Andilana Beach, Nosy Be | Top 150 Bikini Destinations
ANDILANA, NOSY BE / MADAGASCAR
A morning on
Andilana Beach.
Swim in the shallows, have lunch by the shore, and leave time for the road back.
Plan your beach day ↘TOP 150 BIKINI DESTINATIONS / NOSY BE
Follow the road northwest.
Stay for the tide.
Andilana Beach curves around the far northwest tip of Nosy Be, where pale sand meets the Mozambique Channel.
Keep the morning for the beach. Hell-Ville (Andoany) is the island’s main town and boat gateway, while Ambatoloaka is the west-coast base for restaurants and outings. Give each a separate stop instead of squeezing both into a swim day.
ON THE WORLD MAP
Off Madagascar’s northwest coast.
Andilana Beach, Nosy Be, Diana
01 / GETTING THERE
Start at Fascène.
Hell-Ville from the water
Andoany is the island’s main town. Plan a separate stop for the market or a harbor departure.
Photo: Anai171 · CC BY-SA 4.0Get around Nosy Be
Hell-Ville is about 29 km by road from the beachfront resort. Take a taxi or a rental scooter and allow about an hour. Ask your beach venue where to park before setting off.
On the beach
No public patrol timetable was verified. Check the water and any posted flags before entering. Beach status ↗
02 / BEACH ESSENTIALS
Know before you go.
Andilana is a road-access beach with places to eat and resort facilities along the shore. Some services are for guests and customers.
01 / HOW TO GET THERE
Follow the road to Andilana
From Fascène or Hell-Ville, allow about an hour by taxi or rental scooter. Have your driver confirm the drop-off and pickup point. Public parking availability and fees are unconfirmed.
Nosy Be tourism office ↗02 / BEACH ACCESS
A short approach to the sand
Ask the restaurant or resort about its access route. The last stretch is soft sand. A public step-free route and beach wheelchair availability are unconfirmed.
03 / THE SAND
Pale, fine sand
The bay has pale, fine sand, with reef patches and occasional sea urchins in the shallows. Enter over clear sand, use water shoes where appropriate, and avoid stepping on coral.
04 / FOOD & WATER
Lunch along the bay
Resort restaurants and independent beach dining are available. Ask about day-visitor access and current hours, and carry bottled drinking water and cash in ariary.
05 / CHAIRS & UMBRELLAS
Shade on the shore
Some beach businesses provide loungers and umbrellas for guests or customers. Public rental rates are unconfirmed. Bring a hat and your own shade if you plan to sit away from a venue.
06 / RESTROOMS & SHOWERS
Ask before you settle in
Resorts and restaurants have guest restrooms. Public toilets, showers and a staffed lifeguard post are unconfirmed. Plan a restaurant stop and bring a dry bag or a change of clothes.
03 / THE BEACH
A day at Andilana Beach.
The bay at low tide
The shallows leave a broad stretch of exposed sand when the tide is out.
Photo: Maurits Vermeulen · CC BY-SA 2.001 / EARLY ARRIVAL
Set up before the heat
Arrive in the morning, confirm your ride home and find shade before you swim.
02 / SHALLOWS
Choose a clear entry
Use a sandy entry and look for reef patches and sea urchins. Stay away from boat traffic.
03 / LUNCH
Eat on the bay
Ask a beach restaurant what is available that day and whether it welcomes day visitors.
04 / LATE AFTERNOON
Leave time for the drive
If you want to stay through sunset, arrange your pickup while you still have a signal.
Spend the morning on the sand and break for lunch before the afternoon heat. If rain or rough water rules out a swim, take a taxi to Hell-Ville for the market and lunch instead.
04 / NEARBY BEACHES
Four more shores to explore.
Drive south for Madirokely, or plan a separate boat day for Tanikely, Nosy Iranja or the village shore on Nosy Komba.
Madirokely Beach
A sandy west-coast bay that runs into Ambatoloaka, with hotels and restaurants behind the shore.
- Best for
- A shore walk and lunch
- Facilities
- Beach businesses have food and guest facilities. Confirm access at the venue.
- Good to know
- Give boat activity room near the landing areas.
Nosy Tanikely Main Beach
The marine park’s main landing beach gives access to clear reef water. Go by boat when the park and operator are running trips.
- Best for
- A guided reef snorkel
- Facilities
- The park manages access. Bring water and check facilities with your skipper.
- Good to know
- Use the marked swimming area and stay off the coral.
Nosy Iranja Sandbar
A strip of pale sand connects the two islands at low tide. The boat crossing is exposed, so agree on the route and weather plan before departure.
- Best for
- A low-tide sandbar walk
- Facilities
- Confirm lunch, water and toilet arrangements with your boat operator.
- Good to know
- Cross only when your skipper confirms the return window.
Ampangorina Beach
This village shore on Nosy Komba doubles as a boat landing. Go for the village and a guided walk to look for black lemurs.
- Best for
- A village and wildlife day trip
- Facilities
- Lodges and eateries are in the village. Confirm guest facilities before you go.
- Good to know
- Landings can be wet and boats share the beach.
Distances are straight-line from Andilana Beach. Facilities change by season, so check on the day.
05 / MUST-SEE PLACES
Three trips from an Andilana base.
01 / ISLANDS SOUTH OF NOSY BE
Tanikely, Nosy Komba and Nosy Iranja
Choose Tanikely for a guided marine-reserve snorkel or Nosy Komba for a village walk and black lemurs. Give Nosy Iranja its own day and let your skipper set the crossing around the tide. Whale shark trips generally run in austral spring, and humpback trips peak from August to October. Book separately with a local operator and ask about wildlife approach rules.
Nosy Be tourism office excursions ↗02 / SOUTHEAST NOSY BE
Lokobe National Park
Book a guide for the forest paths and ask which approach is operating. Bring shoes with grip, keep your distance from lemurs and avoid feeding wildlife.
Madagascar National Parks ↗03 / INLAND NOSY BE
Mont Passot at sunset
See the crater lakes and the channel from the ridge. Hire a return driver and ask about gate hours before setting out.
Mont Passot visitor information ↗EXPLORE THE AREA
Andilana Beach and northwest Nosy Be.
The marker sits on the sand at Andilana. Follow the coast south toward Madirokely and Ambatoloaka, or trace the road toward Hell-Ville.
Open the interactive map ↗BEYOND THE BEACH
Forest, reef and crater lakes.
Keep Andilana as your beach base and give the forest, ridge and islands their own time.
Lokobe National Park
A plated leaf chameleon in the forest at Lokobe.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mont Passot
Sunset from the ridge above the island’s lakes.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nosy Sakatia
A school of bigeye snapper off the island’s coast.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nosy Komba
Ampangorina sits between the forest and the boat landing.
Photo: Chirocca77 · CC0 1.006 / SIX HOTELS
Find your base.
AMBATOLOAKA
Gérard & Francine
$ Budget · €48–58 per double room as listed
A small beachfront hotel near the village’s restaurants. The lower rate is for a room with shared corridor facilities. Andilana is a separate drive north.
Gérard & Francine official site ↗NOSY KOMBA
Floraly Komba
$ Budget · €39–59 nightly for listed rooms and the Gecko bungalow
An island stay at Ampangorinana with direct beach access. Allow for a boat transfer and a separate drive to Andilana.
Floraly Komba official site ↗ANDILANA HILLSIDE
Le Grand Bleu
$$ Mid-Range · €65–110 nightly for a comfort bungalow
A hillside ecolodge with a pool and views of the bay. It works well if you want to stay near Andilana and arrange the last stretch to the sand separately.
Le Grand Bleu official site ↗MADIROKELY
L’Heure Bleue
$$ Mid-Range · Current rates by quote. Previous tariff listed €80–100 for a waterfront bungalow.
Waterfront bungalows at the end of Madirokely. Base yourself here for the west-coast beach strip and make Andilana a day trip.
L’Heure Bleue official site ↗AMBONDRONA HILLSIDE
Villa Mahita Tsara
$$$ Upscale · €100–122 nightly for a Prestige Suite
A small hillside property with a pool, near the Ambondrona coast. Pick it if you want a quieter base between the southern beach towns and Andilana.
Villa Mahita Tsara official site ↗ANDILANA BEACHFRONT
Royal Andilana Resort & Spa
$$$$ Luxury · Current rate by date. Public nightly band unavailable.
A beachfront resort with a spa at Andilana. This is the stay for keeping beach time close to your room and minimizing driving.
Royal Andilana Resort & Spa official site ↗
WHEN TO GO
Choose the day you want.
April through December is the planning window for Andilana. May through October usually offers drier conditions. November and December overlap the November–April cyclone season, so keep boat plans flexible. No official beach patrol season was verified. Météo Madagascar outlook ↗
07 / FOOD, LANGUAGE & LOCAL LIFE
From sand to table.
Hell-Ville market
Start at the market for produce and spices, then stop for lunch nearby.
Photo: tato grasso (Esculapio), crop by Barbe-sauvage · CC BY-SA 3.0What to order
Look for romazava, a meat-and-greens stew, or order zebu skewers, grilled fish and shrimp curry when listed. Ask what came in that day.
Local habits
Greet vendors before asking a price, ask before photographing anyone and follow your guide’s advice about local customs and sacred sites.
A LITTLE MALAGASY
Useful on the beach and in town.
- Salama
- Hello
- Misaotra
- Thank you
- Azafady
- Please or excuse me
- Ohatrinona?
- How much?
SIX RESTAURANTS
Where to eat.
HELL-VILLE
Pizza 22 La Ville
$ Budget · Menu prices unavailable
Near the central market, this takeaway serves wood-fired pizza, sandwiches and piadinas. Try the shrimp-and-pineapple pizza. The operator lists a Sunday afternoon closure.
Pizza 22 La Ville official site ↗AMBATOLOAKA
Restaurant 22 Le Village
$ Budget · Menu prices unavailable
The kitchen lists romazava, zebu in green sauce, shrimp curry and grilled fish. Dinner service is listed daily. Contact the restaurant for its current menu and prices.
Restaurant 22 Le Village official site ↗NOSY KOMBA
Floraly Komba Restaurant
$$ Mid-Range · €7 breakfast or €24–32 adult board plans. Ask for individual meal prices.
At Ampangorinana, the kitchen serves fish carpaccio, green-pepper zebu and grilled lobster. Contact the lodge before taking a boat over just for lunch.
Floraly Komba Restaurant official site ↗MADIROKELY
Le Deck de L’Heure Bleue
$$ Mid-Range · Current individual meal prices unavailable
A terrace above Madirokely Beach. Ask what the kitchen is serving from the local catch and check availability before a trip in February.
Le Deck de L’Heure Bleue official site ↗MONT PASSOT ROAD
Restaurant The View
$$$ Upscale · Menu prices and current hours unavailable
A stop on the Mont Passot road. Check whether the kitchen is serving before you leave for sunset and arrange the ride back in advance.
Restaurant The View on Google Maps ↗ANDILANA
Pily Pily
$$$$ Luxury · Dinner price by inquiry
The VOI resort lists lunch and a separate dinner menu by reservation. Ask the resort to confirm visitor access and dinner availability before making plans.
Pily Pily official site ↗08 / NOSY BE AFTER DARK
Three bars.
Maison Ylang
A beachside stop for sunset, small plates and house mocktails. Check the restaurant’s hours before you go. Maison Ylang ↗
Beach Klub 22
A beachfront lounge with food and a program that can include live music or DJs. Check the schedule directly. Beach Klub 22 ↗
Le Turquoise lounge
Sit above the bay for a quiet evening at Le Grand Bleu. Ask about dinner reservations and whether the lounge is open to day visitors. Le Grand Bleu lounge ↗
If you are staying in Andilana and spending the evening around Ambatoloaka, set your return fare and pickup point before dinner. Arrange a driver for the ride after dark.
09 / NOSY BE EVENT CALENDAR & MONEY
Plan around the celebrations.
Nosy Be Trail
In late May, the course crosses inland Nosy Be and passes Mont Passot. Check Randomada for the next registration and route.
Nosy Be Trail official site ↗Maki Run
In July, this trail race crosses villages and forest on Nosy Komba. Confirm the next date and arrange your boat transfer before registering.
Maki Run ↗Currency / Malagasy ariary
The currency is the Malagasy ariary (MGA, often written Ar). Carry small notes for taxis and market purchases. Withdraw cash in a main town and ask hotels about card fees or minimums.
Central Bank of Madagascar ↗10 / WHAT TO WEAR
Pack for sand and town.
ANDILANA BEACH KIT
Swim.
Walk.
Stay out.
On the sand
Wear the Andilana Tuberose bikini with a loose sun shirt and a hat.
For the walk back
Wear sandals with grip for the road and water shoes if you expect a reefy entry. Keep a dry layer and water in your bag.
In town
Change into a light shirt and shorts or a dress for the market and dinner.
11 / BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Good to know.
Which airport should I use?
Fly into Nosy Be–Fascène (NOS), then allow about an hour for a taxi or hotel transfer to Andilana.
Is it good for swimming?
The shallow bay can be gentle in settled conditions. Choose a sandy entry, watch for sea urchins and reef patches, and ask locally about currents and flags.
Is the beach step-free?
A public step-free route was not verified. Ask a specific beach business about its drop-off, slope and surface. Soft sand can make the final stretch difficult for wheels.
Do I need a tourist visa?
Check the Malagasy Ministry of Tourism’s entry information before departure. The ministry lists online eVisa applications and visa applications at the airport on arrival. Check the current rules for your passport and length of stay.
When should I plan a boat trip?
Build in a spare day during the April–December travel window. Ask the skipper to confirm weather, tides, park access and return timing before departure. Check cyclone alerts in the November–April season.
FOG & FOUNDRY / SWIM
Tuberose in cream and blue.
A triangle top with blue tuberose sprigs and a tie-side bottom in tan and blue geometry.
Explore the Andilana Tuberose bikini ↗
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