Mora Mora in Boraha, One Week on a Little Malagasy Polynesian Vibe

Just back from a week on Nosy Boraha, better known as Île Sainte-Marie. Mostly on Île aux Nattes, actually, at the very south of the island—literally just a few hundred meters from Sainte-Marie’s airport. Far east of Madagascar, and if you keep going straight, you’ll hit Australia.

We flew in through that airport to avoid a long, rough road trip before and after Tamatave, plus a boat ride that could be short or long (boat time was inversely proportional to the bus ride to the port for the Sainte-Marie ferry). No issues with Tsaradia—departures and returns were on time, service was impeccable, and the ATR plane was smooth. Too bad the prices are so high. We managed a change due to a delayed Kenya Airways flight.

First, we stayed in the northern half, on the west coast of the island, at Natiora Green Lodge. The place is absolutely stunning—a little cove opening onto a small bay dotted with rocky outcrops under lush vegetation. The bungalows are practically on the beach, in a gorgeous, forested setting alive with birdsong. It’s the perfect spot for a pirate crew and just begs for daydreaming. No reef barrier, so it gets deep pretty quickly, but the rocks have healthy coral and plenty of small fish. Great snorkeling—we even saw a turtle. Really, really nice. The only downside is that it’s a bit far from the island’s center and kinda isolated, so eating anywhere but the hotel or going for a walk without a rental car or tuk-tuk is tricky. Not impossible, but harder than if you’re somewhere livelier.

Next, we moved to Île aux Nattes at Baboo Village, which overlooks the channel between Nosy Boraha and Nosy Nato. The bungalows are right on the water, nicely and simply decorated, with a restaurant and terrace right next door. You get to the hotel directly by pirogue from Sainte-Marie’s "embarcadère"—it takes 2-3 minutes, or a little longer if the motor’s acting up. The owner is super friendly and welcoming, with a relaxed, "family/friendly" vibe. There are often a few lemurs in the hotel’s park, adding life to the place, and the vegetation is beautiful once again. The path that circles the island starts right at the hotel entrance, making it easy to reach the island’s dock and the different beaches on the west, east, or even south. Several restaurants are within walking distance, and nothing’s far by pirogue anyway. You can also find the island’s "center" with a few small shops for basic supplies or a meal at a hotely. Since there’s no electricity on the island, the generator at the hotel runs from 6 PM to 10 PM, but you can charge your phone anytime by leaving it at reception. Kayaks are free to use and great for exploring—the whole island is doable, even if you’re not an expert. Just take your time. The upside of Île aux Nattes and Sainte-Marie’s east coast is the reef barrier and lagoon (unlike the west side), which means those gorgeous water colors, accessible coral, and shallow swimming spots. The only downside of Baboo for me, since I love snorkeling, is its location right on the channel. Personally, I prefer the south side of Île aux Nattes (near the Aurora) or the east side (like Kintana) for the lagoon views and easier snorkeling (though my wife didn’t agree). But as I said, those spots are still super easy to reach from Baboo. The west side’s okay, but I like it less—except for the view of Madagascar and the sunset. Again, totally subjective.

On Sainte-Marie, we didn’t try any restaurants other than Natiora’s. Not a ton of options, but it was fine. We weren’t fans of Chez Nono in Baie d’Ampanihy—overpriced for the tiny portions. Sure, the crab was good, but there was so little of it for the price. A bit of a rip-off, since crabs are everywhere and can’t cost much for Nono. On Île aux Nattes, there are plenty of little restaurants. We tried three—Chez Adelaide, La Buvette, and Coco Sud—and every time, we had fish or seafood, and it was always good and generous, with great achards. Prices were very reasonable.

Of course, we soaked up the time, the light, the beauty of the place, the sounds, the smells... just chilling in full *tranquillou billou* mode.

We also did some activities. Snorkeling—I’ll come back to it. In 2019, I thought it was a disaster, with no nice spots and really disappointing. This year, I jumped in everywhere I could and tested spots I’d spotted on Maps or during my last trip. And it was *really* good. Mostly on Île aux Nattes: the south side near the sacred islet, west in front of Kintana, west north of the channel (especially the sand islets), and on Sainte-Marie at Natiora’s rocks. Lots of healthy coral and plenty of fish typical of the area. If you’re into big fish, this isn’t the place, but if you love coral and little critters, it’s awesome. Snorkeling outside the reef was disappointing again, and diving was too. Unless you get lucky, it’s not worth it, in my opinion.

The tour of Île aux Nattes with a meal included was great—perfect for taking breaks whenever you find a pretty spot to snorkel or just relax on a nice beach.

A trip to the sand islets was also really fun. You can’t stay long because it gets super hot, and you’re at the mercy of the tides. There’s a good flock of terns that probably nest there. The coral reefs on the east side of the islet are gorgeous. Really, really nice. Plus, the islets themselves are just stunning.

We chose to go to Ampanihy via the lagoon, hugging the shore—it’s beautiful, with amazing colors, a wilder coastline than the west, and views of seaweed farms. It’s a long trip, though, and at Ampanihy, there’s a pretty beach (but there are tons elsewhere) and a nice mangrove. Maybe it’s better to go by road to the bay and take a boat to explore the lagoon and stop somewhere without going all the way to Ampanihy, saving yourself 2 hours of boat time round-trip. Once there, you can take a little pirogue tour to the beach and through the mangrove. The way we did it, the trip wasn’t essential. As I said, Chez Nono was disappointing—bring a picnic or try Chez Samson instead.

Of course, we visited the pirate cemetery, a place I love even though there’s not much left to see—just a few graves, unfortunately, and some vandalism. The site is still magical, though, and you can let your thoughts drift with La Buse and William Kidd, who passed through here.

We organized all our outings with Crépin, who runs two small boats with his brother. We met him totally by chance, but we don’t regret it. We could adjust the trips based on what we wanted—where to stop or which spot to visit next—and Crépin handled the meals. Prices were super affordable for a full day. I can share his number if you want. We didn’t try anyone else, but I’m sure there are other great operators—I just can’t compare or recommend.

Good prep for anyone looking for an alternative to Nosy Be. Way fewer activities, sure, but also way fewer people and a really nice vibe on Sainte-Marie in general, and Île aux Nattes in particular. The beaches are more beautiful than Nosy Be’s, and there’s a reef and lagoon (it *is* the pirate island, after all). And in whale season, well, the whales.

All in all, a great place to stay for a trip.

Thanks so much for this detailed review, Rotsaka! 😊 I don’t have plans to go back to Madagascar anytime soon, but this really makes me want to—especially since we didn’t see this side of it! 😍 Christelle

Hi there! This could be a great opportunity to head back to Madagascar. Maybe even better during whale season. And if that’s not doable, you can always read *Robinsons Père et Fils* by Tronchet (the comic book author) who spent a long stay with his son on Île aux Nattes.

Hi Rotsaka! Thanks for your valuable info—it’ll definitely come in handy next week. I was wondering if you still have Crépin’s contact, the guy you did your excursions with?

Thanks in advance,

Robin

Good evening, This must be the one: +261 32 68 298 26

Hi, I’ve been in Nosy Boraha (better known as Île Sainte-Marie) for a week. Unfortunately, I’m heading back to Tana on Monday—I think in the afternoon, but we don’t have the exact flight time because of the protests in Tana.

Here, no problems—life is peaceful and always very nice, despite the changes since 2008 (the main road now has tuk-tuks and is excellent, plus lots of hotels and guesthouses). On the other hand, prices have risen sharply—life is more expensive here than in Tana and other cities on the mainland, though not yet at Nosy Be’s level.

Cap Sainte-Marie (the speedboat no longer exists). Condor departs from Manompana, or cheaper options like Rozina and two other boats leave from Soniarana Ivongo.

The road is paved all the way to Antanambe.

Hi Jipi, The stay was on Sainte Marie, which hotel or guesthouse did you choose? For my part, I went there in 2019 before returning at the end of 2024/early 2025, and I didn’t see huge changes in terms of the number of accommodation options (some even seemed to have closed in the meantime, probably due to Covid). As for prices, yes, I found them higher—not so much for the rooms but for meals or breakfast in even mid-range hotels. But outside of that, prices were still very low and not that different from the mainland. The thing is, you’re more easily confined to your hotel, so it’s harder to eat out.

For the tour you’re planning around Ampefy/Antsirabe, if you haven’t already and if you stop in Behenjy, you’ll see that foie gras prices are now *much* higher. It’s true that foie gras isn’t an everyday food and is mostly a product for *vahiny* (visitors), but it was way more affordable before.

Back to Tana, I still found prices had risen sharply in lots of restaurants and tea rooms, even non-luxury and popular ones. The increases were really significant and happened in a very short time. Aside from *hotely* (which are still very affordable and good), the only place where prices hadn’t changed much was at Sakamanga. For everything else, the increases were pretty dramatic, I thought (and yet, we’ve got the exchange rate working in our favor, not so much for Malagasy people).

Safe travels back to Tana!

hi everyone

yeah, you're right, but meals and tuk-tuks are much more expensive here than in Majunga.

For hotels, we're staying at Hotel Atafana, north of Ambodifotra (11 km away). The bungalow costs 140,000 €—you can find photos on Google Earth.

For meals, fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, and prawns are pricier than on the other coasts of Madagascar.

There are *lots* of hotels between Ambodifotra and the airport to the south, some of them really expensive. Fewer options up north, though.

There are also several luxury hotels.

But honestly, I hadn’t been back to Sainte-Marie since 2008, and the vibe is still just as calm and friendly.

We’re planning to head straight to Ampefy and stay there for 4 days because the drive from Antsirabe via RN7 takes about 7 hours without stops—practically 100 to 120 km of rough roads waiting for the tarmac, so no Behenjy for us.

We’ll return via RN1, then after 2 or 3 days, we’ll head toward Majunga in the north. We won’t take the Mampikony–Anbamja stretch—it’s *really* bad—so we’re hoping for a peaceful stay in Majunga.

Still at the same hotel, Edenakely in Amborovy.

In Tana, I’m staying near Ambodatrimo with my daughter-in-law’s family, so it’s far from the center and any protests.

I stayed at Sakamanga when I first arrived in Tana—two nights, still great as always.

That’s all for the info!

See you later

Hello! Will you still make it all the way to Faratsiho (via an excellent and very scenic road) on a day trip, for example, or just stop in Ampefy regardless?

Safe travels back to Tana—I’m not sure there’s much you can do there given the recent developments.

Let’s just hope the crisis doesn’t drag on for months (or longer), at the expense of a population already in a catastrophic situation.

Yeah, of course, it was in our round-trip plans to Faratsiho—with the Lyly Falls and geysers, etc. We’ll see how it goes once we’re there, and if the protests calm down in Tana, we’ll come back a day earlier before our friends leave. Then *mora mora* in Majunga. Good memories to you and your wife!