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Nosy Be
A tropical island which stands out from a large coral shelf in the Mozambique Canal. It’s surrounded by several enchanting islands close by and two archipelagos a little farer: Radama Islands to the south, and Mitsio to the north.
Nosy Be is both a starting point for excursions on the sea and a place for a relaxing vacation.
On the way from the Airport of Fascene to your hotel you will realize why the Malagasy people call it the Scented Island (Nosy Manitra). An inebriating scent of spices wrap the visitor with the perfume of the ’ylang ylang flower, coffee, pepper, drying vanilla, cinnamon and sugar cane.
You can find all these spices and essences in the ‘bazar’ and the boutiques of Hell Ville, a perfect starting point for discovering Nosy Be. When you reach the harbour you can see the characteristic dugout canoes and the boutres, and right alongside it you can visit the ylang ylang distillery, the CNRO (National Centre for Oceanographic Research) and the Maritime Museum.
Just a little further there is the village of Mardoka where you can admire the ruins of the first buildings (Arabic) on the island, completely entangled with the aerial roots of the Ficus Bengalensis also called baniano.
We’ve reached the edge of the Natural Primary Reserve of Lokobe, a park you can visit starting by dugout canoe from the village of Ambatozavavy: and during this fascinating excursion which takes an entire day you can spot both daytime lemurs and nocturnal lemurs (microcebi), chameleons, snakes, rare plants and spices.
The road that goes from Hell Ville to Andilana, on the extreme north, leads to all the most interesting places in the island:“The sacred tree”, a gigantic ‘ficus bengalensis’ whose branches and aerial roots form a cathedral with a diameter of more than 50 metres. Ampasindava Falls, the typical village of Ambatoloaka where the ‘life’ of Nosy Be is concentrated: restaurants, hotels, Casino, discos, boats bikes and motorbike to rent, boutiques, diving and fishing centres.
On the same beautiful beach there is the village of Madirokely. Further north Dzamandzar, the centre of sugar cane and rum production; ‘the Lakes Drive’ which leads to the breathtaking view point of Mont Passot dwhere you can admire a spectacular sunset over Nosy Be Bay, Russian Bay, the islands of Nosy Sakatia, Nosy Tanikely, Nosy Komba, Nosy Iranja and the Mitsio.
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