Trip to Madagascar - Nosy Iranja (a secluded island) - April 2004
 (click any picture to get enlargement in a new window)

For this part of the trip we had 
to go through some effort...  
We initially had to be picked up by our driver in Tana at 5am 
for a ride to the airport.  We then 
had a flight to the island called Nosy Be, the major tourist area.  
At Nosy Be a travel agent met 
us for a taxi around the island to a beach port.  At the beach we waited awhile before boarding 
a shuttle boat, which took us 
for a 2 hour ride to the secluded island called Nosy Iranja.
As a little background, the picture on the right shows one of the two cyclones which hit the area this year.  This particular one hit quite hard just weeks before our trip.  Note that the eye was really
close to our islands, which are "dotted" on the map.

We heard the resorts sustained damage, but that they were still open; beyond that we did not know what to expect.
On Nosy Be, our taxi dropped 
us off at this beach where we
waited for our boat ride to Iranja.
The beach was a bit dirty, but there was not a lot of damage. Is this outrigger the boat that 
will take us two hours to Iranja?		 Nope, but this looks more it!  The ride was smooth & comfortable.
Along the way we passed weird looking islands and boats. This island looks a little more hospitable; they may be for sale! But this boat, called a Dhow, did not look very comfortable.

These palm-lined beaches were totally void of people & homes. 
We wonder how long this coast can stay undeveloped.  In 10 yrs.
we would not be surprised to find many hotels along this coast. 
The weather was nice, but there were some thunderstorms.

We finally got our sights set on our destination; a double-island set called Nosy Iranja.
It is easier to see the dark islands as taken from the space shuttle.
The small island on the left held our resort. As we got closer, 
we could see a nice sandy 
beach ... here we come!
We passed by this chalet, which turned out to be ours.  We could see some storm damage. As we got off the boat we were greeted by a burst of sunshine and a wonderful view. We went up the beach towards the thatch-roofed buildings, which made up the island "town".
We had a welcome cocktail in the bar area and they gave us an orientation; the only problem 
was they spoke only French!		 In the next set of buildings we found the reception area where they spoke some English; plus they had an internet computer! The entertainment was provided by the resident parrots. The 
male would jump on my arm, but the female only like to bite me.
To get to our home we had to
take the highway towards
the south end of the island.		 Every now and then you would find a turnout with a gorgeous glimpse of the ocean. The exit for our driveway was the third on the left; only 30 seconds from town; not a bad commute!
Our home was situated on the ocean ... actually almost in it! On the inside was a spacious bedroom area, with fan & A/C. Next to it, an equally spacious bath and wardrobe area.

The view from the patio area ws quite stunning, so much that we spent most of our free time here instead of the beach.
The palm trees in the front yard were maintained by Mother Nature, whereas the staff raked the sand in the yard every day.
The main beach area was next 
to town and offered little huts.		 There were 30 chalets and many guests, but it was not crowded. The gazebo on the North Point was best for sunset viewing.

The tide was rather large and every 6 hours the beach 
changed quite drastically.


When the tide was low we took 
a walk to the bigger island via the  the sand "bridge".
Looking back we got a pretty nice view of our island; the 
water was warm as in a bathtub.
The other island had an active fishing village located on it. The village had no electricity or gas, so it was quite primitive. These kids are learning about boating, and bailing out water! 
Before meals we could sit and relax with a drink or play billiards. This dining table had the best view and was our favorite. The weather & ocean changes gave a different scene each day.
The little Geckos were quite 
cute and courageous.		 After the lunch buffet we needed to relax and let our food digest. Before dinner we would have drinks and play board games.
We snorkeled almost every day; once we went out in this boat! Another day we went to a rock island, but the current was swift. We found that the best fish were on the reef around our island.

We made it a point to swim as often as possible, as the water temperature was so nice.  We also found many nice shells.
Almost every night there was 
a  thunderstorm in the distance
 that we could watch; only a few
times did one come over us.
We mainly watched the ocean ...  ... the local fisherman ...  ... and played with the pet turtles.

Occasionally we took the highway to the South Point.
This area was a mere 3 minutes away from home but was even more secluded.  The beach sand was so fine, almost like silk.
Hmmm, what is this sign ?  
A grave marker ?  Nope ....
 ... it says that a Green Turtle 
like this laid 130 eggs here!		 In this shot you can see two nests, as of yet unmarked. This one was made recently, as you still can see the turtle-prints.

 


We were able to stay on this island for 6 days and ...

 

... although it was quite expensive, it was worth it.

Goodbye Iranja and thanks for the memories!


Continue on to the Nosy Be page (a bigger island)  

Return up to the Madagascar page