Lonely Planet Madagascar

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781786576026
• eBook ISBN: 9781788689595

Northern Madagascar

Nosy Be

Hell-Ville (Andoany)

Ambatoloaka

The West Coast

Islands Around Nosy Be

Nosy Komba

Nosy Sakatia

Nosy Mitsio

Ambanja Region

Ambanja

Ankify

Antsiranana Region

Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)

Baie des Français

Ramena

Les Trois Baies

Joffreville (Ambohitra)

Parc National Montagne d’Ambre

Réserve Spéciale Ankarana

Sava Region

Vohémar

Sambava

Andapa

Parc National Marojejy

Réserve Spéciale Anjanaharibe-Sud

Northern Madagascar

Why Go?

It’s as if Madagascar had conspired to provide a microcosm of its myriad travel experiences all in one place: here you’ll find the isolated Sava region with its wild coastline and vanilla-scented air, the relatively sophisticated city of Diego Suarez (Antsiranana) and the country’s premier beach destination, Nosy Be. Travellers will revel in the region’s diverse national parks while activity junkies will be spoilt for choice with everything from diving to kitesurfing.

You’ll find more sea-based activities than you’ll have time to try in Nosy Be, excellent seafood and idyllic scenery. It couldn’t be more different from the mainland – here arid plains are fringed with lush ylang-ylang, vanilla and coconut plantations, while parks large and small feature strange geological formations, rainforests and rare species.

The region also hosts some of Madagascar’s flagship cultural events, the Donia, Zegny’Zo and the Nosy Be Jazz Festival – unique chances to discover Malagasy artists.

When to Go

• Apr–Jun Festivals bring together artists from across Madagascar and the Indian Ocean.
• Oct–Dec Humpback whales make their annual visit to Madagascar and can be seen around Nosy Be.
• May–Nov Best access to the Tsingy Rouges and the western part of Réserve Spéciale Ankarana.

Best Places to Eat

A La Table d’Alexandre

A Tsara Be Restaurant

A Côté Jardin

A Karibo

Best Places to Stay

A Sakatia Lodge

A Hôtel Carrefour

A Hôtel Gérard et Francine

A Tamana Hostel

A Nature Lodge

Northern Madagascar Highlights

1 Parc National Marin de Nosy Tanikely Snorkelling off this tiny, palm-fringed island to spy turtles, clownfish and rays.

2 Parc National Marojejy Spotting the silky sifaka (a type of lemur) – or even one of the world’s smallest frogs.

3 Parc National Lokobe Watching black lemurs, boa co...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Madagascar
• Madagascar’s Top 10
• Need to Know
• What’s New
• Accommodation
• If You Like…
• Month by Month
• Itineraries
• Activities
• Family Travel
• Regions at a Glance
• Antananarivo
• Central Madagascar
• Southern Madagascar
• Western Madagascar
• Northern Madagascar
• Eastern Madagascar
• Understand Madagascar
• History
• Malagasy Life
• Arts
• Malagasy Cuisine
• Environment
• Wildlife Guide
• Parks & Reserves
• Directory A–Z
• Transport
• Health
• Language
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers