Five Pearls of the Mitsio Archipelago
Nosy Ankarea is a small island part of the Mitsio Archipelago. It is surrounded by some beautiful beaches and home to many succulent plants. The island's forest is relatively untouched due to various fady. A climb up the highest hill on Nosy Ankarea (219m), passing many interesting succulents en route, reveals spectacular views over the entire archipelago and surrounding reefs. The island also offers wonderful beaches and an exceptional surrounding seabed. Nosy Ankarea has a fabulous bay where the beauties of the seabed are displayed for the admiration of the divers.
Les Quatre Freres (the Four Brothers) is made up of four imposing silver basalt rocks. The islands are partly covered by savanna. Two of the islands containing huge caves with fantastic overhangs that serve as place of laying for hundreds of sea birds such as brown boobies, northern gannets, white-tailed tropicbirds, and frigate birds. These islands of silver basalt are particularly beautiful at dawn and at sunset.
Nosy Toloho - Hidden tombs of ancient kings. Ancient empires and chiefdoms once ruled Madagascar, and tombs of powerful Sakalava Kings, dating from the 5th to 15th Centuries, lie buried in the Mitsio archipelago. Untouched Toloho Island is home to one such tomb, although visitors can only enter at certain times of year, which vary according to lunar cycles and are known locally among the Malagasy. Visitors must wear a lamba, a traditional sarong, to offer gifts such as honey, money and rum to the ghost of the king. Malagasy culture pivots around revering the dead, with blurred lines between the past and the present.
Nosy Lava is the northernmost island of the Mitsio Archipelago in Madagascar. The island is 3.5km long and 1.5km wide and covered by vegetation. The highest point is 160m. At low tide a beach stretches along the northern part of the island. Note: There is another island also named Nosy Lava, which is a former prison island, part of the Analalava district.
Nosy Tsarabanjina - an island paradise. The only place to stay in the archipelago is on a private island resort. Its mountainous silhouette, fringed by white sand beaches loos up on the horizon. This mountainous silhouette of forested hills, volcanic rocks and badamier trees is fringed by reefs housing dolphins and green turtles, with humpback whales visiting from July to August. Its luxuriant vegetation includes baobabs and pachypodium. You can observe the sunset on the Frères islands with a ballet of frigate birds, northern gannets and white-tailed tropicbirds. Try traditional fishing in the evenings and boat trips to the great basalt columns, the famous sight of “Grande Mitsio”.