WOW…time to relax…well not exactly… on our way back to “home port”…aka Crater Bay…. we realized our batteries were “not up to snuff”….it has be a slow decline in our voltage for the last week but when we woke up the next day it was really low. However…we had already committed ourselves to a tour of Nosy Be who SV Starry Horizons had kindly organized the night before (thank you!!!) …unfortunately Trevor stayed at the boat that day to figure out what’s what on the boat while I gallivanted around the island of Nosy Be…he would of loved the tour…sadly!!!
Thank you to David and Amy on Starry Horizons for some of these photos…it’s always great to share ; )
Early Saturday morning we all hoped into our tour van with our local guide, Achim, and another foreign tourist, apologies…. I forgot his name already. There are many tour operators but this one came highly recommended from another cruiser.
We arrived at a town named Ambatozavavy across the island where we meet another tour guide for the Lokobe National Park. We had no idea what to expect … a good thing…?!
Helping…..or NOT!!! 
So our guide was not joking when he asked if we were ready to paddle….!
After a 30 minute proud paddle, mind you we saw other priogues getting towed in by a motor boat, we took a rest at our lunch spot….it was only 9 am or so….beer time?! Yes please!….and then we are off into the jungle….
Lokobe National Park is a very popular destination for those seeking to see the endemic species that live on Nosy Be. Check out this website to learn more…
https://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/parks/Lokobe.html
WHO…..WHO….is this guy? We think it’s a Madagascar Long-Eared owl…endemic here. 
Ummm…Amy spotted this white snake. Unfortunately another guide in a separate group was keen on grabbing it out of the tree to show his group. Our guide just shook his head in disapproval…. 
Close up of the white snake’s head. 
This is a Brown mantella frog, also endemic to Madagascar. The bright colors are to suggest to predators they are not good eating…but pretty…. 
….less toxic than other mantella frogs….but so tiny…. 
….”rub the belly…rub the belly”. 
Speaking of reptiles…just sitting in a tree is this Malagasy Tree Boa. I had read somewhere the presence of these subfamily of snakes is a mystery as there are no other in Africa, India, or Asia or even Europe..?! The subfamily is found in the America’s….how did they get here? 
There is a Malagasy Ground Boa…but we suspect since we saw this one in a tree…well you get the picture. 
I think this is a Red-Legged Girdled lizard…on the IUCN red listed as near threatened as of 2019. 
I can’t believe we actually saw one…but 2 Leaf-tailed Geckos….!!! 
These Leaf-tailed geckos are hard to spot…they actually can “loose” it’s tail and as it flops around, distracts it’s predator while it runs away…The tail grows back in a few weeks. 
They don’t have eyelids…though I never thought about before, so to keep their eyes “debris-free”…they lick their eyes to keep them clean…who knew?! 
Our guide, Joe, for the Lokobe National Park searching for….?!
But now…it’s time for the furry creatures…..Too many photos to share so I thought videos would be best…forgive the shaky nature of my videos…I need photography lessons… ASAP!
After a slightly mosquito bitten day (seriously..re-apply!!!!) we take a breather at our lunch spot and are served a HUGE meal….accompanied with a Three Horse Beer of course!….can’t leave yet…got to do some shopping first!
Lunch: Shrimp, fish, curry, salad, rice, bread and fresh fruit for dessert…could of fed an army with the portions given! 
Unfortunately Kimi learned a lesson at lunch: I have a soft spot for animals as many of you know, and I gave a small piece of shrimp to our friendly (or hungry) cat who visited. However, the cat took that as a sign it could “paw” away a skewered shrimp…we all laughed but our park guide was not happy and grabbed the cat and threw it down on the ground with amazing force!!!! The cat shook it off and didn’t seem hurt…but we all were silent for a while after that : ( 
Our lunch spot provided a bucket of fresh water with flowers in it to “wash” our hands….very nice touch. 
Time for shopping!!!! Our guide took me around to all the stalls…I was grateful as this could of shown the merchants that I was “cool” and not to gouge my wallet too much (LOL)! 
As always, I carry around “Bon Bons” which is candy for the kids….I them asked these girls if I could take a photo of them…photos could be “FADY” or forbidden unless you ask first…better be safe than rude! 
photo courtesy of Starry Horizons
After our paddle from the park to town we hop back into the van to do some more exploring. The roads were filled with Ylang-ylang plantations. The flower of this tree is used for essential oils and perfumes around the world….Example: Channel No. 5!
Our guide stopped us at a lake to see if we could find a crocodile….I was starting to head near the edge of the lake when he called me back to path…note to self: “Self…don;t be stupid!!!”.
The lake… 
David got his drone up…. 
..mostly for crocodile sightings (LOL).
And one of the highlights…if you can beat all that…was sunset at Mount Passot, the tallest/highest point on the island of Nosy Be….we were not alone!
Mount Passot was beautiful with lakes below and surrounding islands in the background…just stunning!! I tried to take a photo our our guide and myself but when I was downloading them unto my computer, the images were cut off….Thank you Achim for such a wonderful day…you made my day when you told me a get an award for being the “funniest tourist” he has had….success!!!!
After a long day of paddling, walking, photo taking…it was time to met Trevor at the Nosy Be Yacht Club for dinner with Starry Horizons…..this was a great way to end an exquisite adventure!!!!!
I have no shame!!!
Next up: Charge in?! I think not…Dead batteries…