Nosy Be

Nosy Be simply means “big island”. It is located on the northwest coast of Madagascar and with its 325 km² is one of the main tourist destinations in Madagascar. Nosy Be is of volcanic origin, in the sacred (fady) lakes within the former craters live crocodiles today. Today Nosy Be is also known as “the island of fragrances”, as ylang-ylang is cultivated and harvested in many places: A strong-smelling blossom that is used for expensive perfumes. Until 2011, the famous Madagascan Dzama rum was distilled on the west coast in the small village of Dzamandjary. You can still buy the rum, the distillery doesn’t exist anymore.

The island has the best tourist infrastructure in Madagascar: The largest and most comfortable hotels can be found here as well as a small airport (Fascene), which even offers direct flights to Europe (e.g. Milan). From a tourist point of view, Nosy Be is the best developed area in Madagascar, which can be compared to “normal” holiday areas in Europe. Starting from Nosy Be you can make many excursions to the surrounding islands such as Nosy Tanikely or Nosy Komba, to beautiful white dream beaches, for snorkeling, whale watching or diving. Nosy Be is also home to the Lokobe National Park.