As somebody who is scared of basically 99% of all things, I never imagined I would be brave enough to stick my head under the water and swim for a prolonged amount of time, in the actual open sea. It’s just not my style. But, unlike that time I went jet-skiing in Antigua, snorkeling in Madagascar is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best things I have ever done.
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From Nosy Be to Nosy Tanikely
Fresh off the tender-boat from the ship, we pushed our way through the throngs of people on the harbour-front at Hell-Ville, Nosy Be’s port and main city. The heat in Madagascar is intense, and as we were there during rainy season it clung to the skin in a particularly clammy way, cementing itself on with a layer of dust from the road.
Witnessing an entire shipload of passengers descend upon one of the poorest nations in Africa never ceased to be a shock to the system, creating a bizarre juxtaposition of overweight iPhone-weilding couples in nautical stripes and golf visors, against the locals going about their business, carrying plastic barrels of petrol on sticks across their shoulders, or baskets of shopping on their heads. Stray dogs roamed in between the chaos, and the odd feral chicken scratched around on the outskirts of it all. We squeezed through this strange hubbub to reach the other side of the concrete pier, where a row of local boats were lined up.
We had already contacted our pal at Mada Nosy Be Tourism to arrange a boat for us from Hell-Ville to Nosy Tanikely, and it was waiting for us there at the end. (Anyone reading this and considering a trip to Nosy Be, this guy is blooming fantastic; I recommend you get in touch immediately.)
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We clambered down into the little motorboat, flinging flimsy-looking life jackets over our heads as we boarded. The life jackets were probably more of a token gesture, as they truly were starting to biodegrade. But that’s ok. Luckily in this part of Madagascar there are islands galore and we didn’t have far to go to reach Nosy Tanikely. We probably could have just about swam to land if there had been an accident.
The motor choked into life, and off we went, skimming our way across the water away from the madness of the port. And the breeze as we sped along was absolutely glorious I tell ya! In the distance we could see our floating home smiling back at us (in case you’re new around here, I work on a cruise ship), and every now and again I spotted a few massive fish gliding through the crystal clear water way down below.
Around half an hour later, the boat slowed down as we approached a little island. Several other boats sat in the shallow water, in front of a sandy beach which quickly gave way to thick forest sloping upwards. A few people milled around on the beach, although most were trying to stay cool in the shade.
Boat secured, we jumped one by one into the shallow water, and waded our way on to the beach.
What is Nosy Tanikely?
There’s a good chance, unless you’re only reading this because you googled “snorkeling in Madagascar,” or something along those lines, that you’ve never actually heard of the island of Nosy Tanikely before.
Nosy Tanikely is in fact one of Madagascar’s newest (and most tiniest) of all the national parks. Located in the Mozambique Channel off of the northwest coast, this lovely little island is only 3.41km2 in size. But people don’t tend to come here for what they can find on land; Nosy Tanikely is a marine national park, and therefore is one of the best places to go snorkelling in Madagascar.
The marine park stretches out from the central radius of the island’s lighthouse for 700 metres, making it a great place for diving as well as snorkelling. And the assortment of marine life around the coral reef is absolutely INSANE.
There’s a very small charge once you reach the island- which is payed at a little office set up on the sandy beach. (20 0000 ariary in total, which equates to approximately €4.25- what an absolute BARGAIN).
Discover the nearby city of Antsiranana.
Trekking to the lighthouse
Wads of ariary (that’s Malagasy money FYI), exchanged at the beach-office, we began our walk to the top of the island, with our boat driver-come-tour-guide leading the gang. Did I personally need the tour guide experience? No, no I did not. I would have been more than happy to just have a casual roam around by ourselves. But I appreciated the thought.
Ps, pals: tourism in Madagascar is a relatively new invention, and has a mildly make-shift vibe to it. That’s the kind of vibe that I love, but if you arrive expecting a glossy tailor-made tourist experience, think again. I do think tourism in Madagascar is something that has the potential to be hugely beneficial, but if you’re that kind of tourist- I don’t know if this is the place for you.
We hiked up a big pathway to the highest point of the island, sheltered by tropical trees where lemurs swung, ran and tumbled. Gigantic hermit crabs crawled up the hill with us, sorting through the leafy foliage and clacking across the pathways of all the ants. At the top, under the shade of a concrete building fashioned into a museum, a whole posse of crabs mingled with lizards cooling off.
The highest point of all is the top of the lighthouse. We single-filed it up the spiral staircase inside and then up to the cracked glass of the lantern room. Swiftly, our guide decided it was time we headed back down again. (He appeared to be in kind of a hurry, alas)
It was time to get to the really good stuff.
Snorkeling at Nosy Tanikely
After a spot of tree-climbing (during which I got mildly stuck and my pal Justin demonstrated his finest circus skills), we set up in a shady spot at the far end of the beach, away from the other people milling around.
Towels were spread, crew mess sandwiches, beers and water bottles were distributed, and sun cream was re-applied. (It doesn’t seem to do a lot for me, but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?) Our Malagasy tour guide sat with us, tucking in to crew mess sandwiches and bottles of beer as well. Several of my pals donned masks and flippers, and off they strode looking like Hugh Grant’s Welsh pal in Notting Hill.
I don’t think snorkel masks and flippers will ever not be funny to me. They add comedy value to any occasion.
Crew Mess Sandwich: A sandwich smuggled out of the crew mess in the early hours of the morning, before leaving the ship for a day. The sandwich consists of any ingredients available at breakfast time and is normally wrapped in paper napkins. Pro tip: if you’re in a hot country, never put boiled eggs in a crew mess sandwich. Trust me.
I, on the other hand, was a little more reserved about the whole situation. Despite being a full on lover of the beach, there’s something mildly nerve-wracking to me about being in the sea. I ate my crew mess sandwiches and continued to watch my pals from the shore, trying to psych myself up mentally.
When two of them came back and declared they had just swum with the entire cast of Finding Nemo, I was just about ready. I donned the Rhys Ifans get-up, flippers and all, and marched purposefully to the clear-as-glass waters of the Indian Ocean.
And swiftly tripped over my right flipper, face-planting the sand.
Show me a person who can make a snorkel mask and flippers look elegant and I will eat my hat. Honestly. The next step was to butt-shuffle down the sand into the water, until I decided it was safe to re-don the flipper. And then, it was onwards and upwards!
The moment I finally decided to put my full face underwater and start the swim further out was a big one, which took a great deal of bravery might I add. I was oddly proud of myself. All I could hear for the first few minutes or so, aside from the backdrop of lapping seawater, was my own extremely heavy breathing. I sounded like Darth Vader, and my teeth were clamping the inside of the snorkel so tightly that by the end of the day the jaw-ache was a killer. But. It was worth it.
The cast of Finding Nemo really was there! Tiny electric-coloured shoals of fish, gargantuan ugly-faced fish with bulbous faces, parrot fish, clown fish (whaddup, Nemo), and tiny jellyfish propelling themselves across the coral. Gigantic shells were scattered along the seabed like something out of Jurassic Park. At various points in the distance I could see the flippers of a friend swimming off in another direction.
Once I’d managed to regulate my breathing to less of a rasp, I was on top of the world. Except- a whole different, underwater world. It honestly felt like I was on a different planet, and I was loving every second of it. The coral naturally forms pathways across the sea bed, and every now and again we resurfaced to point each other across the water in the direction of some sea turtles that had been spotted, or more colourful fish.
Turning tides
After a while, I realised I was having to stick a lot more rigidly to the sandy pathways through the reef. Come to a dead end, and you were potentially in serious trouble; if I’d have tried to swim directly over the coral I would have been touching it.
It turns out, the tide was going out.
And the coral at Nosy Tanikely is so close to the beach that it was inevitable I’d graze myself on it eventually, alas! Sometimes in life you’ve just got to take a coral graze, haven’t you? My knees, stomach and a hand dragged across a piece of coral, which was solid as a rock. I had no idea that some corals are so rock hard; more like a piece of very spiky granite than a soft little sea-plant. And this particular piece of coral was also a stinger.
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I sat on the beach nursing my coral-wounds, with blood gushing out of one finger. There appeared to be a gravel-sized fleck of coral embedded into it. In fact there still is- it’s been there ever since, the cheeky bugger.
My pal Dennis crouched on the ground next to me, having grazed his knee the same way.
“I am just worried you know. They say if you have coral stuck in you, it can grow. Into a new coral, you know?”
Well. Luckily I’m yet to spot any coral reefs growing from my actual finger, but stranger things have happened so I’m not gonna rule it out.
Other places to go snorkeling in Madagascar
Without a doubt, Nosy Tanikely is one of the best places to go snorkeling in Madagascar- if not, the world. Let’s face it, I set the bar extremely high by choosing Nosy Tanikely as the spot for my first snorkeling experience.
If you’re looking for other snorkeling spots in Madagascar, the island of Nosy Be in general is a great area, whether on the main island or one of the surrounding islets like Nosy Iranja or Nosy Sakatia. Sainte Marie Island is a good spot off the east coast, and the southwest shoreline of Madagascar has some amazing coral reefs if you want to stick to the main island.
Our day snorkeling in Madagascar was one of the best things I did in 2020, and something I feel crazily grateful for having been able to do. Partly because it means 2020 wasn’t a complete write-off, and partly because HOW AMAZING IS IT TO GO SNORKELING IN MADAGASCAR!? If you get a chance, go, on the double. You will not regret it in the slightest.
Logistical Statisticals
- It’s a really good idea to have some data available while you’re out and about in Madagascar. My data roaming is super expensive, so instead I use an eSim from Airalo which I can install on my phone on the go using an app. It’s very easy to do, but also much cheaper than going with my own phone company.
- The main language in Madagascar is Malagasy, but French is spoken as well.
- • Make sure you use reef-safe, waterproof suncream.
- Currency is Malagasy Ariary, and 5000 ariary is around €1.