OUR ITINARY DAY BY DAY

Fly into Nosy Be late afternoon. You will be met at the airport by a Kayak Madagascar representative who will transfer you to Manga Be resort on the south side of Nosy Be island. Over sundowners the representative will go through the itinerary and places of interest along your journey.

After breakfast paddle east along the coast of Nosy Be to a rustic tented camp on the edge of Lokobe nature reserve. The distance is about 19km. We will stop for rests along the way. For those who would like a afternoon walk in the forest reserve a guide will accompany you and point out all the interesting fauna and flora. Sundowners around a bon fire on the beach.

After breakfast paddle a short distance, 2.5km, to the nearby Vorona Private Island. You will be the only group on the island. This tiny island hosts the only working lighthouse in the area. The accommodation is three large rooms in the main house with a large veranda and a bungalow with shared ablutions. From here you are transferred by pirogue to Tanihely Marine Reserve to spend the day relaxing on the beach and snorkelling. From the top of the old lighthouse (build in 1908) there is a stunning paramedic view of the area. After a picnic lunch on the beach we head back to the island to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and sundowners on the veranda.

After breakfast paddle across to the Hermitage Beach Hotel, a distance of about 13 km. Set on grassy lawns this colonial era resort is positioned on a lovely isolated beach on Mainland Madagascar. Renovations have being done to restore this beautiful old hotel to it’s once former glory. The resort is boarded by the sea on one side and plantations mainly cashew nuts on the other. Chill on the grassy bank under some big shady trees flanking the resort. From here you can overlook the resort beach to the one side with the adjacent mainland in the distance and Komba and Nosy Be islands in front of you. After breakfast you paddle to the south side of Komba Island where we land on a beach for a rest and refreshments. Once we’ve relaxed and had a swim we continue our journey a short distance and arrive at Berenice Bungalows. The total distance is 15km. This bungalow resort is set on a little private beach in amongst wonderful gardens. It is owned and run by a Malagasy lady who together with her late Italian husband built the resort many years ago. There are four en suite bungalows and a main dining, lounge catering area on the fringe of the beach overlooking Ankify on the mainland. There is some good snorkelling directly in front of the resort. After an early breakfast we paddle 5 km across the channel back onto the mainland and land at Ankify Lodge. This resort is set just above the waters edge. A lovely old colonial house has being converted in to a bar restaurant and the bungalows have being built along the ledge. From this vantage point there are stunning views from the bungalows and the main house of the south side of Komba island and Nosy Be, mangroves along the coast of the mainland heading up the coast towards Hermitage Hotel in the distance.
The only sea route linking Nosy Be to the mainland runs in front of the resort and lands a little way lower down at Ankify port. It’s interesting to note the sea traffic down below, from speed boat carrying passengers to the slower thud, thud car carriers to local crafts carrying goods to and from, they all come passed.
As soon as you are settled in a mini bus will be waiting to take you to Millot Plantation. A guide will escort you through the plantation and show you cocoa trees and the different types of pods, how they are processed and dried ready for export. The guide will also show you ylang ylang and other spice trees as well as the essential oil extraction procedure. After the visit the mini bus takes you to the charming nearby inland town of Ambanja. The entire area is flat and the drive is awesome, tropical and shaded by big trees with cocoa growing underneath. After the Diego Suarez junction the road seems to get narrower and busier with bicycles and taxi bicycles and moto bikes – plenty, not to mention the odd motor car, mini bus taxis and trucks all using the same road. As you enter the town the congestion escalates with now a lot of pedestrians on either side of the road with a colourful display of rows and rows of 2nd hand clothing, plastic ware and other items lining the pavements all adding to the chaos. As you slowly nudge your way through the traffic you will notice that there are no tempers flaring, no horns being honked, surprisingly no accidents and no policemen. Just another normal day in down town Ambanja. Lunch is either at “Restaurant Patricia” down a side street in town or at the “Palma Nova Hotel” on the outskirts of town. Both have a long and good history in the town. The choice where you wish to eat is entirely yours. Once back at the resort for those feeling like a late afternoon stroll, the road from Ambanja to Ankify port continues to Ankify Beach where it ends. Unlike the chaos from town this small gravel road is peaceful and quiet and follows the coats canopied by huge tropical trees. A sundowner on the terrace of the old main building followed by a tasty dinner is a perfect way to end a lovely day.

After breakfast paddle about 15km to Ampangorina, over some stunning coral on the west side of Komba island. Ampangorina is the main village on Komba island where there are a few local beach bars and restaurants and plenty local handmade crafts on display. Once you have settled into your accommodation at either garden bungalows at the edge of the village (budget) or in a comfortable South African run guest house a short distance from the village refreshments and lunch are enjoyed at one of the local restaurants on the beach. After lunch a guide will take you to the lumer park above the village followed by craft shopping if you wish. Sundowners at either a local beach bar or in your resort followed by dinner at your resort. After breakfast at around mid morning you will be transferred to Hell-Ville on Nosy Be to catch your taxi to the airport. Being a Sunday all the shops will be closed but the market is always open if you’d like to have a last minute look around.

Thank you and Good bye from Kayak Madagascar team and we trust that you enjoyed your stay with us and looking forward to your next visit.

OUR ITINARY DAY BY DAY

This route is designed around more open ocean paddling for the more adventurous.
There is plenty opportunity for those wanting to trawl a fishing lure behind your kayak. Turtles and other marine life are often seen from the kayaks. For your safety this route is also supported by a support boat and is suitable for non paddlers in your group or for those only wanting to paddle certain legs. The accommodation is more rustic and the places you will visit a bit more off the beaten track.
The kayak team caters for most of your meals. Some breakfasts and lunches will be served on board the support boat. On your first day you will be transported by speed boat to the furthest point and from there over the next week paddle and explore you way back to Nosy Be and Kayak Madagascar’s base camp on Komba island.

Fly into Nosy Be late afternoon. You will be met at the airport by a Kayak Madagascar representative who will transfer you to Manga Be resort on the south side of Nosy Be island. Over sundowners the representative will go through the itinerary and places of interest along your journey. Dinner and breakfast at the resort.

After breakfast you will board a speed boat together with your luggage and head off to Ankazaberavina island on the horizon for some snorkelling. After snorkelling you continue your journey down the coast following the mainland to the remote Baramahamay river where you will overnight in rustic reed bungalows on the river bank. Shared ablutions. After lunch you paddle up the river a short distance then branch off and explore a mangrove estuary. Sundowners and dinner on the bank of the river.

After breakfast paddle to Iranja island. This paddle is across open ocean and is a distance of 17km. For your safety and comfort a support boat follows the paddlers. For those who wish not to paddle this stretch or only wish to do part of it are welcome to ride along in the support boat. Iranja island is postcard picture perfect with palm fringed powder fine white sand beaches and turquoise waters. Your accommodation is in rustic “A” frame raffia palm huts on a beautiful south facing beach. Shared ablutions.

Because Iranja is such a stunning place it is worth staying an extra day to explore the islands beauty. Iranja is two islands which are joined by a 1.8km sand spit. The spit is exposed at low tide making it possible to walk from one island to the next. At high tide the spit is covered by water making it two separate islands. The big island (where you stay) has a small colourful village and a lighthouse on top of the hill. The lighthouse has long since being out of operation but is still in a fair condition. At times it is possible to walk to the top of the lighthouse where there are stunning panoramic views of the area. After a beach breakfast under the coconut trees we take a leisurely paddle around the island landing on the sand spit for a swim. We porter the kayaks over the sand spit and head back to our beach where we stop over a small reef and snorkel from the kayaks in calm clear water. After lunch and a siesta we take a walk through the village and up to the light house. Sundowners on the beach followed by dinner. Breakfast is served on board the support boat while you make your way to Antshoa island. This tiny uninhabited island is home to five different species of lumers. A guide will show you around the island and call the different lumers who are very friendly and will come down from the tree top to say hello. After the walk chill on the beach, cool off with a swim. The boat staff will bring a bucket of cold drinks for you on the beach. Lunch is served on board the support boat. After lunch you set of paddling around the nearby “sugar loaf” or the lost brother as some call it and down the mainland coast to Russian Bay. A distance of roughly 11km. We normally stop for a refreshment in the bay at the only bar in the area. It’s very rustic, set in a beautiful location and worth a stop. Accommodation in Russian Bay is in rustic read bungalows with shared ablutions. Sundowners followed by dinner in the dinning area. Today is an early start. Breakfast is once again served on board the support boat as we make our way to Tanihely marine reserve for some of the best snorkelling around. There is a small old lighthouse (build in 1908) on the top of the island with awesome panoramic views of the area. Lunch is served on board the support boat. The afternoon “on shore” wind picks up in the early afternoon making the afternoon paddle interesting. The wind and swell will be on the beam turning towards the aft as you approach the south east side of Nosy Be. Your accommodation is a rustic tented camp on the edge of Lokobe nature reserve with shared ablutions. Sundowners on the beach around a bomb fire followed by dinner in the dinning area. After breakfast paddle a short distance, about ??km to the Ampangorina, the main village on Komba island. In the village there are a few local beach bars and restaurants and plenty local handmade crafts on display. Once you have settled into your accommodation at either garden bungalows at the edge of the village (budget) or in a comfortable South African run guest house a short distance from the village refreshments and lunch are enjoyed at one of the local restaurants on the beach. After lunch a guide will take you to the lumer park above the village followed by craft shopping if you wish. Sundowners at either a local beach bar or in your resort followed by dinner at your resort. After breakfast at around mid morning you will be transferred to Hell-Ville on Nosy Be to catch your taxi to the airport. Being a Sunday all the shops will be closed but the market is always open if you’d like to have a last minute look around.

Thank you and Good bye from Kayak Madagascar team and we trust that you enjoyed your stay with us and looking forward to your next visit.