Comoros travel guide

Most of the coastline of Grande Comore is made up by black lavarocks, however there are beaches here and there, some more stunning than others. The stretch from the town of Mitsamiouli and onwards to the bay Trou du Prophète is particularly blessed with a handful of palm fringed, white sand beaches with crystal clear water so picture perfect that it leaves you wondering why you are the only one there. Adding further to the mystery is the lack of trash, which seems to be the norm for Comorian beaches elsewhere. There are a few dilapidated, out-dated hotels, which might be in business, else this little piece of paradise is just short walk from groovy Trou du Prophète or an hour minibus ride from Moroni.

The small island of Anjouan is extremely picturesque with steep mountains covered in vegetation (mostly plantations and gardens), palm fringed shoreline, and scruffy villages. Trekking across the island is possible, but if that seems too adventurous for you, there is the option of exploring the island along the ring road, which circumvents the island - though cutting corners at all of the three ends (Anjouan is shaped like a triangle). This can be done by either minibus or simply walking. A full circle by minibus takes about 6 hours, though you will have to change minibus in both Moya and Domoni, but you probably want to break up the journey in both Moya and Domoni, where there also are accommodation to find. If you choose to only hike one stretch, the one from Moya to the intersection before M'rémani over Col de Moya is particularly pretty with views over the wild coastline, Mozambique Channel and glimps of Mohéli in the horizon. It takes about four hours to hike uphill along the hairpin-twisting road from Moya to the pass of Col de Moya (895 m) and another hour to the intersection, where you can grab a minibus or shared taxi to Domoni.

Small, dusty, and dirty Fomboni is the capital of Mohéli. There is an airport in walking distance and a harbour that seems to be functional – else, it's pretty much just a one road town. A wide sandy beach runs along the town, but it's dirty and full of garbage (which is not that unusual for Comorian beaches). The area right next to the beach is, however, a charming mix of trash, scruffy shacks, lovely baobabs, and a stranded ship. Fomboni functions as the transport hub for the whole island and you might have to transfer through here when going from, let's say, Itsamia to Nioumachoua.

There are bats everywhere on the Comoros, but the Livingstone's fruit bats are among the biggest and most endangered. It can only be found on the islands of Mohéli and Anjouan in the Comoros. The wingspan can be up to 1.4 m and the bat itself up to 30 cm. It's black and fury with characteristic round ears and red eyes. There aren't that many Livingstone's fruit bats left in the wild (est. 1200), as their habitat (mountainous jungle) are slowly destroyed and transformed into fields. However, one of the best places to see these giant bats is an hour walk through the jungle and fields outside the village of Ouallah 1 on Mohéli. A local guide can be hired from the village, who are used to show the bats to the few foreigners who get this far.

Iconi was once the capital and home of the ruling sultan. Not much has been preserved besides a handful of ruins and a couple of city gates, but since the Comoros don't have many historical sights, the few ones stand out. Some of the gates can be difficult to locate, but the old men who sit at the square don't mind acting as guides for a small tip. Recently, Iconi also got a new massive mosque with an equally huge swimming pool that gets filled with seawater at high tide and drained at low tide. The seafront and the coastline south of town are also worth having a look at, turning Iconi into a rather appealing side trip from Moroni.

Itsamia is a small village, which is famous for its beach, where sea turtles come ashore every night to lay their eggs. But since the turtle nesting is happening during night time, you will have the whole day to hang out in the village. People here are friendly and used to a small trickle of tourists, so they don't mind if you play football with the kids or take a look at the fishermen's catch. You can also do a bit hiking through fruit gardens inland from the village and even hike to a salt lake called Dziani Boundouni. There are a turtle conservation centre and a few simple bungalows right next to the beach.

This small lake is reached by a 1.5 hours hike from the village of Itsamia. Though the lake can't match up with the sea turtle nesting in Itsamia in terms of amazingness, it makes a nice day trip while waiting for the turtles (they come at nighttime). The lake is apparently connected to the sea and is therefore salty (and is fishless). The trail follows the fields of the villagers and climbs up to 100 m before descending down to the lake shore (alt. 25 m). It's best to take a guide with you from Itsamia.

The federal capital of the Comoros, Moroni, often is the first view of the Comoros a visitor will have, and it's a perfect introduction to the country. Although a bit stretched out, the city is fairly easy to get around and deserves a good exploration. The old medina downtown Moroni is very rundown, but always fun to get lost in. The two markets North and South of town are excellent places to get your share of crowd mingling, while being greeted with friendly "Bonjour!" by almost everyone. And the great volcano Karthala provides a fabulous backdrop while the ocean completes the picture.

Look up a map of Grande Comore, and you’ll see that this impressive volcano takes up almost half of the island. This imposing mountain is still an active volcano (the last eruption was in 2007), and many of the flows from previous eruptions can be seen around the island, some of them passing through villages. The crater of the volcano can be reached in a two-day hike (or in one long day if you are very fit), in a pretty steep and steady ascent going through plantations and dense forest, then through bushes and shrubs covered in ashes. At the rim of the crater, you could very well think you’re on the moon. As of 2014, the lava lake is under a layer of ashes, so the expected red glowing glare is not part of the scenery, but the smoking crater and the view coming down are well worth the effort.

Moya is semi-famous for its pretty beach sought for wedding photo ops. Located on the southern side of Anjouan island, the village has a great view of the ocean and the road to get there either from Domoni or Mutsamudu is absolutely stunning. As with most beaches in the Comoros, Moya's beach isn't the place to lounge lazily half-naked for it is heavily used by the local fishermen, and it disappears almost entirely at high tide, but it sure is a lovely place to chill and learn about the local customs.