Diego Suarez Surroundings and City

The South road from Diego Suarez will lead you either to the WEST COAST (virgin islands coasts) through many different parks or from the AMBILOBE crossroad to the INDIAN OCEAN EAST COAST.

THE SOUTH ROAD to NOSY BE

KM 13 : Crossroad to JOFFREVILLE and MONTAGNE D’AMBRE NATIONAL PARK
The road is winding and climbing through rice fileds and nice colorful villages, very green.

Km 43 : Crossroad to THE RED TSINGIES  (10km of a tricky and heartbreaking road, a 4x4 car is required, forget  it if it’s rainy day)

Km 65 : East Gate for ANKARANA NATIONAL PARK and its karstic landscapes

Km  80 : three saphire villages one after the other, be careful  of  what you may buy

Km  93 : South Gate to ANKARANA NATIONAL PARK, one Eco Lodge and one brand new international standart  Lodge (expect to open in May 2008).

Km 100 : AMBILOBE a very hot town  door to the sugar cane fields of SIRAMA.

From here till Ambanja (km 200) a long straight road among plantations of sugarcane, ylang ylang, cocoa, coffee, pepper, crove, cinnamon, venilla  owe to Sambirana river watering this fertile country. Some foreign companies are distilling these plants for their flagrance and export to Europe, specially to Grasse in France.

Km 245 : Ankify a small harbour from where you can reach Nosy Be on an half an hour crossing with local speed boat (about  10 euros). Nearby you can find some nice hotels at different  standarts ; you can also choose to rest in Nosy Komba on the way, much more quieter than Nosy Be, with some very charming boutique hotels and bungalows from 3 till 8 rooms. Many lemurs to see and nice handicraft like richelé, local white cotton curtains.

The City of Diego Suarez

Diego Suarez remains a very charming old colonial french town, only 30 000 very colorful unhabitants ;  as this city has been a melting pot since centuries, africans, arabs, comorians, european colonist have used the bay so protected. Of course the old buildings are falling in ruins, but it adds a flavour of nostalgy of its golden years.

The city is nestled in a small part of the bay (one of the largest in the world : 156 Km of inner coasts)
The best to have a good glimpse of the bay is to use the winding road from Diego to the fishermen harbour of Ramena (20km), it drives you in front of the sugar loaf "Nosy Lonjo or Pain de Sucre", the landmark of Diego Suarez (km3), Tourism Office viewpoint.

After km 8 you will reach la Montagne des Français with ist famous 1000 Baobabs Valley, where you can visit a Botanical Garden (if it is closed, inquire to the hotel KING LODGE, who is running the park).

On the opposite side the Anamakia road will drive you  through mangotrees, to the SALINE, it is the road to either Windsor Castle an astonishing Rock from where  you can enjoy a panorama from Mozambic Channel through Cap d’Ambre (the nortest cap of Madagascar to the Indian Ocean shores.

After one more hour drive you will reach Ampasindavy village, starting point for cruising  the Nosy Hara Archipelago.