Nosy Mangabe

Nosy Mangabe is a 520-hectare island of dense rainforest rising steeply out of Antongil Bay, made a reserve in 1966 when aye-ayes were moved here to protect them, and although the aye-aye is nocturnal and rarely seen, the island is one of the few places where trying is realistic. What visitors do see reliably is the leaf-tailed gecko, flattened against bark and effectively invisible until a guide points at it, along with white-fronted brown lemurs, black-and-white ruffed lemurs and a good list of frogs and chameleons. A short trail climbs to a waterfall and a viewpoint, and on the beach are seventeenth-century Dutch sailors' inscriptions carved into rocks. Camping is the only accommodation, on a beach platform, and most people combine the island with Masoala across the bay.

History

On the west side of the island are rock carvings left by Dutch sailors in the 16th century, and in the 17th century the French set up a trading post in the area; the writer Douglas Adams came here looking for the aye-aye for a radio programme (Wikipedia, Nosy Mangabe).

What's there

• Leaf-tailed geckos - camouflaged on trunks until pointed out.
• Ruffed and brown lemurs - active in the canopy through the day.
• Dutch sailors' rocks - seventeenth-century carved inscriptions on the shore.
• Rainforest trails - short steep paths to a waterfall and viewpoint.

When to go

September to December for the driest conditions and calmer boat crossings. The island is very wet the rest of the year and cyclones close it between January and March.

Things to know

Aye-aye sightings are rare and should not be the reason you come. Accommodation is camping only, with basic facilities. Trails are steep and muddy. The boat crossing can be rough and is sometimes cancelled. Permits and guides are arranged in Maroantsetra, not on the island.

Nearby

Masoala National Park is across the bay; Maroantsetra is the base.

Key facts