Culture Week in Madagascar, Nosy Be

We highly recommend you start your trip with a comprehensive cultural immersion week followed by one of our community projects. It will help you settle in by meeting new people and understanding great aspects about the country you are visiting. Search other activities for week two onward in the ‘Related trips‘ section.

Culture Week in Madagascar, Nosy Be
Nosy Be Culture week gives you an original experience of the Malagasy lifestyle in Nosy Be. Your week will be filled with trips to various cultural and natural hotspots in Nosy Be.

Nosy is an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar’s largest and busiest tourist destination. It has an area of 320.02 square kilometres and its population was estimated at 73,010. Nosy Be means “big island” in the Malagasy language. The island was called Assada during the early colonial era of the 17th century.

Here you’ll find volcanic lakes, lemurs, rum distilleries, Ylang Ylang plantations and breath-taking coral reefs that are practically begging to be explored. In May, come to experience the four-day Donia Music Festival. Perfectly located on the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia, Nosy-Be evokes feelings of discovery and adventure, the rich and endemic biodiversity will have begging for more. There are many spots that are perfect for ones who seek a golden opportunity to swim among turtles, stingrays or manta rays.

CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) Check
It is required that participants complete a CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) check in order to take part in this project. We can provide this service for you at an additional cost because some people may already have one that is valid (please get in touch for more details).

Start dates are every week of the year with your activities starting on a Monday. We therefore request you arrive from 08:00 to 20:00 on the Sunday before to receive a free airport pick-up and transfer. Early or late arrivals will incur an additional charge for the transfer and extra night including food, so arriving on the Sunday will be your better option.

Your trip will finish on the Saturday morning when you will need to vacate the accommodation.

Aims & Objectives
The purpose of this program is to help you get an understanding of the manners, norms, and etiquette that is inherent in Malagasy society as well as show you around and introduce you to your new surroundings, helping you feel right at home in this warm and friendly community.

Schedule
Monday
You will have an introduction to our team in Madagascar, exposure to our Code of Conduct, House Rules, Liability Waiver and Evaluation Forms. Also, you will get to know about Madagascar and Nosy Be, the country and its culture. After having lunch you will walk around the foot Mont Passot and hike to its peak for sunset.

Tuesday
After breakfast, you will walk from AMBATOZAVAVY to MARODOKA across NOSY BE’s rural areas. You will enjoy a picnic lunch and join a local dance and have pastry class afterwards. In the evening join the Malagasy language lessons and learn some basics to make you feel comfortable to communicate with the locals.

Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, you will visit a place where a banyan tree grows. It’s where people from NOSY BE and even the mainland make sacrifices to the ancestors to ask for blessings. When their “prayers” are answered, they come back to this Sacred Tree to wrap it with red and white linen.
In the afternoon, you will walk through Hell-Ville. Visiting the marketplace, discovering the old part of the town where the King lives, enjoying the colonial architecture of the houses at Court de Hell.

Thursday
In the morning, join a painting class with a local traditional painter who will guide you. After lunch, you will continue your language lessons through the afternoon.

Friday
On Friday morning, you will join Ampasipohy by car and by pirogue after. Once there, you will walk to the LOKOBE Community Forest’s entrance spotting lemur species, birds and reptiles in lowland rainforest.

After lunch, you will go either to fish with a local fisherman or to the field. As for the former, you will discover the local way of fishing. For the latter, you will work in vanilla, pepper or pineapple fields.

Location
Nosy is an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar’s largest and busiest tourist destination. It has an area of 320.02 square kilometres and its population was estimated at 73,010. Nosy Be means “big island” in the Malagasy language. The island was called Assada during the early colonial era of the 17th century.
Here you’ll find volcanic lakes, lemurs, rum distilleries, Ylang Ylang plantations and breath-taking coral reefs that are practically begging to be explored. In May, come to experience the four-day Donia Music Festival. Perfectly located on the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia, Nosy-Be evokes feelings of discovery and adventure, the rich and endemic biodiversity will have begging for more. There are many spots that are perfect for ones who seek a golden opportunity to swim among turtles, stingrays or manta rays.

Accommodation & Food
In our centre, there is a dining room, a lounge area where you can hang out with fellow participants and a beautiful garden to relax. A balcony and large roof terrace is also available for you to spend some quality time. Furthermore, there is a refrigerator which you are welcome to use to store food and beverages.

Available Room Types

* Three meals per day during weekdays and two per day on weekends
** Water
*** At an additional fee

Food Arrangements
The meals are a mix of Western and Malagasy food, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables. You can expect to have a chicken dish about twice a week. You can also use the kitchen facilities to cook for yourself or eat out at any of the local restaurants at your own expense.

Facilities
ATM – The closest ATM to the Centre is about 15-20 minutes away by bus or Tuk-Tuk from the accommodation.

Supermarket – The closest local supermarket is around 15-20 minutes away by bus or Tuk-Tuk from the accommodation.

Mandatory Orientation Day
On the Monday of your first week at this location, you will join our orientation day, to familiarize you with the surroundings as well as local culture. Your program will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Schedule

• Welcome, introduction to Madagascar and the team, House rules, Dos and Don’ts, Code of Conduct and handling of documents
• Introduction about the neighbourhood and prices for taxi, tuk-tuk etc.
• Visit Ambatloka to get SIM Cards and visit the market area

• Lunch
  
• Malagasy Language lesson

Activities and Events
No scheduled activities outside the program.

Sights and Surroundings
You can get sun-drenched all year-round, and Nosy Be is a paradise for aqua activities. Nosy Be offers you a variety of activities which you can engage in your free time. The golden beaches are the highlights of Nosy be where you can swim, snorkel or even if you want to just sit back and enjoy the sunshine. Some of the beaches are namely,

• Palm Beach
• Andilana Beach
• Ambatoloaka Beach
• Andilana Beach

Nature enthusiasts and adventure lovers certainly find happiness around Nosy Be. Diurnal and nocturnal endemic lemur species, unique bird species, reptiles or indigenous plants and animals can be spotted among these breath-taking landscapes during your Nosy-Be weekend getaways.

Please note that in Madagascar, the cyclone season is from January until April.

Transportation
From this location we do not provide free transport to other locations.

Additional Requirements
Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for all participants arriving in Madagascar.
Participants below 18 should have parental consent and participants above 65 should have medical clearance to take part in this program.

Additional Equipment
Dress Code
Cover up as much as possible in the spirit of the local culture to avoid embarrassment.
Your clothes must not be too short, too tight or too revealing. Kindly make sure your shoulders and legs are covered. It is completely fine to wear western clothes as long as they fit the local standards. Be thoughtful of the graphics, symbols or text printed on your clothing and avoid wearing clothing styles that might be inappropriate. Be thoughtful to poor communities by not displaying expensive items and clothes. Wearing local clothes could help you build a good working relationship with the community.

Accommodation
Volunteer camp with shared rooms (4-6 people per room); Basic but comfortable; Shared toilet and shower facilities; Communal areas for socialising and a beautiful garden to relax. A balcony and large roof terrace is also available for you to spend some quality time.

Food
3 meals a day are provided.

Airport Transfer
Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you are arriving early/late. You be supported at the end of your trip in your onward travel.

Training
A full orientation and project induction takes place. You will also receive full training relevant to your volunteer role.

Support
Pre-departure help and advice; Local in-country team; 24 hour emergency support.

Donation
Part of your fee is used to buy decent equipment for the project and community you work with.

Flights; Travel Insurance; Visas; Vaccinations; Spending money; In country travel; Laundry service; Extra activities not on itinerary; Departure transfer.

Preferred Duration
The minimum time for this programme is 1 week. There is generally no preferred duration but we believe that the longer you can stay the more you will experience and benefit.

Pre-requisites
Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for all participants arriving in Madagascar.
Participants below 18 should have parental consent and participants above 65 should have medical clearance to take part in this program.
It is important that you can speak English. All participants require a CRB check to take part in the project activities.

Ideal for
Holidays and Placements in communities, Activity Breaks in Madagascar; Volunteer Gap Years and Career Breaks in Madagascar, Student Summer Holidays in Madagascar. Gap year cultural experience for students.