Five days sailing to the Radama

Logbook of our wildest cruise: Kalakajoro, Nosy Valiha, the Baramahamay mangrove.

The dhow leaves Nosy Be when the land breeze drops. Aboard: four travellers, three sailors, two coolers and one pot. The programme fits in one word — south.

Kalakajoro

Six hours under sail, and the first Radama island appears: an immense beach, a village of nomad fishermen, and an hour's walk away, the carpenters who still build dhows by hand.

Baramahamay

On day four we head upriver by dinghy, deep into the mangrove. Wild scenery, absolute calm, and a village whose welcome is worth every detour. The next day, Nosy Iranja and its sandbank close the show.