In Lokobe National Park, the Mahery Circuit leads to a 430-metre-high summit and takes five to six hours. Afterwards, you can take a pirogue ride. These specific details provide a guide for planning your time if you intend to include a longer hike in your stay. Lokobe is the last protected primary forest on Nosy Be. Its wildlife includes lemurs, reptiles, chameleons, insects and tropical birds.
Forest and volcano as distinct highlights
Mont Passot offers a different view of the landscape: the extinct volcano reaches 329 metres and has a 360-degree panoramic terrace overlooking the Mozambique Channel. Eight small crater lakes surround Mont Passot; they are considered sacred. This gives you two clearly different nature experiences to consider when planning: the five-to-six-hour Mahery Circuit through Lokobe and the viewpoint at Mont Passot.
Culture, distilling and cocoa around Marodoka
Marodoka is considered the first village on Nosy Be and is a former Swahili village. The cultural tour includes a visit to the village and an ylang-ylang distillery. It also invites you to discover and take part in traditional dances from Nosy Be; there are five in total. The tour also includes a tasting of Djowa, prepared from local produce and medicinal plants. The experience thus combines a village visit, dance and a local speciality.
A separate cocoa tour in Marodoka takes you through a cocoa farm. The walk is four kilometres long and takes two to three hours. You can compare this duration with that of the Mahery Circuit without treating the tours as equivalent: the cocoa walk takes two to three hours, while the hike in Lokobe National Park takes five to six. When planning your stay, you can take different time frames for tours and nature experiences into account.
Beaches and water activities
Andilana forms the northern tip of Nosy Be. White sand and turquoise water define the beach, where swimming and snorkelling are among the favourite activities. At Ambondrona Beach, snorkelling, an introduction to windsurfing for beginners and kayaking are also available. The descriptions of the two beaches thus offer different points of reference when choosing water activities.
The Nosy Be region has high-quality dive sites. Visitors can encounter sea turtles, stingrays and manta rays there. From the beaches of Madirokely and Ambatoloaka, various operators offer diving trips or deep-sea fishing. These options complement activities directly on the beaches with trips out to sea.
Nearby excursions and getting around Nosy Be
Nearby, the island of Nosy Tanikely is a protected marine and coastal area. Options there include swimming, snorkelling and picnicking, as well as a walk to the island’s summit. Humpback whales can be observed around Nosy Be between September and November. The archipelagos of Mitsio and Radama, along with deep bays, also shape the landscape along the northwest coast around Nosy Be; the bays are used for sailing.
Boats, pirogues and shuttle services are among the main ways to get around Nosy Be; you can also rent cars there. Organised motorised tours can combine trips with swimming breaks, sightseeing and pirogue rides. Your itinerary depends on your ability level, preferences and whether the tracks are passable. When choosing a hotel on Nosy Be, you can first decide whether forest hiking, culture and cocoa, a viewpoint or water activities should shape your stay.
Discover more destinations: Ambalakatakata, Andoany, Antsiranana Urban.
Back to the regional travel overview: Antsiranana.
