Pirate Cemetery
Cimetière des pirates
A hillside cemetery for pirates and sailors above the bay at Ambodifotatra, where you can see gravestones marked with skulls and crossbones.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Sainte-Marie Island was a stronghold of Indian Ocean pirates. The Pirate Cemetery lies on a hillside overlooking the bay south of the capital, Ambodifotatra. From here you can look out over the harbor where pirates once anchored and over Pirate Island. The cemetery holds dozens of gravestones from the 18th and 19th centuries. The most famous are those carved with skulls and crossbones, while most of the others mark the graves of sailors and missionaries. A small entrance fee applies, and local guides often tell pirate legends. Walking there is easier at low tide.
Opening hours
Open daytime
Nearby sights
- Église Saint-Joseph
- Ambodifotatra
- Humpback Whale Watching
- Baie d'Ampanihy
- Île aux Nattes
- La Crique Beach
- Ambodiatafana Natural Pools