10 of the best snorkelling destinations

Turquoise waters, coral reefs, lemurs and more lemurs? Aye-aye, captain. Madagascar may be best known for its playful mammalian inhabitants, but there’s also plenty to marvel at underwater.

At Lokaro, near Taolagnaro in the island’s deep south, is a coral-lined lagoon where sea turtles nest and reef life proliferates, while the small islands of Nosy Tanikely and Nosy Komba, off the palm-shaded beaches of Nosy Be, host eagle and manta rays as well as surgeonfish, triggerfish and barracuda.

But the big – literally – drawcards are in the Baie d’Antongil, north of Île Sainte Marie: from July to September humpback whales breed and calf there, offering the chance to snorkel near nursing behemoths and their babies.