Nosy Be

Nosy Be needs 3 days: its white sand beaches on one, and trips to neighboring islands (Nosy Komba, Nosy Tanikely) for snorkeling on the rest. April-November is the dry season, avoiding the southern hemisphere summer cyclone cycle. It's more expensive than the rest of Madagascar, reflecting its status as the country's main beach tourism hub. Its name means «big island» in Malagasy, and it's known as the «Perfume Island» for its extensive ylang-ylang plantations, the flower used to produce much of the base essence in perfumes like Chanel No. 5.