Nosy Be
Nosy Bé, meaning Big Island in the Malagasy language, lies just a stone’s throw off Madagascar’s northwest coast. It is a remote and exotic destination. With its deserted beaches, rustic hotels and unhurried pace, it attracts travelers looking for a laid-back vacation.
The fertile island is the center for the production of perfume essence from the ylang-ylang trees. The heady scent of their flowers gave Nosy Bé the name “Perfumed Isle.” Other local products include sugar cane, coffee, vanilla and pepper; they are grown for export in large plantations.
Hellville, the island’s main town and port, is situated in a sheltered bay. It is named after a former French governor, Admiral de Hell. The town features a few old colonial buildings, a busy market, some small boutiques and tourist shops along the busy main street. At the quayside, vendors display embroidered linens, wood carvings and straw articles.
Trips into the lush countryside may include a ride up to Mt. Passot. At 950 feet, this is the highest point on the island. The view from the top offers an extensive panorama of crater lakes nestled between verdant hills.
Most visitors make the boat trip to Nosy Komba.The tiny island is known for its lemur reserve. These arboreal primates, with their large eyes, soft fur and long curling tails, have lived unharmed for centuries in the forest behind Ampangorina village. The lemurs are a popular tourist attraction.
Toamasina
Like most of Madagascar’s east coast ports, Toamasina, also known as Tamatave,began as a pirate community. The French, who were already a presence in Ile Ste-Marie, established a trading port here in the late 18th century, only to be challenged by the British governor of newly acquired Mauritius. Madagascar was the main supplier of slaves to the Indian Ocean. The British Parliament abolished the slave trade in 1807; the aattack on Toamasina was made to end slavery at its source. The victorious British retained a small garrison and began to develop Toamasina into a major port.
In 1896 the French declared Madagascar a colony; it remained one until 1958 when the autonomous Malagasy Republic was established. Independence was granted by France in 1960.
Theories on the origin of the name Toamasina vary; one is that King Radama I tasted the sea water and remarked "Toa masina" - it is salty. The lush coastal area is often referred to as the Coast of Greenery due to the extensive rainy season. Toamasina is also the name of the province, which includes the port town, the rice-producing plain of Maroantsetra, the Nosy Mangabe Nature Reserve, the rain forests around Andasibe, the giant Pangalanes Channel and the former pirate havens of the Bay of Antongil and Ile Ste-Marie.
Today the town of about 70,000 is home to the country’s largest port. Its once-fine colonial houses lend Toamasina a somewhat shabby elegance.
