Northern Madagascar
This is one of Madagascar’s flagship parks. Consisting of more than 550 sq km of pristine mountainous rainforest, it covers the Marojejy massif, an area…
Must-see attractions in Northern Madagascar
Nosy Be
Far and away Nosy Be’s best beach, Andilana, at the island’s northwest tip, is a long stretch of pearly white sand, with water that’s true azure and clear…
Réserve Spéciale Anjanaharibe-Sud
Réserve Spéciale Anjanaharibe Sud
A place of outstanding beauty and solitude, this little-visited 286-sq-km reserve is the northernmost outpost of the black indri. It is also home to the…
Parc National Montagne d’Ambre
Northern Madagascar
This wonderful national park is literally a breath of fresh air from the arid northern plains: at 1000m, it is generally 10°C cooler than Diego or…
Parc National Marin de Nosy Tanikely
Nosy Be
Nosy Tanikely is a protected marine reserve 10km south of Nosy Be. It's one of the best snorkelling sites in the area, with coral, numerous fish and sea…
Northern Madagascar
Located 60km south of Diego Suarez, then 20km east, this camp is perched on a ridge overlooking the rainforest. This is the last refuge of the black…
Northern Madagascar
This striking and undeveloped fantasy land is home to uniquely Malagasy sights: psychedelic fields of spiky tsingy (limestone pinnacle formations) next to…
Nosy Be
The gorgeous Nosy Iranja, southwest of Nosy Be, consists of two islands: larger, inhabited Nosy Iranja Be (about 2 sq km) and tiny Nosy Iranja Kely (0.13…
Nosy Be
On a small bay just north of Madirokely, Ambondrona is more tranquil than its southern neighbours, with lovely views of the mainland hills across the sea.
Northern Madagascar
This beautiful plantation, established in 1904, is a leading producer of organic cocoa, spices and essential oils, and a visit to this little slice of…
Northern Madagascar
One of Madagascar’s most awesome natural wonders, these scraggly pinnacles – erosion’s work of art – are made of laterite, an iron oxide–rich soil with an…
Northern Madagascar
Meaning 'hill of perfumes', the Domaine d'Ambohimanitra produces various types of vanilla on its 60 hectares along with cinnamon, ravintsara, allspice and…
Northern Madagascar
This enormous coconut plantation extends across 50 sq km, where the trees march away into the distance in strict lines. On the two-hour visit you will see…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
Set in a cyclone-ravaged Creole house in the French residential quarter, the Jardin Tropical provides a welcome, leafy green space in the centre of town…
Nosy Be
Mt Passot (329m), Nosy Be’s loftiest point, lies about 15km northwest of Hell-Ville (two-hour drive). It’s a good spot for admiring sunsets and the…
Réserve National d'Antanetiambo
Andapa
Just 6km north of Andapa, this reserve is supported by the Lemur Conservation Foundation and run by Désiré Rabary. You can spot northern bamboo lemurs and…
Nosy Be
This is a truly beautiful plantation full of ylang-ylang trees climbing up the hillsides, with mangroves along the river. The entrance fee includes the…
Northern Madagascar
The affable Jean Michel Besinoa delights in showing off his 70,000-sq-metre plantation featuring cocoa, pepper, ginger, two types of turmeric and various…
Nosy Be
On the coast beyond tiny Mahatsinjo village, there's an enormous sacred banyan tree planted by the Queen of the Sakalava tribe in 1836. Nowadays, the…
Northern Madagascar
In this small park, the black lemurs are wild, but locals feed them bananas so that the animals will eat off your hand or jump on your shoulder for that…
Northern Madagascar
This NGO protects the environment by planting indigenous forest trees and spices in its nursery. Tours of the 40,000-sq-metre site are led by Jean-Pascal…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
'Here died two brave Japanese sailors on 3 June 1942' reads the inscription on the memorial erected by the Japanese Embassy 30 years later. The sailors,…
Northern Madagascar
In peak vanilla season (June to January), this is an interesting place to learn about processing vanilla in the large workroom at the back of the shop. It…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
Once a magnificent hotel overlooking the sea, the Hôtel des Mines is now in ruins. Built in the early 1900s by Frenchman Alphonse Mortages who made his…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
The former Governer's residence, now administrative offices, was first built in 1897. Overlooking the sea, it was often battered by cyclones and parts…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
In 1898 the Cassam Chenaï family of Gujerat arrived in Diego Suarez. Mamodaly opened his ever popular shop 10 years later. Members of the family are still…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
A fine example of colonial architecture, the Tribunal is an imposing building that still operates as the courthouse. It was built in 1907.
Northern Madagascar
This place, 7km north of Ambanja, is easy to miss: there's just an 'I' for Information sign outside. But it's worth meeting Cyril for a wander through his…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
During French colonial times, areas of Diego Suarez south of Pl Foch were less inhabited by the French and much more Malagasy. The Tsena is the largest of…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
Diego Suarez's Roman Catholic cathedral was built in 1909 to replace the previous wooden church destroyed by the terrible cyclone of 1894. The bell tower…
Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
The lighthouse at the end of Rue Richelieu guards the bay of Diego Suarez.
Nosy Be
Parc National Lokobe protects most of Nosy Be’s remaining endemic vegetation. The reserve is home to the black lemur (the male is dark brown, almost black…
Northern Madagascar
Founded to protect flora and fauna and to support local villages, Loky Manambato's forests spectacularly host around 1000 critically endangered golden…
Andapa
Ambodimanga village, 10.5km south of Andapa, is one of several villages participating in this project. Help with agricultural chores, watch dancing, learn…
Northern Madagascar
Billed as a botanical hiking trail, Macolline is an arboretum on the banks of the River Ankavanana, 3km north of Antalaha. Guided walks of three to six…
Northern Madagascar
This plateau has surprising views: you can see Ambilobe in the west, and even the islands of Nosy Be and Nosy Mitsio in the Mozambique Channel. From the…
Northern Madagascar
Reaching this turret-shaped tsingy will take about three to four hours and is an easy walk. You will need to cross a small river during the wet season…
Northern Madagascar
Getting here will take about seven hours of quite difficult hiking over the tsingy (limestone pinnacle formations) itself. But the landscape is the reward…
Northern Madagascar
A massive rock chasm into which three of the park’s rivers plunge during the rainy season (they emerge 20km later in the Mozambique Channel). It's an easy…
Northern Madagascar
Andrafiabe takes about five hours to reach from the western entrance to the park and is moderately difficult. Both the underground cave and the 'cathedral…
