Antsiranana (Diego Suarez), Madagascar
Antsiranana, still widely known by its former name Diego Suarez, is the main city of far northern Madagascar, with about 130,000 people. More about Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) →
Ship schedule
Next 10 calls · all times local (East Africa Time)
Showing 10 of the next 12 calls
Cruise Ships in Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)
Today and the next 7 days · all times local (East Africa Time)
Next 7 days
- Mon2 Nov–No ships0 ships
- Tue3 Nov–No ships0 ships
- Wed4 Nov–No ships0 ships
- Thu5 Nov–No ships0 ships
- Fri6 Nov–No ships0 ships
- Sat7 Nov–No ships0 ships
- Sun8 Nov–No ships0 ships
Thousands of people in port, guests plus crew. Crowd level compared with a typical Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) day.
Planning a day in Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)?
The crowd calendar shows every ship and how busy the port is, hour by hour, plus the quietest and busiest days for the next 90 days.
Where is the Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) cruise port?
Cruise ships berth at the commercial quay of the Port of Antsiranana, a working cargo port on the north side of the town peninsula, facing the bay. There is no cruise terminal building; passengers walk out through the port area, where souvenir stalls, tour guides, taxis and tuk-tuks wait.
The town centre around Rue Colbert is about 1 km away by road, a 4 minute drive or about 15-25 minutes on foot in the heat. Arrachart Airport is about 10 km south. On some calls ships have anchored in the bay and tendered passengers ashore instead.
Getting to the Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) cruise port
Antsiranana town centre (Rue Colbert) → Port of Antsiranana commercial quay
1–1.3 km · ~4 min by car
Rue Colbert is the main street of the town centre, with shops, cafes and restaurants. The port is a short ride or walk downhill.
Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.
Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.
Driving to the port
Tuk-tuks and taxis wait outside the port when ships are in. Pay in Malagasy ariary cash and agree the fare before the ride. Allow at least an hour back from Montagne d'Ambre and be at the port 45 minutes before all-aboard.
Eating in Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)
- Breakfast per person
- MGA 7500–25000
- per person
- Casual lunch per person
- MGA 9000–20000
- per person
- Restaurant dinner per person
- MGA 16000–48000
- per person
Prices are in Malagasy ariary (MGA) and many places accept cash only. Seafood and lobster are local specialities; lobster costs about 30,000-59,000 MGA. Listed prices are undated and may have risen.
Where to eat
Rue Colbert and the town centre
The main street and nearby lanes, about 1 km from the port, have most cafes and restaurants, from simple Malagasy and Chinese places with dishes of 9,000-12,000 MGA to French and seafood restaurants with mains of 16,000-40,000 MGA.
Hotel restaurants
Hotels in the centre such as the Central Hotel and La Terrasse du Voyageur serve breakfast (about 7,500-25,000 MGA), coffee and drinks to non-guests.
About Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)
Antsiranana, still widely known by its former name Diego Suarez, is the main city of far northern Madagascar, with about 130,000 people. It stands on a peninsula inside Diego Suarez Bay, a vast natural bay, and was long the country's leading port.
The town has wide streets and French colonial buildings around Rue Colbert, while beaches, turquoise water and the forests of Montagne d'Ambre National Park lie close by.
Cruise ships, from large AIDA and Norwegian ships to small Ponant expedition vessels, call mainly between December and May. They usually berth at the working commercial port next to the old town, a short walk or tuk-tuk ride from the centre.
- Climate
- Hot tropical savanna climate with a long dry season and a short rainy season. WMO normals for Antsiranana (1991-2020) give daily highs of 29-32 C all year and lows of 20-23 C, with an average of 26 C. About 940 mm of rain falls a year, most of it from December to March, when January and February each get over 240 mm on about 15 days. From May to November the weather is dry, with only 8-31 mm of rain a month on 2-4 days.
- Time zone
- East Africa Time
- Currency
- Malagasy Ariary (MGA)