Making the most of Diego Suarez Antsiranana
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
The dock is a 1.5 km walk from town.
On Madagascar’s northern tip, Diégo-Suarez, now Antsiranana, stands on an Indian Ocean inlet. Its harbour, considered one of the world’s finest natural harbors, serves as naval base, fuelling station and the country’s third-largest port. The bay held the French pirate colony Libertalia at the end of the 17th century, while the modern town began in the 1800s and was capital of French Diégo-Suarez from 1885 to 1895. South of Antsiranana rises the forested Tsaratanana Massif, including the country’s highest mountain, with the Ankara caves and an… nearby...
Built around the bay, the city appears modern and well kept, though sparsely populated. The area is known for fishing products and zebu horn and sea turtle shell crafts, made by artisans continuing a long tradition. The best craft shops belong to Moussa Feno, on the slope from Hotel de la Poste to the Customs office, and Patricia Bardu. The large market, where craftsmen, fishermen and farmers sell their goods, presents a lively view of the local economy…
Nearby places
As you leave Antsiranana’s bay, the Emerald Sea appears on the left, where a series of small, idyllic white-sand coves reflect across emerald-green water. Diego Suarez’s bay has other coves with evocative names: Pigeons’ Bay, Duns’Bay and Sakalava Bay. Sakalava has three islets and Hotel Club Baie des Sakalava, a tourist resort of 1O bungalows. Its wind and large Indian Ocean waves make it one of Madagascar’s best surfing spots. Travel there by sea or on the road to Ramena. Another trip of interest is…
Money
The ariary is the monetary unit. It predates French rule, and Malagasy franc notes also showed their ariary value (50000 francs = iray alina ariary = one million ariary). An ariary is worth roughly half a U.S. cent.
Staying connected
Madagascar is remarkable in that Malagasy, an Austronesian language pronounced ‘Malagash’ or ‘Malgash’ rather than as written, is spoken throughout the island. Its great size brings many dialects; Merina is the island’s ‘Official Malagasy’, used around the Antananarivo highlands, though most Madagascans speak it across the island.
French is Madagascar’s second official language, used daily by government and large corporations, but only 75-85% of Malagasies have limited proficiency. Madagascans assume foreigners are French speakers and can use several phrases. They appreciate and encourage foreigners’ attempts to learn and speak Malagasy.
English became the third official language in 2007, but few people speak it.