Mahajanga (pop. 147,000) shows strong Arab and Indian influences. There are more than a dozen mosques in town and countless Indian- and Pakistani-owned shops.
There's also an enormous baobab tree by the sea. Plan two days in the area to visit nearby beaches, the grottoes of
Androhibe (about 53 mi/85 km from town) and the
Ankarafantsika National Park and
Ampijoroa Forestry Reserve (both about 60 mi/95 km from town), which offer opportunities to see lemurs, waterbirds and a breeding center for two threatened species of tortoise.
240 mi/385 km northwest of Antananarivo.