If you want an adventurous but exotic holiday, Madagascar should be right up there on your list. But the big Red Island is vast and unless you fly, travelling is a schlep so you’d do well to root yourself in one spot.

One of my faves is the small island of Nosy Sakatia, just off Nosy Bé in the north west. Nosy Bé itself needs no introduction — the beautiful tropical island has long been a tourist haunt and boasts some excellent top-notch resorts as well as the best infrastructure in the whole of the country.

Regular flights touch down at the airport near Hell-Ville, from where the popular beach resorts are only a short (if bumpy) taxi ride away. From here you can organise all manner of adventures: into the hills, the markets, to the lemur colonies and of course to the neighbouring islands.

One of the nicest of those is Nosy Sakatia. It’s relatively untouched by tourism, so is the perfect place to hole up and enjoy the real Madagascar, away from the crowds. A small boat ferries you from Ampasimoronjia, just north of Nosy Bé’s bustling beach resort of Ambatoloaka, to Sakatia, where there are no roads, only footpaths. It’s a short walk through the forest of exotic palms, baobabs, wild orchids and lush, sweet-smelling bush to Sakatia Lodge, set at the foot of the Sacred Mountain. Here hosts José and Isabella Viera welcome you as friends.

It’s a simple and stunningly beautiful place that can accommodate a maximum of 16 guests, so it feels intimate and relaxed. There are four large en-suite bungalows, with verandas and sea views, plus four smaller bungalows with cold water and loos.

The bar/lounge is stunning — a clever combination of contemporary and Malagasy styles — the perfect place to sit and watch the lemurs play in the trees or enjoy the last rays as the golden sun sets into the ocean. Chef Isabella conjures up amazing delicacies, which reflect both her Italian roots and Malagasy influences, for you to enjoy in the restaurant as you gaze out to sea and into the lush green forest.

Once on the island you lose all sense of time. Sakatia is only six kays long and two wide — perfect for strolling around. You can wander among the giant ferns, check out the birds and beasties, laze on the beach or don mask and snorkel and explore the underwater world for which the island is rightly famous.

And if you’re a qualified or aspirant diver you’ve come to the right place; Sakatia has its own NAUI approved dive centre and offers the full gamut of dive courses. The diving is easy — all dives are boat dives, but most are just a short distance from the launch site. The island is fringed by coral reefs and there’s plenty of fun to be had in the channel between there and Nosy Be.

READ MORE...

Published courtesy of the Out There Travel Guide
In addition to colourful coral you are likely to see giant cucumbers, turtles, sponge crabs and, at night, exquisite Spanish dancers, so the sites are great for novices to learn the trade or for night dives. There’s also plenty of challenging diving for the adventurous. Huge extensive reefs surround Sakatia and Nosy Be and at their edges are exciting walls and drop-offs, some exciting drift dives and a wreck off Ambatoloaka.

Try your luck with a line

Not surprisingly, fisherfolk are also spoilt for choice here. Both day trips and extended big game fishing adventures can be arranged, and from the babble of foreign tongues it’s clear that this is a popular haunt of French and Italians who come to try their luck.

At some point of your trip you simply must visit the picture-perfect island of Nosy Tanikely a couple of hours away. But this is one place where you can’t escape the crowds — the golden sands are popular with day trippers who descend in their droves to enjoy a seaside picnic or climb to the lighthouse. The shallow waters of the surrounding marine reserve are clear and brim with a vast kaleidoscope of colourful corals, starfish, anemones and tiny fish. Turtles regularly entertain and you may even spot an elusive sea horse.

Quad biking, deep-sea fishing, trekking, canoeing and trips to other islands and lemur colonies are just a few of the other activities to entertain the energetic — and I’d definitely recommend a visit to Nosy Bé to go shopping, eating and people-watching in Hell-Ville, the island’s lively capital.

The wonderful old Renaults, Citroëns and Chinese bicycles trundling down the busy streets are like something out of a black-and-white movie. While you’re on the main island, take a cab up to its highest point — Mt Passot — and enjoy the awesome views. It’s a top sundowner spot and somewhere you can stock up on supplies of vanilla, local lace products and other crafts. And when you’ve tired of the buzz it’s time to head home – for that is what Sakatia felt like after only three days.

    For more info...
  • Getting there: Air Madagascar and Airlink fly to Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital, then onto Nosy Be. Visit www.flyairlink.com.
  • Health precautions: Madagascar is malarial: consult your doctor before travelling.
  • For reservations: Contact Animaltracks Islandventures on 011 454 0543, email info@animaltracks.co.za or visit www.animaltracks.co.za.