But did you know that Madagascar also has about 4,000 kilometres of coastline? It’s scattered with small, laid-back paradises. Expect pure white beaches, deserted bays and emerald-green seas. You’ll find everything you need to end your adventurous journey with a few days of pure relaxation in a dream setting.

Here are our four favourite Madagascar island paradises for your travellers. The dream starts here.

Nosy Be archipelago

Nosy Be is Malagasy for ‘big island’. It’s an archipelago of several islands in the Indian Ocean to the north-west of Madagascar.

Thanks to support from investors and the government, these islands have grown into a tropical holiday paradise in recent years. Accommodation options range from budget hotels to large, all-inclusive resorts.

Nosy Be is the biggest island in the archipelago, with kilometres of white beaches. It’s the perfect place for snorkelling and carefree swimming in beautiful, clear water. It’s also worth heading inland to explore too. You might even come across the sweet, rich scent of the flowers of the ylang-ylang tree. This is the most strongly scented flower in the world, which is often used in cosmetics.

This island is Madagascar’s best developed and most modern paradise. Yes, there are even paved roads here. The other islands in the archipelago are less developed, but certainly just as interesting:

• You might describe Nosy Komba as a volcanic hump rising out of the sea. This island is located between Nosy Be and the mainland, and is known for its lemurs, the most famous of which is the black lemur.
• You won’t find any paved roads or big hotels here. Instead, there are small boutique hotels with stunning private beaches.
• Nosy Iranja is gorgeous, less than a 50 km sail south from Nosy Be. This island actually consists of two atolls linked by a strip of white beach hundreds of metres long. On this slender sandbank, you feel as though you are walking in the middle of an emerald-green ocean. There is just one hotel on this island. Talk about tranquil.
• Many travellers choose Nosy Be for the last few days of their holiday. It’s convenient to be close to Nosy Be international airport, as you can fly back to Brussels from here, with a stopover in Ethiopia.

Nosy Boraha

Another top destination is Nosy Boraha, also known as Île Sainte-Marie, on Madagascar’s northeastern coast. The countryside here is a little wilder, with a bit more rain. This island is famous for the whale migration. In June, July and August, humpback whales from Antarctica swim en masse to the waters around Madagascar to bear and wean their young. The hotspot is none other than Nosy Boraha, where these magnificent whales stay for about 2½ months.

Until the 18th century, this island was a hideout for pirates. If you take a canoe along the mangrove swamps today, you’re bound to discover the remains of the pirate graveyard.

The road network on the island is even more modest: one paved road and side roads made of sand. Most of the hotels are on the west coast, looking towards Madagascar. You will find the full range from budget hotels to small family hotels and luxury resorts here too. And of course idyllic, deserted beaches where the coconut palms hang idly over the sea.

Best of all is: Nosy Nato

Also known as Île aux Nattes, this idyllic island is south of Nosy Boraha, almost kissing the Madagascan mainland. You can reach it in a canoe made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. It has gorgeous walking paths along the coast, where you can buy delicious fresh fish.

There are no hotels on this island. You can rent a wooden hut on a quiet beach. If you can’t unwind here, where can you?

There are lesser-known paradises as well. Let’s look to the far north, for example: Les Trois Baies near Antsiranana

Antsiranana (or Diego Suarez) is Madagascar’s northernmost city, located in the world’s second-largest bay. This is where you will find a chain of bays with unspoiled beaches, Les Trois Baies or the three bays of Antsiranana: Sakalava Bay, Pigeons Bay and Dunes Bay.

Sakalava Bay is world-famous for kiteboarding. The other bays are entirely deserted, with not a single hotel in sight, just pure nature. Simply enjoy an unspoiled environment like no other.

More delightful hidden beaches

There are even more tropical beaches in and around Madagascar where you can relax.

Madafocus is on a mission to inspire travellers through thrilling adventures across our red island. With every trip, every time. So we’re constantly looking for new areas to explore. Every year, we discover hidden beaches. And we would love to share them with your travellers.