MADAGASCAR
The Flight Option 2: Nosy Iranja, Madagascar A little more effort. A lot more extraordinary.
When Madagascar comes up in conversation, the mind does what it always does – it immediately jumps to those black-and-white, ring-tailed cartoon lemurs. And fair enough. The real Madagascar has lemurs too, but also towering baobabs, and sunsets to die for.
Most travellers to Madagascar’ s northwest coast stop at Nosy Be – the beloved island that has more than earned its reputation. Nosy Be is wonderful. But it’ s not the story we’ re here to tell. Brace yourself, Rovers: the spotlight belongs to Nosy Iranja.
Airlink flies direct from Johannesburg’ s OR Tambo to Nosy Be’ s Fascene Airport in just three and a half hours – not bad for the amount of Indian Ocean you end up next to. From Nosy Be, it’ s a quick 75-minute boat ride to Nosy Iranja. And when the island finally comes into view, you’ ll understand instantly why words fail to capture it.
Nosy Iranja is made up of two tiny islands, Nosy Iranja Be and Nosy Iranja Kely, linked by the“ lovers’ path”, a 2km sandbar that rises from the sea at low tide and slips away again as the water returns. The ocean here is a turquoise so intense it looks photoshopped. The sand is blindingly white. And the coconut palms complete the picture.
In 2025, Nosy Iranja was named the eighth-best beach in the world, and frankly, it’ s not surprising at all. The reef is thriving, the water alive with marine life, and you’ ll want to spend most of your time in it. Snorkelling and diving are the obvious draws, while a dhow cruise at sunset is never a bad idea. But the real headline? The turtles. Nosy Iranja is said to be the only island in the entire Indian Ocean where both hawksbill and green turtles come ashore to nest – hawksbills from December to March and green turtles peaking between May and August. As a protected site, the rules are simple: look, appreciate, and leave everything exactly as you found it.
For those who want to fall asleep to the sound of the Indian Ocean, there are limited accommodation choices. Most visitors base themselves on Nosy Be and make the crossing as a day trip, which is entirely worth the boat ride both ways.
The Verdict Ponta asks for three things: a 4x4, a cooler box, and a spirit of adventure. In return, it gives you dolphins at dawn, the best peri-peri prawns of your life, and the rare satisfaction of driving yourself into somewhere genuinely wild.
Nosy Iranja, on the other hand, asks only for a flight ticket and a sense of occasion. In return, it offers you one of the world’ s great beaches, two species of nesting turtles, and a sandbar that appears from the sea like something out of a dream.
St Helena, meanwhile, offers something entirely different. It trades beach-club energy for volcanic cliffs, whale sharks, remote hiking trails and the rare feeling of stepping completely off the grid.
Three destinations. Three completely different moods. But all share the same promise: warm water, winter sunshine, and the reminder that a South African winter is entirely optional.
40 | WINTER 2026 • rovesa. co. za