Nosy Komba, which means “the island surrounded by rocks” is Nosy Be’s Archipelago’s 2nd main island. The island is well-known due to the lemurs it shelters, who are considered sacred. Discover its great landscapes as well as the many activities and watersports you can do.
Nosy Komba
Nosy Komba is the most populated island after Nosy Be, with approximately 4000 people and is only 15 minutes away from Hell Ville by boat. The island shelters a multitude of lemurs protected by the “fady” (litteraly a prohibition). They are indeed considered sacred by the island’s inhabitants. Therefore they are not hunted nor disturbed in any way. Among the many species you will see the Macaco Lemur, who lives in groups of 20 people and feed themselves with the island’s fruits.
Nosy Komba has nothing to envy from Nosy Be with its great hikes. Visitors will be delighted by its exceptionnal vantage points and panoramas. The bravest ones will not be discouraged by the 5 to 6 hours hike needed to climb the Antaninaomby (621 m). They will find at its peak a fantastic 360° view over the archipelago and 300 km of Malagasy coast.
Distance : 1km foot guidance circuit Length : 2h visit Tourist attractions : Ampangoriana shelters manys tropical and endemic species :
Difficulty level : Easy
Distance : 2 km foot guidance circuit Length : 1h visit Tourist attractions :
Difficulty level : Average
Nosy Komba’s story Nosy Be’s begin all at once with the queen Tsiomeko’s arrival. She indeed took shelter in Komba with her subjects when she was banished from Madagascar by the soldiers of the Hova army. Many soldiers drowned because they thought that the water’s transparency site was due to the water being shallow. Since then, the Sakalava use the expression “rano mamono hova”, which means “the water that kills Hovas”.
Nosy Komba acts as a link between Nose Be and Madagascar. It is coveed with and dense forest and its highest point is 622m high. It is also surrounded by volcanic rocks that protect it from the bay’s waves who can sometimes be tumultuous.
