Madagascar Beach Holidays

Tailor-made Madagascar beach holidays with Gane and Marshall

Sometimes referred to as the island continent, Madagascar is a land of remarkable diversity, its terrain ranging from dense rainforest to semi-arid desert. Among its greatest assets, however, are its stunning beaches. Relatively underdeveloped, Madagascar for the most part lacks the luxury coastal resorts of Zanzibar, Pemba or the Seychelles, but it makes up for it with its remote and pristine beaches, many of them a paradise for the island's wildlife as well as avid beachgoers! In fact, nowhere is it easier to combine wildlife and beaches than Madagascar, with many of the island's finest beaches, such as Anjajavy, enclosed within nature reserves. Many will head to Madagascar's coast to relax after a busy safari, but for others, the safari begins on arrival!

A number of Madagascar's surrounding islands, foremost among them the popular resorts of Île Sainte Marie and Nosy Be, allow for more conventional beach holidays, with various accommodation options ranging from small, intimate guesthouses to luxury beach lodges.

Read on for an overview of some of our favourite coastal regions of Madagascar. For more information, or to enquire about a beach holiday to Madagascar, contact us.

Île Sainte Marie
57km long but only 7km wide, the slender island of Île Sainte Marie lies just off the coast of eastern Madagascar. Remote and underdeveloped, until only a few years ago your luggage on arrival in Île Sainte Marie would be transported from the island’s tiny airport to your hotel on a wheel barrow! While Île Sainte Marie has made some accommodations to the modern world in recent years, it remains very much an island paradise.

Like any good beach retreat, Île Sainte Marie boasts year-round sunshine, perfect white sand beaches, and warm, calm waters. However the island is more than just a beach resort. Steeped in history, Île Sainte Marie was a popular haven for pirates during the 17th century, a legacy still visible in the skull and crossbones that adorn the graves in the aptly-named Pirates' cemetery (the only of its kind in the world) and in the ship wrecks that can still be seen offshore (and which make for wonderful dive sites!) Families love Île Sainte Marie, and so do honeymooners. Others come to Île Sainte Marie for its wildlife; you can view humpback whales in season (July – September) and dive among gorgeous coral gardens.

Île Saint Marie is Madagascar's second beach destination after Nosy Be and so it does receive a good number of tourists—its Western coastline in particular is home to a large number of hotels. There are a number of quiet, relatively isolated resorts on Île Sainte Marie, but those looking for something more rustic should consider Ifaty, while those looking for exclusivity might look at the private reserve of Anjajavy. For those who don't mind a bit of hustle and bustle, however, Île Sainte Marie's busy west coast, with its numerous restaurants and excellent water sports is a great destination for a beach break.

Anjajavy
Situated in the north west of Madagascar and accessible only by air, Anjajavy Private Nature Reserve is perhaps better known for its wildlife than its beaches. Covering an area of 450 hectares, the bulk of which consists of mangrove and dry deciduous forest, Anjajavy is one of Madagascar’s finest wilderness reserve. The wildlife is prolific, and on forest walks you can expect to see many endemics, including chameleon, Coquerel’s sifaka, common brown lemur, and, if you are lucky, the elusive and solitary fossa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore.

If Anjajavy is conceived of primarily as a wildlife destination rather than a beach retreat that's only because the wildlife here is so stunning and rare, not because the beaches are less than exceptional. Those who come to Anjajavy for a relaxing beach holiday will be well-catered for! There is only one hotel in Anjajavy, the eponymous Anjajavy Hotel, which occupies a wonderful stretch of fine sand beach on the Mozambique channel. Deserted creeks, discreet coves, and little fishing villages dot the coastline around Anjajavy and can be easily explored on foot via designated trails, while boat excursions can take you to remote and untouched areas such as Moramba Bay.

Water activities at Anjajavy include snorkelling and sailing. There is no diving. Those looking for a traditional beach holiday with facilities for water sports might consider Nosy Be or Île Sainte Marie, but for those who value exclusivity, there is nothing like Anjajavy.

Nosy Be
Thanks to its marvellous climate and beautiful coastline, the island of Nosy Be has emerged in recent years as Madagascar's premier beach destination, attracting beach-goers—many of whom fly direct to the island circumnavigating mainland Madagascar altogether—in larger numbers than any other region of the country. Yet, in spite of its rapid development, Nosy Be has retained much of its tropical island charm, and it's still possible to find quiet, off-the-beaten-track retreats, with white sand beaches, blue-green seas and amazing coral reefs. Though they are many, hotels on Nosy Be consist primarily of small lodges and boutiques, rather than large package resorts. And however busy it gets, life on Nosy Be seems to continue at the same leisurely pace—'mora, mora', or 'slowly, slowly', as the locals say. This is a quiet, sleepy place, with little air of expectation; in short, the perfect spot to relax!

Nosy Be means ‘big island’ in Malagasy, but its local nickname is Nosy Manitra, the ‘perfumed isle’, on account of the profusion of ylang ylang yellow flower grown here and used in the production of perfume essence. Other local crops include coffee, cacao, vanilla and sugar cane, all of which are grown in the small plantations that dot the island's interior. Of course, many visitors to Nosy Be won’t want to leave the beach, but those who do choose to explore inland will find much to discover. Forest walks are popular, and while the wildlife here isn't as prolific as in Madagascar's best wilderness reserves, there are a number of enjoyable treks to various viewpoints that on a clear day provide wonderful views of the island and its crater lakes.

Water sports enthusiasts will feel at home on Nosy Be. Many hotels have facilities for snorkelling, windsurfing and sailing, and there are a number of excellent dive sites—untouched reefs where you can hope to see manta ray, whale shark, turtle and barracudas—off the coast of Nosy Be and among the surrounding islets that make up the archipelago.

Ifaty
The quiet coastal area of Ifaty is situated about 25kms north of Tulear in the Bay of Ranobe, in the south west of Madagascar. An attractive stretch of coastline dotted with rustic bungalow hotels—many constructed entirely from local materials and in the local style—Ifaty is the best beach destinations in the south of Madagascar. Some travellers prefer to fly to the more popular beach resorts in the North of the country, but for visitors travelling the southern route a few days spent enjoying the beach and the sea in easily-accessible Ifaty can be the perfect ending to a busy itinerary.

Ifaty is situated within the Bay of Ranobe, which stretches from Belalanda to Manombo Sud. The reef at Ifaty is a popular diving spot that is especially accessible to beginners thanks to the coral barrier that protects the lagoon. The waters here, which reach a maximum depth of about 10 metres in the interior of the reef, are very safe. Marine species include box/cowfish, parrotfish, angelfish and pipefish. For those who prefer to keep dry, boat rides on the lagoon are a pleasant alternative. Other wildlife attractions include whale watching in July and August, and birding at the the nearby Reniala Nature Reserve, with its beautiful spiny and baobab forests.

Gane and Marshall are specialists in beach and wildlife holidays to Madagascar. You can contact Sarah Williams, our Madagascar expert, on 01822 600600 or via email at sarah@ganeandmarshall.com. Sarah can help you prepare a tailor-made Madagascar itinerary to suit your requirements.