Northern Madagascar

It's as if Madagascar had conspired to provide a microcosm of its myriad travel experiences all in one place: here you'll find the isolated Sava region with its wild coastline and vanilla-scented air, the relatively sophisticated city of Diego Suarez and the country's premier beach destination, Nosy Be. Travellers will revel in the region’s diverse national parks while activity junkies will be spoilt for choice with everything from diving to kitesurfing.

You'll find more sea-based activities than you’ll have time to try in Nosy Be, excellent seafood and idyllic scenery. It couldn’t be more different from the mainland – here arid plains are fringed with lush ylang-ylang, vanilla and coconut plantations, while parks large and small feature strange geological formations, rainforests and rare species.

The region also hosts some of Madagascar’s flagship cultural events, the Donia, Zegny’Zo and the Nosy Be Jazz Festival – unique chances to discover Malagasy artists.