Safari to Diego Suarez

a subtly interesting port on a gorgeous broad bay

Set in the far north of Madagascar, Diego Suarez is a small port town on a truly beautiful broad bay, which serves as the main transport hub for this remote region.

The town is named after a Portuguese navigator who visited the bay in 1543. These days the official name is Antsiranana, but most international travellers continue to use the old name.

In 1880 the port served as a base for the first French attempt to colonise the island by force and was ceded to them, along with Nosy Be and Nosy Boraha, long before the whole island fell in 1896.

During the Second World War the British again used Diego Suarez as a base from which to take the island, this time to protect it from falling into Japanese hands. The latter responded by sending submarines into the harbour, sinking two ships.

The French continued to use the port as a military base long past independence and only departed around 1975.

To this day there is much evidence of this colonial and military history in the town, including grand buildings in an advanced state of decay, a park with a bandstand that hasn’t been used for fifty years and the remains of defensive cannon emplacements along the coast.

Various places of interest in the town include the main mosque, Joffre Square, the Marine Hotel, the Bazary Be (Great Market Place), the Bazary Kely (food market), plus the British and French war cemeteries.

The main significance of Diego Suarez is that it’s home to the main airport for the region, with direct connections from the capital Antananarivo.

The remarkable bay is not only a great harbour, but is also great for mucking around in boats, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, with diving also being offered from a few more remote lodges on the ocean coastline further east.

Despite the obvious allure of the area, the majority of international visitors fly into Diego Suarez from the capital and, instead of spending a few nights here, head directly southwest on the RN6 road towards the Montagne d’Ambre and Ankarana conservation areas.

a serious lack of accommodation options