RouteNosy Be

Mount Passot Crater Lakes & Nosy Be Island Panorama

Hike through sacred forest to Nosy Be's highest point and its ring of extinct volcanic crater lakes — the finest panoramic viewpoint in northern Madagascar

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1
Dzamandzar Village Trailhead
The forest trail starts at a local village where guides are hired — the path winds through vanilla plantations and ylang-ylang trees
2
First crater lake Fanihy
The largest of the seven crater lakes is sacred to the local Sakalava people — fishing is prohibited, and the dark waters are home to large eels
3
Ylang-Ylang Forest Corridor
The path between the lakes goes through groves of ylang-ylang trees whose flowers are harvested for the perfume industry — intensely fragrant
4
Mount Passot Summit
At 329 meters high, the peak offers views of all the bays of Nosy Be, the nearby islands of Nosy Komba and Nosy Sakatia and the mainland
5
Sunset Crater Lake Ceremony
Local fishermen perform a weekly ceremony at the main lake at sunset — visitors are sometimes welcome to observe the traditional ritual
6
Downhill Return Through Cashew Groves
The descent winds through cashew and mango plantations where children sell fresh fruit from roadsides