Eden is more than just a name of the botanical garden at Tsara Komba Luxury Beach & Forest Lodge – it is the essence of a remote paradise island off the northwestern tip of Madagascar. The second largest island in the pristine Nosy Be archipelago and one of the most beautiful Nosy Komba (also known as “Lemur Island”). It is home to a handful of small traditional fishing villages as well as scented cocoa, vanilla and coffee plantations. The rest is pure wilderness – a playful colony of black macaco lemurs, dense tropical forests and a kaleidoscope of marine life under the crystal clear waters of the island.
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Ecorating: 3.5
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
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This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
Sample Itinerary
The dazzling biodiversity existing on this volcanic island and Tsara Komba is in harmony with its surroundings. An on-site nursery incubate endemic baobab trees, and the property extends into a private nature reserve with parrots, hummingbirds and chameleons. Nestled between the forest and the ocean, private terraces are facing the ocean where dolphins shine across the horizon. The pace here is slow and peaceful.
During your days, let’s be charmed by Nosy Faly, a holy island where graves from local dynasties exists. Discover sublime beaches, great mangroves and traditional fishing villages. Visit the island of Tanikely with your guide, this marine reserve is like an aquarium and its snorkeling is spectacular.
Admire the wild coves on a charming pirogue (local boat). Travel around the island of Nosy Komba and discover the local craftsmen in the village. Do a day trip to Nosy Mamoko (waterfalls, giant turtles, lemurs), the baobab village on the mainland, then a stop on the island of Nosy Kisimany to enjoy the beach included a delicious picnic, with fresh fish cooked by your guide. Out at sea, have a cocktail in a mangrove forest, the only forest with roots in the water.
Enjoy a private dinner on the beach.
You can choose between Ocean View Lodges, 90 m2, or Suites located in the tropical greenery between the golden beaches and the dense forests. All overlooking the sea where a fabulous scenery can be enjoyed from your terrace.
Tsara Komba Lodge has one of Madagascar’s finest restaurants. Chef Tina invites you to discover original and refined dishes, always produced with the goal of delighting and surprise your taste buds.
The “Slow Food Attitude” is assumed to give you the best selection of products, all carefully selected by the season and also assuring you fair trade with its local producers.
Main Lodge – The Divine House is home to the restaurant, bar and lounges besides 4 terraces where you can admire the stunning 280 ° view of the bay, across Madagascar’s Grande Terre and Tsaratanana mountains.
Land based activities with guides:
* Hiking accompanied by guide (A walk of 2 to 5 hours) that takes you across the island from south to north, including a wild lemurs forest (black lemurs) not to mention chameleon, butterflies, multicolored birds and a large number of plants, flowers and trees. Discover the island’s medicinal herbs and meet Madame Yvonne who will explain natural medicine for you.
* Visit to Dzamandzar Distillery and Sugar plant, the Market and the Holy Tree.
* Visit Ambanja Market and discover stalls filled with countless taste sensations and colors.
* Visit a well-known cocoa plantation that has delivered cocoa to the big chocolate makers for more than a century now.
* Do a trip to Mont Passot, the highest point of Nosy Be, where visitors can admire the glorious sunsets over the ancient craters that have become lakes today.
* A visit to the Lokobé nature reserve, covering almost all of Nosy-Be’s current species. A guide will take you to see a boa constrictor, the Asian paradise flycatcher, malachit kingfisher or one of the 42 other species found here.
* Relaxing massage with essential oils opposite the bay. A moment of pure luxury and relaxation just for you.
Water activities: The sea is an ocean of experiences and discoveries.
* Diving for beginners or experienced divers, or snorkeling both allows you to discover some extraordinary waters, either near the hotel or just minutes away, including Tanikely (the famous nature reserve), Ankify wreck or Manta Point. You will dive in amazing waters that swarms of dozens of species of colorful fish, turtles, starfish and seafood, including the wonderful corals and giant anemones.
* Trolling fishing – most common swordfish but also Blue marlin, Jack Crevalle fish, African red snapper, king macaroni, dogton tuna, wahoo, dolphin and barracuda, which are usually released into the water.
* Traditional bottom fishing (octopus) from a pirogue boat.
* Traditional pirogue sailing course.
* Guided tour of island Nosy Komba, including a visit to the villages.
* Tour to the island of Tanikely: An excellent spot for scuba diving and snorkeling, but also an attractive island to be discovered.
* Trip to Baie des Russes (Russian Bay): This region is famous for its dolphins, its whale sharks, manta and humpback whales (from August to mid November). The beaches are also a favorite ground for turtles to name a few.
*Tour to Kisimany (a natural crater), centuries-old baobabs bordering the beach.
You can also enjoy lazy days on the beach ….
Trip details
Ecorating: 3.5
Season: April – December
Airport: Ivato International Airport (TVR)
Length: 12 nights or as long as you wish.
Included: Overnight in Tana (the capital) first and last night, full board, transfers, boat transfers, activities
Non included: Travel Insurance, Visa, immunization, beverages, activities, items of personal nature etc.
Good to know about Madagascar: Is the world’s fourth largest island and is located outside Mozambique. 90% of the island’s animal and plant life are endemic to the island.
Travel ethics: In Madagascar there is a different rhythm and things can take longer than back home. Always ask before capturing a photograph. Bring small banknotes in local currency to shop for local crafts outside the villages.
Mobile networks and email: Email and internet access are available in hotels and restaurants. The mobile network works well but keep in mind that calling is expensive.
Visa: You need a visa to visit Madagascar. Passports must be valid 6 months after departure. The traveler is responsible for the visa application.
Time zone: GMT – 6
Vaccinations: Read more about what vaccinations you need here.
Packing: In order to cope with the Madagascan climate, light clothes should be worn during the summer on the high plateau and throughout the year in the north and south. Cotton and natural fibers work better in this balmy weather. Warmer clothes are recommended during the evenings and winter in mountainous areas. Rainwear is suitable during the rainy season. Soft bags are easier to pack in the cars you travel with, domestic flights only allow for a max weight 20kg pp. Mosquito nets are available, but please take a mosquito spray.
Local currency: Madagascar’s official currency since 2005 is Malagasy Ariary (MGA).
Weather: Madagascar
Water: Clean water is available at the hotel.
Security: Your safety is our priority. Madagascar is a relatively safe country. However, you must respect some simple principles:
Do not go around at night in Antananarivo (other cities are quite safe).
Further information at: Travel Advice
Ecorating: 3.5
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
Does my trip make a difference?
Read more
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
The island of Nosy Komba is one of the world’s richest ecosystems. At Tsara Komba they try to encourage respect for the environment so that everyone can benefit from the outstanding biodiversity in this region both today and in the future.
To achieve this, Tsara Komba Lodge has detailed procedures on how to maintain best practice such as recycling (with metal, plastic and packaging as well as household waste recycling systems) and the use of environmentally friendly materials (such as commercially grown wood and local plants, etc).
Water is used sparingly and the source of water comes from a nearby spring. The water is transported to the lodge via a gravity fed system. The sewage is subjected to natural filtration and is used to water the garden, which is also fertilized with local compost.
In order to limit their CO2 emissions, solar panels are used to heat water, the lodge utilizes the daily hours for power and use low voltage lighting.
The absence of television, telephones and air conditioning in the lodges in addition to their continued pursuit of increased simplicity are all aspects of the lodge’s efforts to minimize its and guest’s impact on the environment.
Tsara Komba educate locals to encourage them to break the cycle of deforestation, an important aspect of slash-and-burn farming, but harmful to the environment. They recommend other less destructive farming practices for them.
As you can see, the creation of wealth and redistribution are basic principles for daily work at the lodge. To achieve this, they buy fish, seafood, local materials and plants from local region as much as possible. The lodge mostly emply local craftsmen and staff members, thus providing additional resources to families in the local towns whose income mainly derive from fisheries and agriculture.
Thanks to micro-loan, locals are able to fund pirogyboats which are important for the island’s fishing activities or transportation of both goods and people.
Almost all employees live in nearby villages. Their wages and social benefits that accompany them have a major impact on the town’s economy on an island where employers are extremely rare.
Tsara Komba offer their team high-quality training and payment of healthcare. At Tsara Komba Lodge, social responsibility is a way of life.
Tsara Komba works closely with the NGOs “Des Villages Et Des Hommes” and actively supports the neighbouring village of Antrema, located less than a kilometer away and where approximately 150 people live. The program implemented primarily involves building homes according to local architectural styles, installing water systems, supply of mosquito nets, construction of toilet blocks. They have also sponsored a school as well as a library to give more children a chance to go to school.
Tsara Komba Lodge serves as a way forward and ensures environmental and social development work is successful.
It is believed that guests and travellers in general are important players in the process of sustainable development. Your stay at Tsara Komba Lodge offers a chance to experience a different culture but also to participate in helping this culture flourish, survive and develop harmoniously.
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