by day: Verreaux's sifaka, the red-fronted brown lemur and the ring-tailed lemur. The nocturnal species include Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur (the world's smallest primate), fork-marked lemur, grey mouse lemur, Coquerel's dwarf lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur and red-tailed sportive lemur. Also present, if rarely seen, is the fossa.
There are three hiking circuits through the park, as well as the possibility of doing a pirogue trip (Ar35,000) along the estuary and the mangrove.