Nosy Be

Nosy Be means ‘big island’ and it is the most popular holiday destination in Madagascar. The island developed a trade in tourism long before the mainland and can thus appear more commercialised than anywhere else in Madagascar. That said, it is the perfect island with an almost perfect climate, offering sun, sea and sand as well as lemurs and chameleons. Exotic scents such as ylang ylang and vanilla are in the air, there are local markets selling spices and local handicrafts.

Nosy Be and especially its surrounding small islands also have several options for real luxury accommodation which is not always easy to find in the rest of Madagascar. The diving around these smaller islands is considered to be amongst the best in Madagascar, especially at Nosy Tanikely which is a marine reserve. The island of Nosy Komba is home to the black lemur, making a fascinating excursion.