Madagascar is an unspoilt country, Its fauna and flora, its beautiful landscapes, its hearty and smiling inhabitants make this island an exceptional sailing destination. In the numerous islands bordering the coast, you will meet genuine people in a country that is still not affected by the “tourism industry”.
“The Great Island ” is a sanctuary of beauty, a gigantic land mass, which has progressively drifted off the coast of Mozambique .
Six miles off the Northern coast of Madagascar, lies the still little known and unspoilt, Nosy Be “, the island of fragrances “.
Situated in the heart of the Indian Ocean and enclosed by deserted coral sand beaches and tiny virgin islands, it is a little treasure of lush, rich nature, providing an amazingly wide variety of landscapes, including inaccessible jungles, mysterious mangroves and enchanting beaches.
Here, an exciting hike on land or a river trip brings the same sensation of wonder felt by the early navigators
The exceptionally mild climate ( 343 sunny days a year ) with an average temperature ranging between 26 and 32 degrees and the Malagasy people´s hospitality make Nosy Be a new destination for international Sailing Cruises and an idyllic starting point to discover the two beautiful shores of The Mitsio and The Radama archipelagos .
Mitsio Cruise
Located North East of Nosy Be, the Mitsio archipelago boasts a natural haven of green lush islands with white sandy beaches, translucent turquoise waters and deserted anchorages
Mitsio / Nosy Ankaréa
Very early in the morning, the yacht will sail to Nosy Ankaréa. This island shelters a beautiful bay where divers and snorkelling lovers will admire the numerous wonders of the sea. Towards the end of the afternoon, the boat will head to Grande Mitsio. It is the biggest island of the archipelago. It is also the only inhabited island, the local fishermen give their time to breeding and cultivation of the island. The island has got beautiful beaches and its sea is full of wonders. On the coast, at Mitaraka Cape, you can stand by the impressive black basalt columns.
In the bay and the small village of Maribé, you will appreciate the beauty and peacefulness of the landscapes, as well as the kindness and simplicity of Malagasy people. At Maribé, the anchorage is very good and you will probably eat freshly caught crayfish.
Night on board the sail boat mooring in Maribé.
Tsarabanjina
We will leave Maribé to keep on sailing southwards to Tsarabanjina.
During the journey, we will admire “the 4 brothers” Efatra Zoky. These islets are the place where thousands of terns and northern gannets come to lay. Their beautiful submarine landscapes and their submerged rocky faces attract divers all over the world.
Then you will see Tsarabanjina. This is a small tropical mountainous island, famous for its white sandy beaches with crystal-clear waters and its volcanic cone capped by luxuriant vegetation.
The boat will lift anchor for a 4 hour journey that will take you to Nosy Komba.
Nosy Komba
Nosy Komba is a place of adoration of sovereign fires Sakalava . It is an little island where lemurs live and are protected. Quite tame and used to humans, you can get quite close to them and feed them. In the fishing village of Ampangorina, in the North of the island, you can buy typical embroidered cotton-clothes from Madagascar.
Heading for Nosy Tanikely, with its exceptional submarine fauna, you can admire the back and forth motions of the multicoloured fish and turtles, swimming between corals, shellfish, starfish and sea anemones. The warm waters here are crystal-clear and the sand is glittering.
A lighthouse overhangs this small territory, which keeps hidden in its luxuriant vegetation chameleons, flying foxes, butterflies and colonies of tropical birds.
Ankazoberavina
An ideal place for a snorkelling morning. You can admire reef fish as well as an exceptional range of corals. Departure to the Russians Bay. This splendid bay faces Nosy-Be. It is so named because of the Russian soldiers who, during the Russo Japanese war, were dispatched on the island by the Tsar to control the Mozambique Channel.
The cove is enshrined in the luxuriant vegetation of the shores. You can meet dolphins sheltering in the bay. The anchorage is very good and still, a perfect spot to have dinner and rest for the night.
Nosy Iranja
“Turtles Island” emerges from the sea, showing its vegetation covered summit. Low tide discovers a long strip of white sand. A small village and a neglected lighthouse complete the scenery. As its name shows it, the island is the place chosen by the turtles to lay their eggs thanks to its beautiful white sandy beach. This is also a heavenly place where you can take breathtaking pictures.
We keep on sailing to Baramahamay bay. At the mouth of the river, the bay shelters a beautiful and still anchorage, in a narrow gully surrounded by hills. Small beaches border the river.
Towards the land, mangrove swamps growing on the shores are a Paradise for aquatic birds.
Ampohana foreland
This beautiful beach on “Grande Terre” counts among the beaches you will never forget: white sand, crystal-clear and blue water.
In Nosy Mamoko, you can meet villagers and admire giant turtles and lemurs before appreciating the peacefulness of the evening anchorage.
