Nosy Be as an island is fairly ‘meh’, most people come to Nosy Be to then venture out to the smaller surrounding islands which is exactly what we did too. Each day we would head out via boat to explore various beaches, reefs, islands and to spot all the marine life we could find.
The first of these islands that we visited was Nosy Iranja. This is easily the most well known and popular island in the archipelago due to its stunning sandbar that acts as a walkway between islands. It is uber touristy and is a much longer boat ride from Nosy Be than you’d expect but boy, when you get there you can understand the popularity.
The pristine powdery sands and borderline iridescent turquoise waters are truly a sight to behold! As an Aussie, I feel like beaches have to be pretty beautiful for me to get excited because I have grown up a stone’s throw away from some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world and let me tell you, Nosy Iranja certainly didn’t disappoint.
Suns out, buns outI frolicked around in the water for a little while and then we commenced our walk to the trees at the end of the sandbar – the Malagasy sun is no joke and I am still traumatised from the awful sunburn I got in the Comoros in 2018!
We then climbed a short way to this beautiful viewpoint. Now, if you have a drone, this is certainly the place to use it! I do have a drone but had opted to leave it at home on this trip due to another destination we would visit after Madagascar being decidedly anti-drone but boy did I wish that I had it on this day!
After a Malagasy style buffet lunch (think fresh seafood, rice and veggies) we made our way back towards Nosy Be and came across a gorgeous pod of playful dolphins who were in no mood to swim with us but were very fun to watch as they raced alongside our boat.
The next day was pretty average; we had booked a day trip to Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely and the former ended up being not just unexciting but I also felt awful for inadvertently supporting unethical tourism.
What had been advertised as a wildlife sanctuary was instead a bunch of animals in cages, forced interactions with humans and people trying to sell you vanilla. If you want Malagasy wildlife and only have time for a day, just go to Lokobe and skip Nosy Komba – it was truly awful.
I will say though, as much as I despised our time at Nosy Komba, our afternoon at Nosy Tanikely was pretty lovely. After another typical Malagasy island lunch we donned our snorkelling equipment and headed into the gorgeous water with the goal of exploring the house reef.
As it turns out, Nosy Tanikely is a surprisingly thriving house reef – surprising given how many tourists and boats visit each day – with healthy populations of turtles, batfish and triggerfish to name a few.
I spent ages hanging with the aforementioned turtles, practising my freediving and having a few moments in which I truly felt like a mermaid as schools of fish surrounded me!
Now, I must say, as much as I enjoyed my time at Nosy Tanikely, others in our tour group did not have such a good experience – the company we booked this second trip with (not the day trip to Nosy Iranja which was a separate company that I do recommend) were super unorganised and multiple members of our group were left without snorkelling gear – a total bummer! Dad and I were lucky that we had brought our own masks and snorkels but I felt very bad for the people who missed out.
Stay tuned for some epic underwater adventures featuring dolphins, rays, turtles and a whale shark!
Getting to Nosy Be: You can fly to Nosy Be via Tana bit given the nickname for Air Madagascar (Air Maybe) I’d instead recommend flying direct from Jozi with Airlink – this service runs twice a week and Airlink are one of the most reliable airlines in all of southern Africa
Blue Sky Resort: Blue Sky was our little oasis in Nosy Be. Our Italian hosts were delightful, they run a full Italian style kitchen, the pool is perfection and despite the many issues that plague Nosy Be (frequent power cuts) they do an amazing job providing a comfortable and affordable place to stay, I cannot recommend them enough! You can book with them through booking.com or contact them directly by clicking here
Nosy Iranja + Marine Safari day trip: We booked this trip through Baleines Rand’eau who were easily the most efficient and well run tour company we used while in Madagascar, oh and they definitely have the nicest boats! This day trip will set you back 75€ per person which may seem expensive but is pretty standard for similar day trips. You can learn more by clicking here
Nosy Komba + Nosy Tanikely trip: We booked this trip through MadaDays and I wouldn’t recommend it for numerous reasons. Firstly, Nosy Komba was an unethical animal exploitation nightmare and secondly, the company itself is poorly run and unorganised – I would recommend booking a trip to Nosy Tanikely with Baleines Rand’eau instead
Remember: Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Oh and if you can bone up on any French or Italian before heading to Nosy Be (and Madagascar in general) it will serve you very well
