The capital of Nosy Be is named with the French admiral HELL’s name, then governor of the island Bourbon (now REUNION), which in 1841 gave its support to SAKALAVA queen who ruled over the region. The latter gave Nosy BE in COMMANDER PASSOT to evade the expansion MERINA.
On the walk to the port, you can still see old naval guns pointing out to sea and some beautiful colonial style buildings corroded by moisture and damaged by successive hurricanes. The old jail (Passot Street) in particular seems straight out of a movie. From the port, the sole trader axis of the city is formed by Passot street lined with trees, the independence boulevard that leads to the large market with around grouillens life and typical social organization
SAKALAVA strongly imbued with Comorian influence.
The port of embarkation to get into Nosy Be is ANTSAHAPANO connects regularly Ambanja by bush taxi. Two types of boats plying. Small wooden motor launches leave when they are full, the tray can carry vehicles following a fixed schedule depending on tides. After 2 and 3 hours away.
Nosy KOMBA: is the most visited island, perhaps too much, because of its lemurs its light tourism infrastructure. From the port of HELL CITY, starting an hour crossing to Ampangorina. The Lemuridae Eulemur macaco (black lemur) (the male is black and red female) are numerous and tame.
Nosy IRANJA: More remote, Nosy Iranja at south and Nosy Mitsio at north are small untouched paradises in 4h Nosy Be. The first is known for its population of sea turtles, the second is actually an archipelago of which only the largest island is inhabited. Both provide opportunities for diving and are ideal for a holiday away from it all with camping on white sand.
Nosy MANGABE: houses a reserve to protect the aye-aye (Family DAUBENONIIDAE), the smallest and most unusual, which is said to gather “the teeth of the rabbit ears of a bat, silks wild boar, monkey hands and tail of the fox.»
