The African country with the most unique wildlife in the world | Africa | Travel

Africa is increasingly becoming a very popular travel destination for tourists from all around the world. Last year saw a surge in travellers to the continent, with some 74 million people choosing to take their holidays in Africa.

That figure represents a 7% increase from 2019 and is 12% higher than in 2023, according to data from UN Tourism. The top three visited countries in 2024 were Morocco (17.4m), Egypt (15.7m) and Tunisia (10.4m).

One country less well known but absolutely worth the visit is Madagascar, which attracted just over 126,000 people last year.

Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world’s fourth largest island, and the second-largest island country.

Gifted with a staggeringly beautiful landscape, it is filled with a breathtaking mix of rainforests, beaches, coral reefs and highland massifs, making it a paradise for lovers of nature and the great outdoors.

Although its infrastructure is a challenge, the rewards are well worth the inconveniences.

Visitors will discover unspoiled national parks and can watch whale sharks and humpbacks in their natural environment.

Madagascar has developed its own distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife since it split from the African continent an estimated 160 million years ago.

Roughly 95% of Madagascar’s reptiles, 89% of its plant life, and 92% of its mammals exist nowhere else on Earth.

There are more than 11,000 endemic plant species on the island, including seven of the baobab tree.

The island is also home to a vast variety of mammal, reptiles and amphibians.

Scientists even discovered 615 new species on the island between 1999 and 2010, which included 41 mammals and 61 reptiles.

Madagascar is home to the Silky Sifaka – a lemur, which is one of the rarest mammals on earth.

Its name — “angel of the forest” — refers to its beautiful and distinctive white fur.