At Madagascar's northern tip, Diego Suarez (Antsiranana) opens onto one of the world's largest bays, wild beaches and outstanding parks.
A port city with a military and cosmopolitan past, Diego Suarez charms visitors with its laid-back atmosphere, weathered colonial houses and the emblematic sugarloaf islet sitting in the middle of the bay. It is also the perfect base for exploring: Ramena beach and the Emerald Sea on one side, the forests of Amber Mountain and the red tsingy on the other.
Far north of Madagascar, Diana region.
April to November; the varatraza trade wind blows from June to September — kitesurf heaven.
Domestic flight Antananarivo–Antsiranana (DIE), or a two-day drive on the RN6.
3 to 5 days including the surroundings.
Stroll through the historic centre, from Place Foch to the market and its colonial façades, then head up to the viewpoints over Diego bay, so vast it contains several inner bays. Eighteen kilometres away, Ramena beach is the local weekend favourite; from there, a dhow trip takes you to the Emerald Sea, an unreal turquoise lagoon sheltered by a reef barrier.
Amber Mountain National Park, an hour's drive away, is a perched rainforest home to crowned lemurs, tiny chameleons and waterfalls. The red tsingy, laterite pinnacles carved by erosion, offer a lunar landscape at sunset. Finally, the Three Bays coastline — Sakalava, Dunes and Pigeons — strings together wild beaches where kitesurfers from around the world gather from June to September.
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