Nosy Be (which means “Big Island” in Malagasy) is an island off the northwestern coast of Madagascar. It is the country’s most developed tourist spot, and arguably its most popular destination. This explains why aside from Antananarivo, there are also international flights to Nosy Be. I’ve heard that a lot of tourists go here for a short break without even exploring the rest of the country. Search for pictures online and it’s not hard to see why. White sand beaches, lots of isolated spots, relaxing ambience.. it really looks like a tropical paradise.
If you’re coming from elsewhere in the country, you might be wondering if there’s a cheap way to get there. Yes there is, but it’s not easy. First, let me mention the easiest way.
Coming from Antananarivo, the easiest way is to simply hop on a flight. There are direct flights to Nosy Be once daily. A one way flight on Madagascar Airlines costs 900,000 to 1,300,000 Ariary (about 200-290 USD) on the average… it can get as high as 1,600,000 Ariary if you book a flight at the last minute. Yeah that is expensive, which explains why many locals heading to Nosy Be rarely book a flight. These flights mostly cater to tourists. If you buy early enough though, or if you go during the off season, a one way flight could go as low as 600 Ariary (about 135 USD). If you plan to fly don’t wait until the last minute to book a flight, because these flights frequently get sold out especially if you go during the peak season (July to December). When I arrived in the country I checked for available flights out of curiosity. The earliest available flight was 9 days out, and it only had one remaining seat which costs more than 1,200,000 Ariary. If you’re flying to Nosy Be, there are additional expenses to consider. The airport in Nosy Be is on the eastern part of the island, quite far from the capital. If you’re staying someplace close, like in Andrafia, this won’t be a problem. Transportation would be cheap. It could get expensive though if you’re staying on the southeastern and southern parts, which includes the capital Hell-Ville. These are the most developed parts of the island, thus most establishments including lodgings are located here. Expect to pay around 80,000-100,000 Ariary for a tuk-tuk from the airport.
I could have taken the last available seat on that flight, but I was like, I could spend 260 bucks on something else… like a nice hotel. And maybe a couple of tours. I knew for a fact that Nosy Be is one of the most expensive places in Madagascar because it’s mainly catering to tourists, so it would help to save money. So I decided to travel by land. After all, how bad could it be? When I told my couchsurfing host about it, he was shocked lol. He told me tourists travel by air to Nosy Be, not by land. He told me he used to travel by land, but in recent years he always flew because he could already afford to. He said it makes no sense to travel by land if you could afford to fly, because the entire trip would take anywhere from 20 to 36 hours, depending on road conditions. He told me that since it has started raining in the north, I shouldn’t expect to get there in less than 30 hours. I was taken aback, but I still decided I’d go on with it. After traveling by land in Madagascar, I’ve enjoyed just looking outside at the beautiful scenery. I’d miss out on a lot if I flew. I was pretty sure it’s going to be quite an experience. I also wouldn’t mind spending many hours in a taxi brousse. I’d just think about all the money I’d end up saving.
One thing to take note of: if you plan to travel by land, keep your schedule flexible. Taxi brousses cancel their trips when they do not get enough passengers. They may even cancel the trip even if you’re already inside the vehicle just because not enough people showed up for them to make a profit. Also, as I’ve already mentioned, you can experience major delays depending on road conditions. When it rains hard, you would have to spend a night in some town along the way. Your trip could get delayed for an entire day. I was informed about this when I bought my ticket. Spending the night in some town was a very real possibility.
So where do you find these taxi brousses/ buses? Head to the main bus terminal and look for one that’s heading to Ambanja. This would set you back about 70,000 Ariary (about 16 USD). If you want to make the ride slightly more comfortable, you could purchase 2 seats or even the entire row just for yourself… that’s still gonna be way cheaper than flying. Then you need to take a local bus or taxi to the Ankify port. This would cost about 8,000 Ariary (around 2 USD), though many taxi drivers would charge 20,000 Ariary once they see you’re not a local. At the port, just pay 11,000 Ariary (about 2 USD) for a short 30 minute water taxi ride to Nosy Be.
Now there’s a more direct way to travel by land, and this was the one recommended by my host. This way, you could buy a ticket way in advance and they rarely cancel trips. The company running this was Besady Plus, and a one way trip costs 160,000 Ariary (about 36 dollars) for everything. It takes you all the way to the port of Ankify, then you’ll transfer to a small boat heading to Nosy Be. They have their own ticketing office in Tana, close to the Cotisse Terminal along Rue Raboto Raphael Drive. Just search for “Besady Plus Transport” on Google Maps.
They still canceled the trip though because they didn’t get enough passengers on the day I booked. They moved me to the next day. That was really annoying because I didn’t want to spend another night in Antananarivo, but it is what it is. I got a call 4 days prior and I couldn’t understand what the person was saying. She didn’t speak English, only Malagasy. All I could understand was “Besady“, so I knew she was someone working for the transport company. I asked my couchsurfing host to call them to see what’s up. I guess this is one problem one might encounter when traveling on a budget in Madagascar. If I couldn’t ask a favor from a local who understood English, I would have had no idea that the original trip got canceled. So to future travelers, take note: try to learn some basic Malagasy!
On the day of my trip, I got there early and I got a good look at the taxi brousse. It wasn’t worn down, but it’s definitely older than the ones I’ve already taken on the island. I was the last to hop in since my seat was by the door, and it was cramped. All seats were full, and some children were sitting on their parent’s laps. The floor had a lot of their personal stuff… bags, food, etc. Some of their stuff were even encroaching on my personal space. Man, this was going to be a long ride. There were no other tourists, everyone inside the taxi brousse were locals, and they were all practically staring at me as I hopped in. It must really have been surprising to them seeing a foreigner taking a taxi brousse to Nosy Be. lol.
Right off the bat, it was really cramped. I was dreading the night time because I doubt I could find a good position to sleep. This isn’t one of those sleeper buses elsewhere wherein you could recline seats and be able to sleep comfortably. After an hour or so, it became even more cramped because the kid who was initially sitting on her mother’s lap was now sitting between me and her mother. I kinda predicted this since she was already about 8 or 9 years old in my estimate. There was no way she would be sitting on her mother’s lap for the entire trip. Is it really too much to pay for two seats? I guess it is, otherwise she would have just paid for an extra seat for her kid. They were probably hoping that the taxi brousse wouldn’t be full. I just sucked it all up because I chose this… even though my couchsurfing host kept discouraging me lol. I just looked out the window to keep my mind off things. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Madagascar really is beautiful. And on the way to Ankify there’s so much variety in the surrounding areas, you could just look outside and keep admiring the scenery. I was lucky to have a seat by the window.
There were a couple of breaks: three for meals, which lasted for about 30 minutes each, then some toilet breaks in between. Our first stop was around noon for lunch, around 8 PM for dinner, then for breakfast the next day at around 7 AM. I ate some pork and rice for lunch, then just some crackers for dinner and breakfast. Why? because I didn’t want to do a number 2 on the way. lol. At the restaurants where we had our meals, they had some pit latrines– think of a hole in the ground where you have to squat… but these were all very dirty and stinky. I’m not exaggerating. At that breakfast place I thought I was gonna hurl as I was peeing. What about those toilet breaks in between? There were no actual toilets. We would stop in the middle of nowhere so people could stretch and do some private business. If you’re not into doing a number 2 in a pit latrine or behind some bushes, take my advice: just eat a couple of crackers, drink very little water, and you won’t feel the urge to poop during this entire trip lol. In case you do have to do a number 2, don’t forget to bring some toilet paper. They weren’t selling any in the restaurants where we stopped for breaks.
After lunch, my jaw dropped. This dude on the seat in front of me threw an empty plastic bottle out the window. WTF. We were in the middle of nowhere. Who the heck was gonna pick that up? Then a couple of minutes later this lady on the other side of my row did the same. Then the lady beside me reached for the window and threw a couple of plastic bags out. I gave her the evil eye and told her that what she did was wrong and that she should keep her trash with her until we stopped someplace where she could properly dispose of her trash. Yeah I spoke English, so I doubt she understood. I was hoping she got the message with the way I looked at her though. Apparently she didn’t because a couple of hours later, she was going to throw an empty water bottle out the window. I grabbed it right before she could throw it out and I glared at her. You think that stopped her? Hell no, she just continued throwing her trash out the opposite window. And several passengers kept doing the same. Even the driver was doing it. Jesus Christ. Up until this point, my interactions with locals have been pleasant. I absolutely hate it when locals treat their beautiful country like sh*t. Who the heck would pick up all the trash they’ve been throwing outside? Who’s gonna clean up after them? No one! One doesn’t have to be educated to realize this, you just need basic common sense. I got so pissed off that I texted my couch surfing host and asked him if this was common among the Malagasy, and he said that it is, regrettably.
The ride was tolerable for the most part— as I’ve said, the beautiful scenery kept my mind off the discomfort. But once the sun had set, there’s practically nothing to see outside. It was pitch black. All you could do was try to sleep. It was impossible. Almost the entire night, we had to pass through extremely bumpy roads. We had to close the windows because of all the dust from outside coming in so it got incredibly hot. Normally I could sleep even in a cramped vehicle because I would eventually find a comfortable enough position every now and then. But the incredible heat and the constant shaking due to the extremely bumpy roads made it impossible.
It only rained for a couple of minutes during the entire trip, so we didn’t need to spend the night elsewhere. But apparently it was raining in the north the night before, so some of the roads were muddy, and there were deep puddles in some. This meant that we had to move slower. We eventually reached the port of Ankify at around 1 PM the next day. We left Tana at 9AM the previous day, so that took more than 28 hours— and we’re not even in Nosy Be yet. At the port we just had to register (passports are required for foreign nationals) then hopped on a water taxi/ fast boat. Payment for the ride is already included if you rode with Besady Plus. We had to wait until the water taxi was full. Take note that if you’re seated on the sides of the fast boat, you will get really wet. Your bags will too, so they better be waterproof. Sit in the middle if you don’t want to get wet. The ride took about 30 minutes, and I was absolutely drenched when we arrived at the Nosy Be Port in Hell-Ville.
Soon as we got off, lots of porters and TukTuk drivers were waiting, some trying to grab the bags of passengers and placing em on their Tuktuks. A couple of guys tried to grab mine, and I told them no. Then several TukTuk drivers started approaching me, asking where I’ll be staying. I chose to stay in Ambatoloaka because it was close to the beach and it has lots of restaurants and bars in the area. They were quoting prices that ranged from 80,000- 100,000 Ariary. I smelled bullsh*t. Luckily, one lady who was on the taxi brousse with me approached me and told me to follow her. We went to the exit and asked the Tuktuk drivers there. So apparently I only had to pay 20,000 (about 4 USD) to Ambatoloaka. To thank her, I asked her to share the tuktuk with me since the place she was staying at was along the way. So apparently she would be working in a hotel in Nosy Be. Most of the people who were on the taxi brousse with us would be looking for work too. She said that Nosy Be is where the money is because it’s where many rich tourists are.
There used to be a hostel in Nosy Be— specifically in Hell-Ville, but for some reason it closed down. I’m thinking it could be due to the pandemic, but Nosy Be has been open to tourists for some time now. Like Morondava, Nosy Be attracts lots of travelers, so it’s a great spot to open a hostel. Calling all entrepreneurs, someone’s got to fill this need!
Since there weren’t any hostels when I went, I decided to look for a nice hotel in a good location. Initially I was only willing to spend 30 bucks a night, but my budget kept going up during that horrible ride from Tana to Ankify lol. I managed to find a centrally located hotel with great reviews when we made a stop for dinner. The room was quite small but it had an awesome view of the sunset. The room I got costs 225,000 Ariary (50 USD) a night— not expensive at all, but 50 bucks goes far in Madagascar in terms of lodging. Oh and the best part? This hotel accepts credit cards! i wouldn’t need to withdraw a huge wad of cash when I pay for my entire stay!
Ambatoloaka is a good spot to base yourself. There are lots of restaurants, bars, drugstores, convenience stores, and other kinds of shops nearby. If you ever need something, you don’t need to go far. There are also a number of ATMs, so it wouldn’t be a problem if you ever need cash. The beach is also pretty good. Aside from convenience, I chose to base myself in Ambatoloaka because this beach is the pick up point for tours to Nosy Iranja, which is the main reason why I wanted to head to Nosy Be in the first place.
Nosy Iranja is composed of two islands: the larger inhabited island called Nosy Iranja Be, and a smaller one called Nosy Iranja Kely. When the tide is low, these two islands are connected by a mile long sandbar. The word paradise perfectly describes it. It’s a nature reserve, you can see lots of turtles just by swimming close to the shore. Heading to Nosy Iranja from Nosy Be via fast boat takes about an hour. Operators would charge about 150,000 to 170,000 Ariary (about 33-38 USD), and this includes lunch. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me. A guide joins the group but it’s not a tour. You can pretty much do whatever you want during those 6 hours on the island. The lighthouse is worth checking out. This lighthouse was built by the company of Gustave Eiffel— that’s right, the same company who designed and built the Eiffel Tower. Sadly, you can’t climb up the lighthouse anymore. The stairs are broken and they haven’t been repaired. But it’s still worth heading up the hill to check out the views around the lighthouse.
Back in Nosy Be, there’s a lot more things you could do. You can head up north to check out Andilana Beach, arguably the best beach on the island. If you’re there between July and November, you could book a tour to see humpback whales. If you haven’t had your fill of lemurs yet, head to the Lokobe National Park. Here you will see lots of wildlife. It only costs 55,000 Ariary (about 12 USD) to enter, though you might want to hire a guide and pay a little extra. You can also check out the other islands. Aside from Nosy Iranja, Nosy Komba is a popular destination. It’s the island that you’ll see on the way to Nosy Be from Ankify, and it’s also known as “Lemur Island” because many black lemurs can be found there. This island is just 20-30 minutes from Nosy Be. There’s no need to book a tour, just head to the port in Hell-Ville and look for a water taxi heading there. A one way trip only costs 10,000 Ariary (a little over 2 USD).
In Ambatoloaka at least, I’d say the nightlife is pretty good. There are a number of bars and they do get crowded. I noticed that most tourists were much older than me though. There are also many hookers at these bars or out on the streets at night, but they’ll leave you alone once you say you’re not interested. Most restaurants are pretty pricey, but that’s to be expected since it’s an island catering to tourists. Expect to pay 20,000 – 40,000 Ariary (4-9 USD) for a meal. That’s quite expensive for locals, but still cheap for western standards.
My last stop in the country was Nosy Be. If like me, you’ll be flying out from there, tuk-tuks charge 50,000 Ariary (about 11 USD) from Hell-Ville or Ambatoloaka to the airport— if you’re a local. Expect to pay more than that if you’re a tourist. The hotel quoted 80,000 Ariary (about 18 USD) , but since I befriended a local, she managed to get one for me for 60,000. Take note that a lot of tuk-tuk drivers do not speak English! If you don’t speak Malagasy or French, it would be hard to bargain. So make friends with locals while you’re there.
One thing about the airport— it’s really small for an international airport. If you’re like me who usually spends their remaining local currency to shop for souvenirs at the airport before leaving, you’ll have no such luck here. Buy your souvenirs in town because there are no shops at the airport, just a single cafe selling snacks at the departure area. When I was there they didn’t accept cards, so if you’re quite hungry you might as well use your remaining Ariary to buy a snack… or hand em to the workers at the airport if you’re feeling generous. I swear, every single one of them that I encountered discreetly asked for money…. which is understandable considering how they’re grossly underpaid. They’d be happy to receive any amount.
Nosy Be and its surrounding islands are truly beautiful. It’s no wonder many tourists head to this part of the country. Nosy Be can be pretty touristy, but it’s not really that popular yet compared to other beach destinations in the world so you could still easily find peace and tranquility if that’s what you’re after. Is it worth traveling all the way from Antananarivo by land though? If you’re traveling on a budget, I’d say it is. What’s one night without sleep when you’ll be saving lots of money? If I ever decide to return to Nosy Be and I’ll be coming from Tana though, I’d save money for the flight… because there’s no way I’m going through all that again. Haha.
no roads to follow 