Facing the Indian Ocean and battered by the Alizé winds most of the year, the coast between Sakalava bay and Ramena village is made up of a series of creeks and desert beaches. Along Sakalava beach, the wind blows on the filaos trees which grow on the white sand. The place is perfect for windsurfing and kite surfing. At the other end of the beach,a coastal path winds its way among beautiful seascapes on one side and a dry forest filled with baobab and flamboyants on the other side. After “Pigeons Bay”, the best shelter to bathe and picnic, the path runs along the “Baie des Dunes” and then turns inland to reach Orangea camp in the Diego bay. The old fortified camps of Baie des Dunes and Cap Minet used to protect the pass which is the only way into the bay. They bear testimony to the strategic importance of Diego Suarez for the French colonial army. On the other side of the pass lies the Emerald Sea with its green limpid waters. The white underwater sand is dotted with dark coral spots and, at times, with the ghostly shadows of the Manta skates. The inhabitants of a small village, nested in the mangrove, have found work in growing algae for export. A little further north, on two islets inhabited only by sea birds, some straw huts provide shade and shelter for rest and outdoor lunches.