Nosy Be is an island about 8 km off the northwest coast of Madagascar. It is the country's largest and busiest tourist resort. The population is about 75 thousand. The island's main town is Andoany (Hellville).
We stayed at the Ravintsara Wellness Hotel on the northwest side of the island.
Diving:
Dive shop: Scuba Nosy Be
Underwater scenes
Schools of fish
Closeups
Humbug damsel, Dascyllus aruanus
Twobar damsel, Dascyllus carneus
Smallspotted grunt, Pomadasys commersonni
Minstrel sweetlips, Plectorhinchus schotaf
Carpet flathead, Papilloculiceps longiceps
Emperor angelfish (adult left, juvenile right), Pomacanthus imperator
Royal angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus
Longnose unicornfish, Naso brevirostris
Skunk anemonefish, Amphiprion akallopisos
Mauritian anemonefish, Amphiprion chyrsogaster
OIndian lionfish, Pterois miles
Valentin's sharpnose puffer, Canthigaster valentini
Forster's hawkfish, Paracirrhites forsteri
Red firegoby, Nemateleotris magnifica
Schooling bannerfish, Heniochus diphreutes
Nudibranchs
Highlands
Here we stayed at the Domaine de Florette, near the village of Andrafiamena in the middle of the island near Mont Passot.
The highlands are a montane rainforest remnant and are home to the black lemur, Eulemur macaco, the most extremely dimorphic of all lemurs. Males are all black with bright orange eyes, while females are chestnut brown with white ear tufts.
Ylang-ylang (Cananga dorata), originally from Indonesia, is grown for its highly-fragrant essential oil, extracted from its flowers by steam extraction. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy and perfume, and in Madagascar is also used to flavor ice cream. The trees are pruned to keep the leaves and flowers within easy reach.
Night walk
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Last modified 10 June 2025