Creative Minds.

  Day 1: NOSY BE
Depending on your booking date, a warm reception and a nice meeting will be reserved for you at Fascene Nosy Be airport. Transfer to your hotel to prepare for the next day’s great adventure!
On the way to make memories!
Night at hotel.

  Day 2. NOSY BE – AMPANGORINA – NOSY TSARABANJINA
Morning departure from the home port (the Crater) towards Nosy Komba and its main village (Ampangorina) 9 nautical miles, about 1h30mn of navigation. A quiet and family village with its beach front lined with embroiderers’ tablecloths will allow you to do some shopping for handicrafts or vanilla. The children and the older ones will be delighted to visit the park of the Makis (lemurs), which are very familiar and very fond of bananas.

On the port side, the sumptuous primary forest of the Lokobe Integral Nature Reserve, the only original forest area remaining on the island of Nosy Be. This tropical rainforest plunges abruptly into the sea, offering striking contrasts of emerald and turquoise.
Leaving Nosy Komba to Tsarabanjina, Nosy Vorona (the island of birds), is a small paradisiacal rock, the size of 2 football fields. A concession has been granted by the lighthouse and beacons service, in return for the maintenance of a small lighthouse useful to yachtsmen. One of the only ones still in service in Madagascar.
Then, Nosy Faly and its large white sandy beaches, stands out on the starboard side.

After a few hours of navigation Tsarabanjina “La belle” (the beautiful white sand island), sacred land of the Sakalava people, develops on about 20ha with its luxuriant vegetation and its immaculate beaches.
Important avifauna: water hens, frigate birds, cormorants, Ankoay or Madagascar fishing eagle for the luckiest.

  Day 3. TSARABANJINA – NOSY ANKAREA – GREAT MITSIO
Leaving Tsarabanjina, in the North-West, the 4 brothers come closer together. These 4 volcanic monoliths form a quadrilateral emerging from the surface of the sea. From certain angles, their alignment is perfect. At the dawn of time, the Gods had sent 5 brothers, guardians of the Mitsio, following a family misunderstanding, one of them decided one day to leave. The brother closest to him began to die of grief, to the point that no more birds came to nest there. The one who left, settled off the Russians Bay, it is called the “Sugar Loaf” or the Diamond (for those who know Martinique).

These rocky domes with steep walls prevent access to their peaks, they are an ideal shelter for thousands of birds and a nesting site for hundreds of brown boobies families, white-tailed phaetons, and frigate birds. The brown boobies (sula leucoblast) do not hesitate to fly close to the boat, they dive at a dizzying speed into the ocean. The frigates (Fregata ariel and minor), with their slender silhouette and black and white plumage, are called “Cleptoparasites”. They attack the madmen in mid-air in order to steal their food.
After the 4 brothers, we head for the Mitaraka point, in the South-West of the Great Mitsio, an exceptional geological phenomenon which deserves a diversion. Basaltic organs plunge into the foam of the waves, these long hexagonal formations, several tens of metres high, aligned, vertical and symmetrical seem to have been carved by the hand of man, the atmosphere of the site is magical.

We arrive quickly at Nosy Ankarea, lunch on board. This site is the highest in the Archipelago with a peak of 238 m. This uninhabited island, formed by basalt cliffs located 5 nautical miles West of the Great Mitsio, has a tabular peak emerging from the ocean like a warship. Its dark and massive silhouette remains, however, heavily vegetated. Although it may seem difficult, its ascent, equipped with a good pair of trainers, is achievable by its South-eastern flank. A flight of flying bats (pteropus rufus) with a strident cry sweeps over the cliff tops, these bats, also called Fanihy, are frugivorous and harmless. Its summit and steep walls conceal a real forest of exceptional endemic vegetation (pachypodium, hildégardia, euphorbias, baobab trees…). Its waters, of remarkable limpidity, reveal their coral bottoms, up to a depth of about ten metres. Erosion has created small natural shallow pools with rounded shapes. Underwater exploration presents remarkable conditions. A nap in a hammock, in the shade of the high mango trees lining the fine sand beach, represents a not insignificant alternative to sporting feats.
At the end of the afternoon, departure at sunset to reach the sheltered anchorage of the Maribe Bay, West of the Great Mitsio, for an aperitif.

A few fishing boats will certainly come to offer you to cook a grilled goatfish on the beach. Comfortably installed on mats around a campfire, this improvised méchoui is delicious. This festive and authentic atmosphere will allow you to meet the inhabitants of the island (Antakarana fishermen and Sakalava breeders).
Then the Great Mitsio is the largest island of the Mitsio Archipelago with 12km long, it is bordered by many beautiful desert beaches. Several paths allow you to walk and reach the high grassy hills, on which the satranas, superb fan-shaped palm trees, stand out. Some zebus and cabri remind us of the pastoral activity’s existence on the island.

  Day 4. GREAT MITSIO – NOSY LAVA
Depending on your excursions, the departure is for Nosy Lava (not to be confused with its namesake at Les Radama, approximate sailing time: 2 hours). It is the 2nd largest island of the Mitsio (3.6 km long). Deserted island, it offers few beaches, but a magnificent tombolo at its South-western tip. Anchorage will be nearby depending on conditions. Nosy Lava has excellent snorkeling and popper fishing spots due to its steep coastline which is particularly affected by predators. The interior of the island is more difficult to access due to dense vegetation. Well hidden, at the bottom of a cove, a vast cave contains multiple sarcophagi containing the remains of the Sakalava kings. The place is preserved and sacred, its visit depends on an invitation from passing Sakalava.

  Day 5. NOSY LAVA – NOSY FANIHY – NOSY SAKATIA
Departure for a long trip in the South-West to Nosy Fanihy (sacred island) at the Northern tip of Nosy be. The passage in front of the 4 brothers will allow you, if you wish, to make a stopover for snorkeling.
The tour of this small island (1km) shelters very beautiful coral funds, a discovery recommended for snorkeling. Very beautiful sand tongue for sunbathing.
At a short distance from Nosy be, Nosy Sakatia will welcome you for your last night and a smooth return to civilization. The latter, located 1 nautical mile West of Nosy be is called the island of orchids, there is a wide variety of tropical plants. Inhabited by about 250 people, they have made beautiful forest trails through the plantations of ylang ylang, vanilla, pepper and coffee. Many chameleons and bats have taken up residence here. This very hilly island offers beautiful panoramas in its heights. The smell of Toaka gasy (traditional rum distilled in artisanal stills) floats around the villages, an invitation to a moderate tasting. Anchor either in front of a wild beach or in front of one of the two hotels.

Day 6. NOSY SAKATIA – NOSY BE (The Crater)
According to your wishes, stroll around the island or return to the crater in the morning and disembark.
Night at hotel.

  Day 7. NOSY BE
Transfer to the airport according to the return flight schedule.
End of Temea Tour services.