Dinosaur egg shells, pirates' lair, and a brush with semi-nomadic people are just some of the experiences to take note when visiting Anakao and its twin island, Nose Ve, Madagascar's largest and busiest southern resort. These fishing villages belong to the Vezo people, seafaring semi-nomads known for their hundreds of brightly-colored lakanas (dugout canoes), which they willingly lend to travelers to explore their white-sand beaches and shimmering turquoise waters.
Literally meaning "big island" in Malagasy, Nosy Ve or Nosy Be is the address of Lokobe Reserve, home to the world's smallest frog and chameleon. Right on the shores of Nose Ve's marine reserve, pirates' shipwrecks, low-lying corals and their resident species make diving and snorkeling easy-breezy. For more serious divers, the nearby Nosy Santrana has more dive sites, while Ifaty offers more underwater scenery, including sharks. Just a bit further, waves break on an offshore reef, seemingly challenging surfers for a brawl with the Indian Ocean.
An assortment of beachside guesthouses in Anakao offer visitors some rest after a long journey from Europe, which is connected to the island via airplane. In between Anakao and La Reserve is a huge Vezo cemetery, where the locals practice ancestor worship. Around here can be found some eggshell fragments of the dinosaur-like Aepyornis, the largest bird that ever lived.
