Diego Suarez: Turquoise Bays, Golden beaches, Red Tsingy and tropical forests!
The heading of this blog for Diego Suarez – ‘Turquoise bays and Golden beaches’ can apply to any number of coastal paradises in the Indian Ocean. This would include Ifaty, Nosy Be and St. Marie in Madagascar itself. But Diego Suarez sets itself apart by not being ‘popular’ for tourists and this turns out to be its best feature. But then the beauty of nature in this quaint region of Madagascar is no less compared to its busy competitors. Not just the coast: The Red Tsingy and the tropical forests of Amber National Park enhance the appeal of this bayside town. If I have to give one word for the stunning presence of Nosy Lonja (Sacred Hill), the exhilarating turquoise waters of Emerald Sea and the beautiful bays of Diego Suarez – ‘intoxicating’!
Do watch our Video blog on our experience in Diego Suarez!
About Diego Suarez
The town of Diego Suarez, or Antsiranana (official name), is located in the north of Madagascar. The Diego Suarez bay is the world’s second largest natural bay with the picturesque Nosy Lonja (Sugarloaf island). Diego Suarez, with its French influenced architecture and its easy going but vibrant culture, has a character not like any other town of Madagascar. Stay in one of the beautiful sea side resorts / hotels and enjoy the slow hum. But you will need to move out of town to explore the jewels of this region!
Nosy Lonja – the centrepiece view
The first thing that will amaze you in Suarez (even when you see the city from your airplane), is the stunning presence of the conical hill island of Nosy Lonja. Nosy Lonja is right in the middle of the bay (French Bay) and commands a looming presence over the city. Alas, it is not possible to visit the Island – merely appreciate it from afar on shore. It is considered ‘fady’ (taboo) to visit the island. The locals believe that death will follow to those who step ashore. Only on rare occasions do the locals step on the island and that too only for the ‘fijoroana’ (ceremonies invoking the ancestors). There are many legends about this land relating to the local tribe (Antakarana) – the dominant tribe of this area. Your guide will be happy to narrate his version of the story to you!
Places to visit in Diego Suarez
You can keep charming Diego Suarez as your base and explore the beauty of this coastal town and the surrounding sights. You can lounge on the beaches and lazily admire the exquisite picture perfect sands and turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean beach off your resort. Then take short day trips to go to these different sites around the town.
Beaches and Bays
The most prominent and longest stretch of beach in town is the Ramena beach. Filled with lodges and restaurants – this is for the active but easy life. Just adjacent Ramena is the Oreangea beach (owned by the Military) – which is relatively more peaceful.
The Three Bays
However, the more picturesque are the isolated beaches of the Three Bays (referred to as ‘baie’) namely Baie des Dunes, Baie des Pigeons and Sakalava Bay. Pristine and less frequented, each of the three beaches are exquisite.
You can visit these beaches on a 4X4 arranged by your operator. A better (though active) alternative would be to walk the scenic route to Sakalava bay by passing through the Pigeon Bay and the Bay of dunes. This walk will take you 2.5 – 3 hours, not counting the time you take to drink in the sheer beauty of these dreamy beaches.
This walk would be on sandy unpaved roads flanked by dense bushes. It is also a wonderful opportunity for birding and for spotting some of the shy lizards and reptiles. You will also go by ruins of many abandoned military buildings – certainly an eerie experience to add to the natural beauty.
Cap Miné Lighthouse
On the way, stop by the Cap Miné Lighthouse. The lighthouse is on a high rocking outcrop and there are magnificent panoramic views of the entrance to the Suarez bay, the Emerald sea and the Indian Ocean.
We recommend starting early in the morning to beat the heat and end at Sakalava beach for a well-deserved rest and lunch. Sakalava beach is beautiful beyond comprehension! Have a sumptuous sea-food lunch at one of the shacks near the beach or in the restaurants by the few seaside resorts here gazing at the turquoise waters and the kite-surfing enthusiasts enjoying themselves on the waves of the Indian Ocean.
If you are a water adventure enthusiast and have time to spare – enrol for a kite-surfing class on Sakalava beach! Watch this amazing Kite and Windsurfing video on Sakalava bay: Amazing scenes – see how clear the waters are!
Emerald Sea – A slice of paradise
It may take a better part of a day – but this is a must do experience. Start early morning and take the local ‘pirogue’ transport to travel from Ramena beach to Emerald Bay (called the Emerald sea). Depending on the tide, there could be a stop at one of the islands en-route (during low tide). The journey on the pirogue is as exciting and leaves you in heady anticipation of the destination!
Emerald beach takes you to a different world altogether. The beauty of the golden sands and the outwardly turquoise of the waters around is indescribable!
Take your time to explore the different beaches on Emerald island. Make sure you cross the ‘forest’ of bushes to the other side to visit pristine beaches with no one around to bother your admiration of nature.
Trek up French Mountain
If you are up to it physically, the short trek up the French Mountain is quite nice with great views of the Suarez bay. It is also a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the local flora and fauna. Of course, you should not miss spotting the very unique Suarez baobab found only in this region in the entire world. Also watch out for the other baobab species – the Madagascar baobab.
While the trek up the mountain is short (1.5 – 2 hours), it can be quite taxing. But the experience of nature and the spectacular views from the top make it all worth your while.
Day Trips from Diego Suarez
Diego Suarez can be the base for two amazing day trips to the surrounding areas:
- The tropical forests of Amber National park: Crater lakes, waterfalls, diverse flora, lemurs and yes, one of the smallest chameleons in the world (barely more than 1 cm).
- The beautiful red pinnacles of the Tsingy Rouge (Red Tsingy)
Read more about these two lovely destinations in our blog:
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Where to stay
You can either stay in a hotel in town or choose a beachside resort a little away from the hustle bustle. In town, we recommend staying in Hotel Allamanda or in one of the many resorts around Ramena beach area. For the more exquisite golden beach side resorts – you have the pick of private island resorts (quite pricey) off the coast in the Indian Ocean.
A less luxurious but beautiful option would be to stay one of the resorts (three as on date) on Sakalava Bay. Fewer crowds with golden sands and blue / turquoise make this a leisurely wonderful option!
Planning for Diego Suarez
Planning for an ideal itinerary for Madagascar can be quite difficult – grapple with which destination to compromise! Come to Diego Suarez if the idea of isolated pristine beaches and tropical forests appeals to you. The Grey Tsingy in Ankarana and the Red Tsingy would be bonus experiences. Equally beautiful but more ‘popular’ beaches with greater variety of resort options would be possible in touristy Nosy Be (North West) or in Ille St. Marie.
If you like the idea of Diego Suarez, your trip can combine it with a visit to Tsingy de Bemaraha / Avenue of baobabs in the west. However, note that this trip plan would involve 4 domestic flights. The destinations being at extreme ends and the road transportation not being an option, flights on the weary unreliable domestic airline would be inevitable.
Check out our standard itineraries for Madagascar to give you an idea on planning here.
Madagascar can be hard to travel in terms of domestic transportation and the time; but the lonely beauty of the destinations would make up for an amazing holiday!
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