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Why Is Nosy Be So Popular

Dreamy beaches, remote isolated islands, deep blue skies, opalescent waters, tropical wilds, cocoa plantations – enough to tempt you to visit the Nosy Be archipelago in the North of Madagascar? There are paradisiacal islands all over the Indian Ocean; but what makes Nosy be special is the combination of exquisite nature and civilization (meaning people). You can hide away on an isolated remote piece of heaven. But if your heart longs for breaks from loneliness – you have multiple options around! Enjoy the night life of Nosy Be, explore an exotic forest or visit one of the plantations – cocao, ylang ylang or sugarcane!

Nosy Be means “big island” in Malagasy. Walk through this island and scents of ylang ylang, coffee, cocao, vanilla, pepper and sugarcane float in the air. This gives the island the name “Nosy Mantira” – meaning ‘perfumed island’. Ylang Ylang is a flower used in the production of perfumes.

Nosy Be is the largest of the 20 odd islands in the namesake archipelago in North Madagascar. Each of these islands is a destination: exquisite resorts, snorkelling, diving, water sports or just a scenic indulgent experience!

What to do in Nosy Be?
Besides lounging on the golden beaches and getting a tan; there is a lot more you can experience in Nosy be.

1. Explore the Island of Nosy Be
For the adventurous soul, one viable option would be to hire a quad bike and explore the small island. Search for Crater lakes, waterfalls, hills and navigate miles of dirt tracks! Spots recommended for visit include – but do make your own itinerary!

Andilana: One of the popular local beaches on the northwest tip. A long stretch of clear white sand, ideally for swimming and slow-watching sunsets.

Mt Passot: Nosy Be’s highest point, northwest of the Island. It is a good spot for admiring sunsets and the sweeping panorama. Also a great spot to visit the Crater lakes.

2. Visit the Plantations and distilleries
While exploring Nosy Be, ensure you visit one of the ylang-ylang or vanilla plantations. Lemuria Land is one of them with its plantations on beautiful hillsides reaching out to the Mangroves on the sea. In addition, a visit to a cocoa plantation (also across on the Madagascar mainland beyond Ankify) would be a lesson in the origins of our favourite chocolate. And yes, also possible (and exciting) to visit one of the many Rhum distilleries on the island.

3. Explore the food and nightlife of Nosy Be
Come evening, if the peace of nature sounds too deafening, visit the villages of Ambataloaka or Hell-Ville on the Island for a vibrant atmosphere of restaurants and bars. Ending the day with Malagasy food washed down with Dzama rhum in one of the beach restaurants would be a perfect ending to a weary day! We recommend the Beach bar and Hotel Sarimonok in Ambataloaka village.

4. Active holidays: Water adventures
In such beautiful tropical islands, water adventures cannot be ignored. Start with a simple boat ride or ride in a pirogue across the pristine turquoise waters of the archipelago. For the swimmers, of course there are many options for snorkelling and deep-sea diving near the many islands around Nosy Be.

5. Fishing Trips
A fan of fishing in the high seas? Nosy Be offers ‘affordable’ opportunities to charter great boats for the ultimate sea-fishing experience. Fish for barracudas, yellow fin tuna, bonitos, various types of grouper, red snapper, shark, sailfish and Marlins as well!