Nosy Komba

Nosy Komba is a green volcanic cone rising to over 600 metres, with villages strung along the shore and no roads, so movement is by boat or on foot. The usual visit lands at Ampangorina, where a small forest reserve behind the village holds black lemurs so used to people that they climb onto shoulders for banana, which is the island's signature image and also its most compromised one. The same path is lined with stalls selling embroidered tablecloths, a local craft with real skill behind it. Beyond the village the island is quiet: steep forest trails cross to other settlements, and the beaches on the far side see almost nobody. Most people come as one stop on a day trip that also takes in Nosy Tanikely.

History

In 1837 Tsiomeko, queen of Boina, took refuge on Nosy Komba, and in July 1840 she and the Merina ceded part of the coast, with both islands, to France; three years later the islands were placed under a colonial administration called Nosy-Bé et Dépendances (Wikipedia, Nosy Komba).

What you'll find

• Black lemurs - habituated troops at the village reserve.
• Embroidery stalls - the island's tablecloth and linen craft.
• Village landings - shoreline settlements reached only by boat.
• Forest trails - steep paths over the cone to quieter beaches.

When to go

April to November for calm crossings and dry trails. December to March brings cyclone risk. Mornings are cooler for the walk up and the boats run earlier.

What to expect

The lemur encounter is heavily managed and feeding wild animals for photographs is not good practice, however normalised it is here. The village path is crowded with stalls and sales pressure. Day-trip boats arrive together, so the reserve is busy in the middle of the day; staying overnight gives a very different island.

Nearby

Nosy Tanikely lies south; Nosy Be is north.

Key facts