Island Paradise. World-Class Fishing. Unforgettable Experiences.
Mora mora… Slow down… No rush… Enjoy the experience.
Every excursion is fully guided. Choose the kind of day you want off the boat.
Dive and snorkel among coral reefs, and come face to face with hawksbill and green turtles grazing on the reef. Scuba diving runs from April to November.
Feed lemurs on Nosy Komba, look for chameleons on the plantation tours, and visit remote islands such as Nosy Iranja. Quad biking and horse riding trails wind through forest and along the coast.
Humpback whales pass Nosy Be in August and September, and whale sharks in October and November. Dolphins are spotted through the season.
Traditional music, beachfront restaurants, freshly caught seafood and authentic Malagasy dishes, and an island with a vibrant nightlife when the sun goes down.
Sixteen ways to spend your days on and around Nosy Be. The four we recommend most are marked — tap any excursion to ask us about dates.
Of everything on our excursion list, this is the day we ask every guest to consider.
Guests donate money, and we use it to buy food and distribute it to destitute families in the local villages around Nosy Be. Lunch is included on the day.
It is one of the four excursions we recommend most, and it fits alongside any holiday — a fishing trip, a honeymoon or a family week on the island.
Game fishing excursions take between one and five anglers, and you choose from three boats. Big-game rods, reels and a limited amount of tackle come with the boat, along with lunch, water and soft drinks. If you want more, a tackle box — the “Hot Box” — with jigging, trolling and popping tackle can be added per person on request.
Fly fishermen should bring their own fly rods, and we recommend no more than two per boat so there is room to cast. Peak billfish season is August and September; see our Madagascar fishing holidays for the full picture.
If you would rather sleep on the water, a double-hull catamaran becomes your floating base between islands. For a single day under sail, book the yacht day trip instead.
Ten pages on Nosy Be and the waters around it — the fishing, the reefs, the islands, and the island itself.
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Nosy Be sits off Madagascar’s north-west coast — warm water year round, reefs a few minutes from shore, and a pace that slows the moment you land.
It is an easy island to travel to and an easier one to stay on, with its own airport and no long mainland transfer at the other end.
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Giant Trevally, black marlin, sailfish and tuna all run these waters. Rods, reels and tackle are supplied, for novices and seasoned anglers alike.
We practise tag and release.
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Stay on the island and run out each morning, or live aboard and wake up already on the grounds — both are fully guided.
Land-based suits guests who want island comfort and nightlife between fishing days; live-aboard suits those chasing the remote, untouched water.
6Whale sharks move through these waters on their seasonal run, and getting in alongside the largest fish in the ocean is something guests plan whole trips around.
It is entirely harmless — they are filter feeders, and unbothered by swimmers who keep a respectful distance.
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Evenings run on Malagasy, French and Italian influence — fresh seafood, sundowners on the sand, and a genuinely cosmopolitan little island.
It is as busy or as quiet as you want it to be.
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Nosy Be sits off the north-west coast of Madagascar, and the name simply means big island. What makes it work is everything scattered around it — Nosy Komba, Nosy Iranja, Nosy Sakatia and the Mitsio and Radama groups.
That archipelago is why a week here never repeats itself. Each island is a different anchorage, a different reef and a different day on the water.
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The reefs around Nosy Be are shallow, warm and unusually easy to snorkel — much of the best of it sits in a few metres of water, so you do not need to dive to see it properly.
Turtles, rays and reef fish are all common, and the sheltered water on the lee side of the islands means conditions stay workable even when it is breezy outside.
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Madagascar separated from the African mainland long enough ago that most of what lives there evolved in isolation. Lemurs, most of the world’s chameleon species and the baobabs exist nowhere else on earth.
You do not need an expedition to see it. Nosy Komba is known for its lemurs, and chameleons turn up on ordinary walks between the beaches.
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Nosy Be has its own international airport at Fascene, with direct flights from Europe via Milan and Rome, from Johannesburg on SA Airlink, and from Addis Ababa on Ethiopian.
From the airport it is a short transfer to the water. Most guests are on a boat the morning after they land.
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Not every day is a fishing day, and the island rewards the ones that are not — beaches with nobody on them, markets, the ylang-ylang plantations the island is known for, and long lunches that run into the afternoon.
It is the part guests underestimate before they arrive and talk about most afterwards.
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Tours run from 1 April to mid-January. Within that window, the season decides what you will see.
Humpback whales move through, and billfishing is at its peak.
Fishing holidays →No tours run. Plan your island holiday outside this period.
Ask about other dates →Nosy Be is warm and tropical year-round. What sets the calendar is when we run tours.
Tours run from 1 April to mid-January, and scuba diving from April to November. We run no tours from mid-January to the end of March — that is the cyclone and rainy season, and it is not a holiday worth selling you.
Timing your trip well also means better wildlife encounters — humpback whales pass in August and September, whale sharks in October and November, and turtles and dolphins are on the reefs through the season.
For the adventurous angler, Madagascar offers exceptional fishing opportunities, with target species including Giant Trevally (GT), Black Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna and many other sought-after species. Imagine the adrenaline rush when your dream fish takes the bait.
We supply rods, reels and tackle, and you are welcome to bring your own. Bring your own jigs, lures and flies, some extra hooks and tackle, and a pair of fishing gloves is advisable. We cater for everyone from novice anglers to seasoned professionals, and we practise tag and release.
Choose from a variety of fishing techniques:
Nosy Be has its own airport, so however you’re travelling, the last leg is a direct flight in — not a long transfer across the mainland.
South African travellers have the most direct route: SA Airlink flies Johannesburg to Nosy Be non-stop, with minimal time difference and easy onward connections. Travellers from the USA and Europe typically fly overnight into Nosy Be via Air Neos from Milan, Rome, Warsaw, Poznan or Wroclaw, or route via Addis Ababa. From Addis Ababa there are flights to Nosy Be every day except Monday.
Whichever route you take, we’d strongly advise against flying into Antananarivo on the Madagascar mainland — it’s not the way in for Nosy Be, and adds an unnecessary domestic leg.
There are two very different ways to experience Madagascar’s fishing grounds, and each suits a different kind of traveller.
A land-based trip means comfortable nights on Nosy Be with full days out on the water. A live-aboard holiday turns the boat itself into your base, sailing to remote, untouched fishing grounds each day.
Whether you want the balance of island life or the immersion of a full expedition at sea, Madagascar rewards both approaches.
Land-based packages come with accommodation on the island; sea-and-land combinations split the nights between the yacht and the island; live-aboard charters stay on the yacht. All accommodation has wifi.
A room with a sea view
A canopy bed under the nets
Poolside on the island
A deck above the mangroves
The catamaran after dark
The view from the balcony
Blue marlin, sailfish, tuna and giant trevally over reefs that see little pressure.
View Fishing Packages →Diving, snorkelling, island hopping, lemurs and local culture once the rods are packed away.
More Island Experiences →Escape to the tropical paradise of Nosy Be, off Madagascar’s north-west coast, where turquoise waters and warm island hospitality create the perfect setting for an unforgettable holiday.
Whether you have come for a Madagascar fishing holiday, to explore diving, island hopping and local culture, or simply to plan your trip with our Nosy Be travel tips, the island rewards every kind of traveller.
Nosy Be, Madagascar
When the sun goes down, enjoy the island’s vibrant nightlife, traditional music, beachfront restaurants, local cuisine and relaxed tropical atmosphere. Indulge in freshly caught seafood and authentic Malagasy dishes, browse the lively night markets, explore the local culture, or simply unwind beneath spectacular tropical sunsets.
All excursions are fully guided by experienced professionals, allowing you to enjoy your adventure safely and comfortably while discovering the very best Madagascar has to offer.
Whether you are travelling as a couple, group or solo adventurer, Nosy Be offers the perfect combination of adventure, relaxation, nature, culture, spectacular seafood and island charm. Adventure or relaxation — Madagascar gives you both.
Nosy Be isn’t only for anglers. Whatever brings you here, we’ll build the trip around it.
Fishing, diving, island-hopping, a honeymoon or a wedding — tell us the dates and we will build the week around you.
The islands and reefs around Nosy Be.
Nosy Be tours run from 1 April to mid-January. Peak billfishing is in August and September and scuba diving runs from April to November. There are no tours from mid-January to the end of March, which is cyclone season.
Giant Trevally, black marlin, sailfish, tuna and many other sought-after species.
Land-based suits guests who want island nightlife and comfort between fishing days; live-aboard suits those chasing remote, untouched fishing grounds and a full expedition at sea.
We supply rods, reels and tackle, and you are welcome to bring your own. Bring your own jigs, lures and flies, some extra hooks and tackle, and a pair of fishing gloves is advisable. We cater for novice anglers through to seasoned professionals.
Yes — we release the majority of fish caught, keeping only a select few for guests to enjoy at the table.
Big game fishing holidays are run for groups of four to five anglers. Land-based holidays take four to sixteen guests, and sea and land or yacht-based holidays six to eight.
Nosy Be has its own airport. From Johannesburg, SA Airlink flies direct early on Tuesday mornings. From Europe there are direct flights via Milan (Monday night) and Rome (Tuesday night), and from the Americas via Rome or Addis Ababa. Do not fly to Antananarivo on the mainland. See our Madagascar Travel Tips page for full details.
Fishing, diving, island days, a wedding or a honeymoon — tell us what you are after and we will build the week.
Rough dates and who is coming is enough to start. No lengthy booking form, no card details.
If the days you have will not cover it, we say so up front and adjust rather than take the booking and disappoint you.
Nothing sold off a shelf. Priced against your dates, group and interests — in USD, Euro or ZAR.
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