Tsara Komba

The North

Rating:

highlights

Enjoy relaxed small island living
Boat trips to neighbouing islands
Spot lemurs on a forest walk
Enjoy the chef's 'slow food'
Welcoming staff

Tsara Komba overview

Tsara Komba's thatched lodges are dotted among the trees behind a golden beach. This is a small resort with a welcoming feel, where the emphasis is on simplicity, Staff are unobtrusive yet helpful, happy to advise on excursions and activities, and equally pleased if you opt to stay put and enjoy the relaxed pace of life at Nosy Komba.

The lodges are spacious, with 4-poster beds, large bathrooms with walk-in showers, and private ocean-view verandas. The design and decor is stylish and uncluttered, and incorporates locally made furniture and textiles, Each lodge has space for an extra bed for a child. There are two larger suites, set nearer the beach, each with a sitting room and large terrace. The sitting room can be converted into a bedroom to sleep up to 2 children, making the suites ideal for families.

The restaurant has both covered and open areas overlooking the bay. Tsara Komba's organic garden provides many of the vegetables and fruits that go into the dishes. The menu varies according to what's fresh, with fish and seafood featuring prominently, and offers you opportunities to sample home-made pasta and mouth-watering desserts.

While here you can go snorkelling and diving, explore by canoe, take pirogue trips to other beaches, go dolphin and whale watching, and try your hand at fishing. Guides are available to lead walks through the forest where you can spot birds, butterflies, chameleons and black lemurs. You can visit local villages, too, for a taste of island life. It's also possibe to travel to other islands in the Nosy Be archipelago, observing more wildlife, seeing beautiful orchids, hiking to waterfalls and viewpoints, and experiencing lively markets.

details

Open: Tsara Komba is open all year.

Location: Tsara Komba is on Nosy Komba, also known as ‘Lemur Island’, part of the Nosy Be archipelago. The nearest airport is Nosy Be, which has flights from Antananarivo (90 minutes), from where you can get a boat across to Nosy Komba. The boat ride takes about 30 minutes.

Rooms: There are 6 ocean view lodges of 90sqm each, located on the hill, and 2 ocean view suite lodges of 120sqm each set nearer the beach. The style is rustic, making use of local wood, with the bedroom opening on to a balcony overlooking the sea. Each lodge has a bedroom with either a queen size or king size 4-poster bed with a mosquito net, a fan and safe, and a large bathroom. An extra bed can be added on request for a child. Suites have a sitting room that can be converted into an extra bedroom, if required, to sleep up to 2 children.

Activities: Many are water-based: snorkelling, diving, boat cruises, dolphin watching boat rides, whale watching between August and November, pirogue trips, canoeing and fishing. Guides lead walks to look for lemurs the forest, discover the varied flora. These can vary in duration from 2 to 5 hours, depending on what you want to see. Visits to the villages of Ampangorina and Tam-Tam can be arranged, or further afield to Nosy Be. Beach volleyball, racketball, badminton are available. Frisbees and kites are offered, too.

Facilities: There are lounges, a bar and restaurant in the main building, which leads out to a series of 4 terraces. The hotel has a massage service. The lodge is on a secluded beach.

Dining: Tsara Komba, often referred to ‘TK’, specialises in slow food, using produce much of which is grown in its organic garden. Meals are served at individual tables indoors and outside. There is a choice of wines to accompany meals.

Children: Children of all ages are welcome, though there are no activities specifically for children. Babysitting can be arranged on request.

Health: This is a malarial area.

Communication: There is internet access.