Sailing the scented island - Part 4

Sun, Sea and the sweet scents of the perfumed trees and spices. You cannot escape it on Nosy Be, everywhere you look there is something exotic and delicious. Anyone looking for plenty of opportunities to swim in warm waters, stroll barefoot along palm-fringed beaches, and bask under a cloudless sky will not be disappointed by what they will find there. Nor will those wishing to combine the leisurely rhythms of tropical island life with an easy to digest, although somewhat watered down, taste of the country's unique culture and wildlife.

Travel to Nosy Be most time of the year - however there is a cyclone season around January until March so just check out the weather forecasts. When we were there in December the weather was beautiful, perfect during the day with gentle, cooling showers at night. Waking up to a fresh day was something to behold.

Whether you are planning to island hop or just relax on the beach Nosy Be is an interesting and intriguing place to visit. Make sure that you bring enough Euro or Dollar and you can have a fabulous time. Our yacht, Vanille, gave us the freedom to visit some of the smaller surrounding islands like Nosy Iranja, Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely. The boys feigned disinterest in walking across islands, but just like at Lokobe Nature Reserve on the main island after interacting with the exotic creatures and seeing the breath-taking views, they expressed their appreciation with awe.

A week is enough time to set aside for Nosy Be. We spent twelve days and it seemed too long. You can buy everything there, so no need to even bring your toothbrush. However you will have to bring along your sense of humour as basic communication on the island is challenging, there are no set times for office hours and the ATM ran out of cash often.

On our way back we had so much fun talking to fellow travellers at the airport - we had an eight-hour delay and the bitching just went on and on and nobody from Air Madagascar even bothered to let us know when or even if we would fly that day.

Madagascar is a must even if you.ve been there before, so book your trip and have an adventure.

Bon Voyage