What to see in Diego and surroundings

20km from Diego a nice little winding road will drive you to JOFFREVILLE , looking like a ghost city from the good old days of  the Frenchies, where the weather is 10° cooler than  on the sea side; it is a little bit higher than 1000 m; it is the gate to the national park; an entrance fee of 25000 Ariary will be requested.

You will find there crater  lakes, waterfalls, nice point of view, some endemic  plants, 7 species of lemurs, 75 different species of birds;  the smallest cameleon in the world  the brookesia), many different kinds of frogs. The summit  of this mountain reach 1475 m, very rainy, bringing fresh water to Diego Suarez, without montagne d’ambre, diego could not survive.A nice botanical sentry allow you to discover all these marvels.

After 43km on the main road and  one hour drive on a dusty road,  crossing arid vegetation, with a lot of pachypodiums, you will reach the RED TSINGY site. Don’t forget you camera,  this landscape is very unique in the world and also very fragile, it can disappear in a few years, if we don’t care for its protection. It is really a red planet  under  the blue sky…

CROCODILES AND HOLY LAKE

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When reaching anivrano town, just buy a piece of meat (don’t need to buy sirloin…), and let’s go feed these greedy crocodiles, only if you have some time available and kids with you...

You can spend there from a few hours to 3 days; it depends if you wish a complete visit or just a best of……Whatever your choice, you need good physical conditions, from 4 till 8 hours walk, lamps for the caves. You will cross many TSINGY (it means sharp rocks, this very perticuliar forest is due to the erosion of granite. See la perte de rivière, so called devil’s marmite; where water has hollowed the mountain, caves full of bats and stalactits and calcite curtains.

Here you are not alone : 13 different species of bats, 7 night lemurs, 13 day lemurs.

MONTAGNE DES FRANCAIS

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Only 10 km away from Diego on the sightseeing road to ramena, it is  quite an  easy climbing path to the summit (426 m) offering you among the old french foreign legion fort,  an incredible panorama on the bay and its sugar loaf island “ Le Pain de Sucre”Many Baobabs on the way and pachypodiums also,  a very explainful botanical garden  will complete your knowledge.

What a wonderful day to spend,you  leave early morning with your pique nique and some bottles of water  and you are going to walk around, bath and snorkling on remote and desert sandbeaches with cristalline waters. Up to the tide you begin or you  finish by the baie des sakalaves where surely you will meet some kite or windsurf afficionados spending  all their holidays practising their sport.

Only one hour  from Diego 30mn tarmac road, 30mn sand roads (no sign post), you can end your tour by  the :
RAMENA FISHERMEN VILLAGE
what it use to be the Diego Suarez week end resort, quite crowded on Sunday… very peaceful all the other days.

This full day tour you are going to love it. Crossing the bay with a motor boat in the morning you arrive for a sea food  lunch on the beach under a nice bamboo shelter, sun bath, snorkling, sea kayak, windsurf or even fishing following the travel agency you are using. Ask around before buying this tour, you will meet all kind of prices for all kind of boats.A seaquarium with hundreds of rays and colorful coral fish. Bring your k.way if you have one, on the way back; if you use the local boats, the waves are awfully smashing the shell and showering you.

Just a few tourists are going there, due to the lack of time and poor quality of the rest houses on the spot. If you leave early from your hotel, you can do it in one day but it is pity for one of the most beautiful place in Madagascar ( I think for myself that it is the most beautiful) So it is two hours far from Diego through anamakia mangoes and the “ SALINES “, after  you are going to cruise on dhow (wood local boat) to different  islands  ( two are holied, where you cannot walk, all this archipelago belongs to a king), many turtles to see, porpoises, coral fish and one of this island is a world famous spot for the climbers ( see www.newsearock.com)

You will need 4 till 5 hours to reach the northest cape of Madagascar, (exhausting road) Don’t leave with only  one vehicle and without your cell phone….On the way the WINDSOR CASTLE ROCK  overlooking the countryside.( 90mn to reach the summit).

A wonderful cruise between 4 till 6 days from Nosy Be, through Nosy Komba, Nosy Fala, Nosy Mitsio, Nosy Hara and Baie d’Ampasindavy where a car can meet you to drive you to Diego Suarez, where you can finish your stay, before flying back to Nosy Be, or Antananarivo or Reunion Island.
A few different charter company can meet your request with up to date catamarans from 4 berths  to 14 berths.