Mahajanga, still often called Majunga, is Madagascar's great northwestern port: hot, relaxed, and a little apart from the highland-and-rainforest routes most visitors follow. The light is harsher here, the streets feel drier, and the Mozambique Channel gives the city a broad, salty horizon.
The centre is easy to like. The waterfront corniche fills in the late afternoon, families gather around the enormous Baobab of Mahajanga, and pousse-pousse drivers wait in the shade. It is not polished, but it has real atmosphere: Indian Ocean trading town, Sakalava coast, French-era port, and holiday city for Malagasy travellers all at once.
The best excursions are north and east of town. Cirque Rouge is the local showpiece, a small amphitheatre of red and ochre earth that glows beautifully near sunset. Grand Pavois is the easiest beach escape, while Lac Sacre Mangatsa gives you a quieter look at the mangroves and sacred-water traditions of the Boeny region.
Mahajanga rewards slow travel. Come for two nights if you are heading toward Ankarafantsika or the northwest coast; stay longer if you want a warm, sea-breezy city where the main event is the hour before sunset.