Nosy Mangabe- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Nosy Mangabe is a 520‑hectare island rainforest reserve situated just 2 km off the coast of Maroantsetra in Antongil Bay, northeastern Madagascar. Integrated into Masoala National Park since the 1990s, this uninhabited island features steep lowland forest rising to roughly 331 m elevation and receives up to 4,000 mm of annual rainfall. Dense canopy is supported by soaring canarium trees with buttressed roots, ferns, orchids, and numerous epiphytes, creating habitat for a remarkable concentration of reptiles and amphibians. Nosy Mangabe hosts Madagascar's most abundant population of leaf‑tailed geckos (Uroplatus fimbriatus), along with chameleons, panther chameleons, tree boas, climbing mantella frogs, and more. Steeped in maritime history, the island's "Plage des Hollandais" displays around forty Dutch‑era rock engravings dating from the early 1600s, thought to have served as informal maritime postal markers for passing ships. Introduced in the 1960s as a sanctuary, the aye‑aye lemur (Daubentonia madagascariensis) survives here, along with four other lemur species—including black‑and‑white ruffed lemurs, white‑fronted brown lemurs, eastern woolly lemur, and mouse lemurs—while nocturnal field walks may reveal aye‑aye nests, feeding signs, or elusive glowing eyes under torchlight. Though the island offers no permanent lodgings, visitors can camp in basic facilities beside the beach, and guided walks reveal cascading waterfalls, summit overlooks, and the rich interplay of conservation and history in a microcosm of Madagascar's biodiversity challenges.