The North of Madagascar
During an expedition in the Grand North, the impression of a "Red Island" does not immediately come to mind. On the contrary, the tanety (bare hills) give way to a dense jungle, lakes and swamps to beaches, and an insatiable vegetation takes over the mountain ranges. In the Northeast, the Vanilla Coast is home to the precious remnants of Madagascar's pristine forests. In the far North, in the Antsiranana region, the bay of Diego-Suarez cuts its indentations into an emerald sea protected by the arid rocks of Cape Amber. The traveler will discover a green island spared from bushfires, with immaculate white sand, the brilliance of coral reefs, and the unique biodiversity of natural reserves. The best travel season stretches from July to November, when the weather is dry, and tropical depressions and cyclones do not hit the coast.
Ramena Beach, lined by one of the most spectacular bays in the world and facing Nosy Lonjo — a rocky sugarloaf island — is worth the trip to Diego-Suarez. The setting is almost unmatched, despite the influx of hotels and bars. From here, you can sail by dhow to the Emerald Sea, a lagoon in the Indian Ocean, where the waters of intense green and shallow depth host a multitude of turtles, manta rays, and sharks. Established on the Mozambique Channel, about forty kilometers from the mainland, the beautiful and sensual Nosy Be is a paradise for hiking: crossing its mangroves, visiting its coffee plantations, participating in vanilla harvests, discovering a clove or ylang-ylang distillery… The agricultural potential of the "island of perfumes" is still largely unknown. The region is more renowned for swimming and diving at Nosy Komba, Nosy Tanikely, Nosy Sakatia, and the Mitsio archipelago — ranked among the finest gems of Malagasy ecotourism — bypassing the local craft production units. After a day of swimming alongside sea turtles, visitors are encouraged to approach the Antakarana or Sakalava people. Solidarity tourism is a way to reduce the poverty of locals by combining cultural exchange, participation in farming activities, and the purchase of authentic products.
An incredible fauna
It is no secret that Madagascar holds ecological treasures. The numbers are staggering: over 118 bird species, 149 species of reptiles and amphibians, 35 species of palms, 275 species of ferns, and more than 2,000 species of flowering plants, including the famous orchids that attract both tourists and international biologists. Visitors will agree that Northern Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot!
The large mammals of Africa could have lived in these uncultivated environments, where humans have remained discreet and peaceful guests. But Mother Nature chose to gather the most unusual specimens here. Lemurs are abundant; admire the silky sifaka, easily recognized by its cream-grey fur, the indri indri which can weigh up to 9 kg as an adult, or the aye-aye, whose name derived from the Malagasy "hay hay" refers to an exclamation due to the primate's half-cat, half-vampire appearance. (With its rodent-like jaws, bat-like ears, and squirrel tail, the aye-aye is anything but beautiful.) Unique birds proliferate here, such as the blue coua, which would make French warblers and chickadees blush with its plumage, or the siketribe, a passerine bird with an unusually curved beak. The plant kingdom also demands careful attention. To truly appreciate this biodiversity, two places are essential: Marojejy National Park and the Masoala Cape Reserve. Both are equal in terms of endemism, though the former features a rugged terrain with extreme slopes, while the latter offers unparalleled maritime landscapes. Let your desires run free: rock climbing, forest hikes, rapids descents, quad or motorbike rides through the highlands…
As for Amber Mountain, it dominates the Diego bay with its dense, rainy forests. Here resides the world's smallest chameleon, the **Brookesia micra**, which is the size of a matchhead. Dr. Frank Glaw, a German zoologist at the Munich Natural History Museum, discovered it in 2017: "An extreme case of island dwarfism," he told us, "due to the destruction of the reptile's natural habitat." The West Coast, on the other hand, presents a jagged coastline largely unexplored, home to paradisiacal islets (Nosy Hara, Nosy Mitsio, the Radama Islands…), preserved seabeds, outrigger canoes, and large dhows. In the center, the Tsaratanana volcanic massif houses the highest point of Madagascar, **Mount Maromokotra**, standing at 2,876 meters above sea level.
Hiking in Northern Madagascar
Hiking through the humid mountain forests will serve as a pretext to share the primitive lifestyle of the villagers. Resisting the sirens of technological evolution, they draw on the forces of nature to survive. Bamboo or ravenala leaf houses are in fashion, fishing boats are carved from tree trunks, and aromatic herbs are used in case of illness. Boys know how to handle a dugout canoe even before learning to read and write. As you move deeper into the untouched forests of Cape Amber, it feels as though humanity is no longer at odds with the ecosystem.
The image of a rediscovered paradise gradually fades as you listen to the tourist guides' confessions about acts of deforestation, slash-and-burn farming, or rosewood exploitation committed by government officials. The journey through the Grand North is both fascinating and awe-inspiring but leaves a bitter taste, knowing that this precious biodiversity is shrinking like a receding tide. Future generations may never see the piercing eyes of the aye-aye, the dazzling fur of the sifaka, or the light-grey belly of the Madagascar serpent eagle.