Ambanja - even the name sounds magical! If you like riding bikes,ecotours, visting cocoa plantations,vanilla,banana,pineapple,cinammon and cashew plants this is the place.The best time of year for this is May to Nov/Dec as any other time is the rainy season.This can be combined with a Nosy be vacation as it is only about four/five hours in length.The problem is the boat ride from Nosy be to Ankify is calm in the morning but very rough and dangerous later in the evening. The hotel I stayed at is the Nord Inn hotel located on the main drag in Ambanja where the market sellers are set up along the road.This hotel is a short walk to Chez patricia restaraunt where all the western type tourists seem to gather.Dont be put off by the looks of the place as the food is excellent and very reasonable.There is a ATM on the same street as the Nord Inn hotel.
The tour guide is a young Malagasy man named "Francisco" who speaks french,malagasy and english.He will also supply a bicycle for a total fee of 40,000 Ar.He is also a part time farmer and knows every part of the cocoa growing and harvesting process.He can answer any question you throw at him while he explains the three types of cocoa.His number is +261(0)320425499 in Ambanja. Or you may contact Vanessa tel# 0325897311 at chez patricia restaraunt in town, she is very helpful if you need it. I highly recommend the tour!
Nosy be - If arriving at Fascene airport without a hotel reservation, try staying at the plantation in Hellville.Its central location, Shampion supermarket, internet cafe, town market are all within two blocks. Walking the other direction (towards the port) is the Oasis cafe (free wifi) and ATM machine.Bring a small flashlight as power outages can last 8 hrs. I like the rechargeable batteries with a european (two pin) charger. If you pay for an Air conditioned room and the electricity quits, if the hotel has a backup generator, the A/C is not wired to come back on, usually just the lights, if that much.
The hotel I stayed at after looking around and checking vacancies was the Aviavy hotel directly on the beach in Madinkely.The hotel owner, a woman, gave us a room when many hotels did not want to fool with a non french speaking person."Aviavy" in malagasy means "fiscus tree" which there is a extremely large and old tree directly behind the hotel.One of the guide books said a Swiss man was the owner of the the hotel, I showed the woman this and she said "he is only an associate with the fishing boats" and that she is the sole owner.This hotel also has secluded villas on a remote island quite a distance away for those interested.We also took a day long fishing trip with this hotel.
The ylang ylang tour is 25000 AR for tourists and 5000 for locals.It is about 2 hours long with a guide speaking in the language of your choice.They have set up a small zoo with lemurs,chameleons, etc.The actual tour of the distillation plant is only about 20 mins in length.
There is a small cocoa plantation on Nosy be if you just keep following the same road past the ylang ylang plant turn off point. There is a sign on the left hand side of the main road that says 2km cocoa plantation.Just follow that small dirt road and it lead you to the small plantation. There is a caretaker living there in a small house.
I hope this information has been of use to someone, somewhere on this Lonely Planet.
Bhorton, Thanks for your detailed reports which are interesting and helpful to me. I hope to be returning to the north in September time next year and Nosy Be is now on my list to visit. I stayed for one night at the Nord in 2010 as I was passing through on the way south. From what you write it would be worthwhile staying longer in Ambanja and having a look round. Again thanks for your posts.
I spent 5 months in and around Diego and Loved it there. I had a house but did visit hotel de la poste to do work at sunset. The rooms were pretty good there too. The Melville restaurant served great food. Also visit Cyril at Bodegas at the bottom end of Rue Colbert. L'etincelle also gets quite lively and does good food. La Vahine is also a popular spot with expats and opens late. Nouvel hotel is the most lively nightclub. Be cautious of the ladies in there. There is actulaay a good selection of bars and restaurants around town. One of your best options to get to cap D'ambre is on quad bikes, go and see Phillipe in his brightly coloured shop opposite the grand hotel, he speaks good english and knows the area well.
To get away from it a bit go to Ramena 45min taxi brusse ride. Chez Bruno os the place to stay, however there are more budget accomodation along the beach. If you like diving visit Daniel at MadaScaph dive centre, he knows plenty of good spots. you can also do nice day boat trips to the emaurald sea. Kite surfing is also a popular sport here.
Although Nosy Be is the main tourist spot, for me it hasn't lost any of its charm, theres plenty to do here. Diving is good. Nnosy Komba is worth a visit. I was here about 6 weeks but mostly working, certainly reccomend it. would love to be back in Mada.
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