Beginning south of Diego Suarez just until Mahanoro, the coast is known for having the greenest forests on the island and being virtually untouched by mass tourism or technology. This coast is also known as the Vanilla Coast, the Cyclone Coast and the Pirate Coast. A little difficult to travel, this coast is for those with a sense of adventure. The “Coast of Palissandre” is rich with its forest’s scents and trees, its food crops and industrial activity, its natural sanctuaries and sites still preserved from excessive large number of tourists. It ranks among the first providers of currencies for the island, and is e home to the largest port in Madagascar, giving it a very special role at the heart of the economic development in the island. Protected at sea by lighthouse on Plum Island, Tamatave (or Toamasina) was in the first decades of the 20th- century nothing more than a small village with roofs made out of pandanus or rusted sheets. It owes its metamorphosis to a very powerful and destructive cyclone which, in 1927, wiped everything in its course leaving the area in ruin. Yet the cyclone made it possible for a new and elegant city to be rebuilt, distinctive with its high palm trees. Today, one can see the large avenues of the modern city next to the old colonial houses and traditional districts, History gives to its name an anecdotic origin attributed to king Radama I who, wanting to taste the sea water has exclaimed, "Toa masina!"(but it is salted!). Home to almost half of the world’s vanilla crop, the La Cote du Palissandre is truly a field of vanilla dreams waiting to be explored.

1. Ile Sainte Marie - A slim island off the east coast of the main island, Ile Sainte Marie is host some of the world's most exquisite beaches. It's rugged interior provides reprise for those who like to hike, cycle, or motorcycle across through the lush foliage. Between the months of July and September migrating humpback whales can be seen.
   
2. Masoala Peninsula - The Masoala Penninsula hosts one of the most diverse virgin rainforests in Madagascar. It is rumored to be home to the highest number of unidentified species. The parc National Masoala is the largest in Madagascar composed of over 210,000 hectares of land.
   
3. Parc National de Mananara-Nord - A bit more secluded than most the Parc National de Mananaraa-Nord contains some of the last surviving lowland rain forests left in Madagascar. The park also offers a great opportunity to experience rural Malagasy culture as it is located in a tucked away rural area of region.
   
4. Réserve de Nosy Mangabe - The entire Réserve de Nosy Mangabe is a densely rain forest island off the main land of Madagascar. It is one of the best places to watch aye-ayes and leaf-tailed geckos.
   
5. Parc National d'Andasibe-Mantadia - Madagascar's most popular reserve Parc National D'Andasibe-Mantadia is know for its exceptional fauna and has good quality guides. Lemurs, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates inhabit the park making for a spectacle of wildlife.