Ok, I might be a little biased, as I’m originally from Nosy Be, but it’s been 35 years since I have been to Nosy be, and I finally returned, as a woman, a wife and a mother. Therefore, my views and thoughts are very different from that of a little 7-year-old girl (calculating age ...dammmn I’m ripe)
Watch my ‘returning home after 35 years’ video here
Nosy Be is called “L’ile parfumee” (the Scented Island), and it’s so true, the island is full of Ylang Ylang bushes growing wild, sometimes as far as the eye can see—You can smell it in the breeze as you drive through the island.
Traveling with a toddler to a third world country can be a little nerve wrecking, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Nosy Be was very safe and tourists friendly for us as an interracial family.
And Tuk tuks, one of Kailo’s favorite modes of transportation, were the perfect way to get from one place to another.
The Malagasies love children. Kailo has been adored. Any villages we visited, other kids would just come, hold his hand, and wanted to play with him.
He had such a great experience with people in general. We made connections with people everywhere we went. Even at the Vanila Hotel & Spa, where we stayed, we were well received as family. We knew people by name, as well as their children’s names.
Beaches are safe, and probably the best daily activity to do with kids. There are also amazing smaller islands, reachable by boat or dugout-boat (definitely the more scenic route). I would recommended Nosy Iranja , Nosy Sakatia , Nosy Tanikely
From beaches, to Lemur watching in the wild, whale watching, visiting natural reserves, and petting giant turtles
There are so many life lessons, and ‘ah ha’ moments I had in Nosy Be—Some as simple as seeing what community and kindness means, by the example of villagers making sure all of the elders of the villages are fed and visited every day, and that orphans have a place to sleep at night.
And these are priceless moments for a child to see first hand.
