Madagascar is a sparsely populated island located 250 miles off the eastern coast of Africa, just south of the equator. At 1580 km (1000 miles) wide, Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island.

A nature-lover's paradise, Madagascar is filled with rich and fascinating opportunities for exploration. Her mountains, rain forests, river valleys, coastal plains, grasslands, caverns and deserts offer a wealth of diversity and wonder.

Among its natural resources, Madagascar is home to nine-tenths of the world's lemur species. It is also considered to be a prime spot for serious bird watchers. With more than 10 000 varieties of plants, this tropical paradise is blanketed with one of the richest collections of flora in the world, including 1 000 different species of orchids and 6 different species of baobab trees.

Once a French colony, Madagascar was granted its political independence in 1958. The official language is Malagasy, which is a synthesis of Indonesian, African and Arabic elements. French is also widely spoken throughout Madagascar.

Nosy Be, a tropical island off the northwest coast of Madagascar boasts miles of finest white sand beaches. The most popular beaches, Madirokely and Ambatoloaka, begin approximately ten kilometres west of Hell-Ville the capital of the island. North of Madirokely and Ambatoloaka are a number of other attractive beaches including Andilana and Belle-Vue.

A number of smaller yet equally attractive islands are located in the vicinity of Nosy Be.

Nosy Tanikely
This tiny island, inhabited by a lighthouse keeper, falls within a marine reserve and is regarded as a mecca for snorkellers.

Nosy Komba
A small volcanic island lying between Nosy Be and the mainland, has several picturesque beaches and offers excellent opportunities for snorkeling and diving. Nosy Komba. also known as “The Island of the lemurs”, due to its flourishing population of black lemurs, offers beautiful beaches and safe swimming.

Nosy Iranja
Approximately 40km south of Nosy Be, the 'Island of Turtles' is it is an idyllic island made up of two islets linked by a sandbar at low tide and whose beaches are reproduction sites for turtles

Radamas Archipelago
Situated 55 miles south west of Nosy Be, the archipelago is made up of 4 islands, including Kalakajoro Island where fishing eagles make their nests. These coral islands have shallow beds and welcome fishing and diving.

Nosy Saba
Small island surrounded by a coral reef, it's paradise for the diving.

The Mitsio Archipelago
Spreads over 70 km of beautiful marine life and is situated 55km to the north of Nosy Be Several points are worth the visit. It shelters a remarkable geological formation composed of organ pipe shaped basaltic rocks, which plummet directly into the Mozambique Canal.

Tsara Banjina
At 40 km north of Nosy Be, you can enjoy its hotel and white sandy beaches and lush vegetation.

Efatra Zoky
The four elders or the four cliffs, which are nesting places for gannets, have a magnificent marine life which attracts divers from alt over the world.
Starting points and navigation zones