©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Northern Madagascar Why Go? Nosy Be ..........................121 If you’re unable to decide between a discovery trip and a ‘lace Hell-Ville (Andoany) .......127 up your boots and forge a new trail’ kind of trip, you’ll love Ambatoloaka................. 130 travel in Northern Madagascar. Activity junkies will be spoilt Nosy Komba ...................133 for choice with everything from diving to kitesurfi ng, while all travellers will revel in the region’s diverse landscapes. Ankify ............................ 136 The area around Nosy Be is Madagascar’s premier beach Ambilobe ....................... 136 destination, with exquisite lodges, more sea-based activities Diego Suarez than you’ll have time to try, excellent seafood and idyllic (Antsiranana) ................137 scenery. It couldn’t be more diff erent from the mainland, Ramena ......................... 144 where arid plains, strange geological formations and wind- La Mer d’Emeraude .......145 battered coastline lend the place a frontier feel. As for the Joff reville ........................146 SAVA region, those who make it to this isolated part of the Parc National Montagne country will be rewarded with world-class trekking through d’Ambre ..........................147 primordial rainforest. Parc National de The region also hosts Madagascar’s fl agship cultural l’Ankarana ......................148 events, the Donia and Zegny’Zo – unique chances to dis- Parc National de cover Malagasy artists. Marojejy .........................152 When to Go Best Places to Eat Hell-Ville °C/°F Te m p Rainfall inches/mm » La Table d’Alexandre (p 133 ) 40/104 20/500 » Le Melville (p 141 ) 30/86 16/400 » Les Bungalows 12/300 d’Ambonara (p 128 ) 20/68 10/50 8/200 » Chez Mama (p 131 ) 0/32 4/100 -10/14 0 Best Places to J FDNOSAJJMAM Stay May–Jun The Jul–Sep Hump- May–Nov » Eden Lodge (p 137 ) Donia and Zegny’- back whales make Access to the » Camp Two, Parc National Zo festivals bring their annual visit western part of de Marojejy (p 153 ) together artists to Madagascar Parc National » Le Grand Bleu (p132 ) from across and can be seen de l’Ankarana is Madagascar. around Nosy Be. guaranteed. » Tsara Komba (p 134 ) 121 8 Getting There & Away for refugees, merchants and settlers of all Nosy Be is the only airport outside Antananarivo descriptions. (Tana) to have direct fl ights to France (with Air In 1839, the Sakalava queen Tsiomeko Madagascar) and Italy (charter fl ights). There fl ed to Nosy Be and turned to the French are also direct fl ights from Nosy Be and Diego for help in resisting her Merina enemies. In Suarez (Antsiranana) to the neighbouring is- 1841, the Sakalava ceded both Nosy Be and lands of the Comoros and Réunion. neighbouring Nosy Komba to France. Air Madagascar (%82 211 93; www.air-madagas In recent years, with increasing tourism car.com) fl ies daily from Nosy Be and Diego development and local environmental pres- Suarez to Antananarivo. sures, deforestation has become a problem Sailing yachts regularly come into Nosy Be, on the island, as has destruction and dam- and many are prepared to take passengers. age of off shore coral reefs. Their principal destinations are the Comoran is- land of Mayotae, Mozambique and South Africa. Dangers & Annoyances The road journey from Diego Suarez to Antan- The biggest scam in Nosy Be is the sale of anarivo (Ar50,000, 24 hours) is a long and ardu- so-called ‘direct transfers’ from Nosy Be to ous one. To/from the east, expect a day of pot- Diego Suarez. Touts and agencies will claim holes between Vohémar (Iharana) and Ambilobe. that after the boat trip from Nosy Be to An- kify, you will be whisked away in a comfort- able minibus, all for a mere Ar80,000. Don’t NOSY BE fall for it: standard taxis-brousses (bush taxis) are all you’ll fi nd in Ankify. So resist Despite being Madagascar’s number-one all off ers on Nosy Be, take the boat to Ankify beach destination, the island of Nosy Be re- (Ar10,000) and once in Ankify, choose your mains relatively low-key. It’s the most expen- taxi-brousse (Ar30,000) as you would at any sive destination in Madagascar, and rooms taxi-brousse station (the one in best condi- can cost twice as much here as on the main- tion and/or the fullest). land. Still, compared to Europe, prices are NORTHERN MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR NORTHERN competitive (except for the most exclusive MADAGASCAR NORTHERN Activities resorts), and many visitors fi nd the lack of 2 major development and mora mora (literally, Nosy Be has a plethora of activities. Most slowly slowly) lifestyle worth the extra euros. are sea-based (diving, snorkelling, day trips The climate is sunny year-round, and to islands etc), but operators have also start- Nosy Be is paradise for water-based activi- ed to off er activities to explore the island’s ties. Diving is the island’s top draw, but there beautiful hinterland. is plenty of swimming, snorkelling and sail- Diving ing for those keen to stay close to the surface. Nosy Be and the surrounding islands are Once you’ve had enough of seascapes, head home to a rich diversity of marine life and of- for the rolling landscapes of the little-explored fer world-class diving. Boxfi sh, surgeonfi sh, NOSY BE NOSY hinterland: as well as the brilliant Réserve Na- triggerfi sh, damselfi sh, clown fi sh, yellowfi n ACTIVITIES turelle Intégrale de Lokobe, there are cocoa, tuna, barracuda, eagle rays, manta rays and ylang-ylang and vanilla plantations, crater humpback whales (July to September only) lakes and waterfalls, and miles of dirt tracks can all be spotted. Around Nosy Sakatia accessible only by foot or quad bike. you’re likely to see clown fi sh, barracuda, tur- Despite all these assets, Nosy Be can have tles, and perhaps dolphins and whale sharks. a bad name as the capital of sex tourism. It’s On average, visibility on dives is about true that Ambatoloaka is seedy in places but it 15m year-round – much more on good days. is by no means representative of the whole is- The best months are April to December. July land, and defi nitely not of the surrounding is- and August can be windy, especially to the lands, which are all tiny, remote and heavenly. north around Nosy Mitsio. The best months It’s also worth knowing that tourism op- for seeing whale sharks are October and No- erators and the authorities in Nosy Be have vember, while manta rays are more prevalent come down hard on prostitution and that from April to June and October to November. perpetrators face heavy prison sentences. Most operators run daily morning trips History long enough for two dives, with boats leav- Nosy Be’s fi rst inhabitants are believed to ing around 8am and getting back in time for have been 15th-century Swahili and Indian lunch. Prices are about €40 for a baptême traders. Later, the island served as a magnet (fi rst dive), €40/70 for one/two dives with .