Sunset at Mont Passot
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We’d already had a big adventure at Lokobe Park, but our day trip around Nosy Be wasn’t over. One of the top 10 things to do in Nosy Be is watching the sunset at Mont Passot, but it’s worth it to spend more time at the park than just sunset.
About Mont Passot
While this peak isn’t the highest on Nosy Be (that would be Mount Lokobe), it is 326 meters tall and provides an amazing panoramic view of the island.
The mountain is named after Captain Pierre Passot, of the French Navy. He secured the treaty which ceded Nosy Be to France. His commanding officer was Admiral Hell, whom he named Hell-Ville after.
Passot was pretty active in this region, as he also facilitated the addition of Mayotte to France’s possessions.
Crater Lakes and Nile Crocodiles
Nosy Be has eleven crater lakes, most of them just west of Mont Passot. The crater lakes are formed from dormant volcanos and are home to Nosy Be’s most dangerous wild animal: the Nile crocodile. I’ve read that every few years someone dies from the crocodiles, but tourists and locals alike still flock to the water’s edge.
We just barely spotted one chilling in the water before he ducked down.
Sunset at Mont Passot
Then we entered the park and our guide, Achim, paid the fee to get us in (must have been included in our price for the day). We hiked the short distance up to the observation deck.
It was pretty full of people, but not many of them were committed to staying all the way through the sunset. Room on the railing opened up for us to watch the glorious sun setting down the coast.
The air visibility in Madagascar is amazing – we could see for 10s of miles in every direction. Some days I’ve noticed we can easily see mountains 25 or 30 miles away.
From our viewpoint, the sun set just beyond Nosy Sakatia – we could even see some of our friends anchored there!
I would have loved to spend more time in this park, hiking to see birds and orchids. Maybe next time!
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