Ile-Sainte-Marie (St. Mary's, Île Sainte Marie and its Malagasy name - Nosy Boraha, Nosy Boraha) is a narrow island about 60 km long, located 7 km from the east coast of Madagascar. Since the end of the 17th century, this island has been one of the main bases of pirates of the Indian Ocean. Today, Ile-Sainte-Marie is a popular beach resort, both for natives and tourists from other countries. From July to September in the coastal waters of the island you can see humpback whales migrating from the Antarctic.
Earlier on the island of St. Mary the pirates hid from the gallows. They say that the treasure is buried here for about 200 million pounds sterling. Where exactly - it is unknown, but treasure seekers are looking for, looking for.
The best time to visit is from September to December, the rainy season lasts from June to August. A large city is Ambodifotatra (Ambodifotatra).
How to get to Ile-Sainte-Marie
The island can be reached by boat from the town of Soanierana-Ivongo, which runs to the Ambudifutatra Bay. The fastest boats of Cap Sainte Marie (tel: 57 404 06, en route 1 hour, 4 EUR) leave for the island every morning. The Princesse Saphira boats (tel: 032 04 681 86), Rozina IV and Magnifique, also run later, run about 2 hours, the fare is 25 000 MGF.
In addition, the island can be reached from Antananarivo.
Search airfares to Antananarivo (nearest a / p to Ile-Sainte-Marie)
Beaches of Ile-Sainte-Marie
St. Mary Island is characterized by magnificent beaches and secluded caves surrounded by luxurious coconut palms. Fans of diving or snorkeling will be very pleased, "mastering" coral reefs along the coast of the island. On the island there are many small villages, separated from each other by forests. From the Indian Ocean lies a chain of islets, covered with dense greenery and plantations of coconut palms.
Most of the beaches and hotels are located along the west coast, there are also several secluded coves with nice beaches, as well as a beautiful beach on the small island of Ile aux Nattes.
Diving in Ile-Sainte-Marie
Popular dive sites are: Pagoda, where groupers, moray eels, lobsters, sea turtles and rays (12 meters deep) live, the Suanambo reef consisting of black corals (28 meters deep) and the Wall of the Group (depth immersion reaches 40 m). And also two racks: the sunken 55-meter ship "Kokottery", which lies at a depth of 15 m and the 8-meter fishing boat "Leopard" (depth of immersion - 34 m).
Entertainment, sightseeing and sightseeing
In addition, you can go swimming to whales - small vessels swim for a distance of 100 m to whale-humpback whales, which sometimes reach 15-18 meters in length.
In dive centers and some hotels you can rent a boat for fishing and excursions to the nearest islands. The cost of 225 EUR per day, capacity - up to 4 people. Inexpensive pies (local boats) can be rented on the coast from local.
One of the nice entertainments in St. Mary is the observation of humpback whales. From July to September, they appear in the straits between Madagascar and Ile-Sainte-Marie.