Anything You Canoe…

Paddle a kayak for a different perspective on Nosy Komba

- Bruce Dennill

Bert Spalding lives on the beach on Nosy Komba, directly across the channel from Nosy Be’s Lokobe Nature Special Reserve, home to the highest concentration of Madagascar’s bizarre and wonderful endemic wildlife species in the area.

Spalding knows the waters around his home intimately and is connected with a number of interesting personalities up and down the coast, making him an excellent point man for a visitor keen on an adventure, particularly one keen on getting to and from local attractions by kayak. Spalding’s Kayak Madagascar safari business offers single and double-seater kayaks as well as an 8m pirogue support boat, a beautiful craft fitted with a motor so you don’t have to rely on paddle power when the wind comes up or you’re exhausted and still a long way out.

Take a route along the coastline of either island, around the rocks or through the mangrove thickets, where channels create highways between beaches and tiny villages where shy kids wave and smile as you pass. Or venture into the channel between Nosy Be and Nosy Komba and circumnavigate tiny Nosy Vorona, a private island with a house, a lighthouse and a compact bungalow. It’s a 3D fairy tale, a rustic honeymoon hideaway or a private family escape.

Round trip