Northern Madagascar

Madagascar's northern tip: the resort island of Nosy Be, Diego Suarez Bay, the Ankarana tsingy and Amber Mountain, with the Vanilla Coast in the northeast.

This region is defined by administrative region and includes Diana (Nosy Be Island and Antsiranana, also known as Diego Suarez), Sava (the Vanilla Coast) and Sofia.

Highlights: Nosy Be's beaches, ylang-ylang plantations, Lokobe Nature Reserve and black lemurs, plus the sandbar at nearby Nosy Iranja and diving at Nosy Tanikely; Antsiranana's Emerald Sea, Three Bays and red tsingy; the grey limestone tsingy and caves of Ankarana Special Reserve; the waterfalls and dwarf chameleons of Amber Mountain National Park; and the Sava region's vanilla capital Antalaha, plus Sambava and Marojejy Mountain.

Classic itineraries: fly to Nosy Be for a 4–6 day resort stay, or take the "Northern Loop" of Antsiranana–Amber Mountain–Ankarana–Nosy Be in about 7–9 days; a Sava vanilla trip requires a separate flight to Sambava.

Getting there: Nosy Be has international flights (via Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Réunion), and Antsiranana has domestic flights; overland road conditions are poor. Note: choose reputable operators for sea activities, and the sun is intense.

Destinations

• Nosy Be
• Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)
• Ankarana National Park

Itineraries

• Northern Diego to Nosy Be Crossing – Head south from Diego through Amber Mountain and two tsingy formations, then cross the sea from Ankify to finish in Nos…
• Nosy Be Island Hopping & Beach Holiday – Based in Ambatoloaka, head out to sea or explore the island daily to see lemurs, sea turtles, and white sandbars.