TOP THINGS TO DO IN NOSY BE, MADAGASCAR
WORDS AND PICTURES : STEFANIA ZARETTI
Nosy Be. Who on earth would have ever thought I was going to ever be in a place like Nosy Be Madagascarlike what is that? haha It is another place that gave me even more of that “Mal d’Africa” that I was mentioning in my last post of Zanzibar. The whole time I was like “Wow, I’m totally in Madagascar!!!” Crazy!! So many beautiful people, nice and accommodating, more markets with fresh, colourful fruit and more beautiful warm, blue beaches (of course with cows on them), crazy tuk tuks everywhere (Africa loooves their Tuk Tuks!!) and more animals!! I honestly never expected to like Nosy Be as much as I did. We did so much shopping here too- and so did the locals with a nice little chicken exchange!! I have never seen anything like this before. Reminds me of Rush Hour 2- “Don’t kill chicken!! I like my chickens dead and deep fried, y’ever heard of Popeye’s?” -Chris Tucker hahaha and look how happy the guy is to get this chicken, melts my heart!! Much respect to him too for his Linkin Park T-shirt! Contact info@tourismguideafrica.com too for any tours or advice you may need! www.tourismguideafrica.com and check them out also on Instagram to see more wonderful photos and life of all of the Africa that stole my heart!! We started out with a little drive through the town and saw the most beautiful people- they had perfect faces, some with gold sunscreen on and some without- but each and every one of them with a smile. It was an incredible thing to see how little everyone has here yet is so content with what they do have. We then went to the market and bought all kinds of fresh spices and pure vanilla sticks. Besides the fact that it was about 1,100 degrees in there and they were selling raw meat out in the open hahaha it was Amazing. After the market, it was so hot that it was time to go to the beach : We hopped in our Tuk Tuk and went straight to Madirokely bay- There, we went to Royal Beach Resort which was another breath-taking place, to have 2 of the strongest drinks ever- first time I have ever had a Campari Spritz with GIN in it!! Wheeewwww. The beach was so beautiful and relaxing, even the pet cows were nice and relaxed! We shopped a bit here too and spent some time with the local’s it was the perfect day. The cherry on top? These 2 little boys come up to me and say “Ciao!” which made my heart melt. I got out of the car, ran to them and gave each of them 2 $1 bills and they just stared at me not knowing what to do!! It was adorable- so I looked at them and go “Go, go, run!!” and they scurried away SOOO HAPPY!! I can’t wait for the day that I get to revisit Nosy Be. Thank you Nosy Be for the most amazing, grateful, memorable day of my life. I will forever keep this little town in my memory and hope so much to come back soon! I have to visit all my beautiful new friends. A recap of things to do in Nosy Be: If you are on a cruise- I don’t recommend any cruise excursions, but instead, walk off the tender and find one of the great locals who are beyond ecstatic to take you around. They will take you in their cars anywhere you want to go- my suggestion would be: First go visit the Hellville Market where you can find everything from fresh vanilla sticks, turmeric, fruits & veggies and the cutest souvenir spice holders for your friends. Here you will also see the most genuine and most beautiful people ever. From there, you can start going up to Madirokely! If you get hungry and don’t want resort food, then there is a little bungalow style restaurant for the locals called Beach Bar Restaurant. Royal Beach Hotel is in Madirokely bay (especially if you have a short day) where you can enjoy amazing cocktails, a little shopping as well as use their pool or beachfront which is absolutely breath-taking. Another incredible spot, if you have more time, is the Andilana Beach Resort which is one of the best in Nosy Be! Here too you can enjoy amazing food, walks on the beach and even spend time with a bunch of Italians haha!! You will find tons of shopping and restaurants here so if you have more time, definitely it is the place to be!