swashbuckling adventure you’ve beencraving. ofunpredictable, the locals,thenasafariinexoticComoroswillprobablybe kind andmore ataswankresort, politicswith aboutlong,lazydays sippingteakini andtalking are expected toshowmodestyandcover forbothsexes. up,andalcoholisano-no tourism facilitiesare farfromplush.Islam,andallitstraditions,isevidenteverywhere. Women lessons inpatience,humilityandresilience. Everything moves differences asideandflyunderthejointbannerofUniondesComores. last decade,however, the quarrelsome tiff-proneindependentislandsagreed toputtheir before tobetaken onthedoor. armedmenareofficial portrait onceagainknocking Inthe aComorianpresidentgaining independencein1975!Infact, isluckyifthere’s timeforhis ofFrance)have Mayotte, experiencedalmost20coupssince isstillapart islands (thefourth, throughrainforests onthelookoutforgiantseas tohiking bats. four developed islandsoffer everything fromrelaxing beachesbyturquoise onwhite-sand legendary stockofArabtraders,Persian pirates. sultans,African slaves andPortuguese The discos –theComorosare soremote even aninternational fugitive couldhideouthere. removed fromtheclutter thatcomeswithconventional paradises–sprawlinghotels, neon ofplaceyougotojustdropofftheplanetforawhile.Comoros islandsare Far thekind Haphazardly scattered acrosstheIndianOcean,mysterious, outrageousandenchanting Comoros 234 © LonelyPlanetPublications „ But if your idea of the perfect holiday is less about drinking rum punch in a skimpy bi- rumpunchinaskimpy holidayislessaboutdrinking But ifyourideaoftheperfect Holidaying intheComorosisn’tforeveryone; yourarseattimes. travel Butitteaches willkick landbecauseoftheircrazypolitics,thethreeNicknamed ‘CloudCoup-Coup’ independent culture, anddevoutlyMuslim,thecharminginhabitantscomefroma inSwahili Rich

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHEST POINT: 2360m Camping in the desert landscapecreated Camping inthedesert bythe2005 eruptionof off thecoastofMayotte in Swimming withseaturtles throughthecool,mistyhighlandsand Hiking Exploringthesmallest,wildestandmostinterest- Wanderingthelabyrinthinestonestreets of ( p237) tions of clove andylang-ylang scented beachsideplanta- and turquoiseseas ing Comore, Moroni’s old ( p261) Mohéli Arab quarter (p249) ( p245 ), withfabulousbeaches (p241) „ PRINCIPAL LANGUAGES: Arabic, French, Shimashiwa (Swahili) Moroni Sazilé Mohéli mora mora Mt

Karthala (slowlyslowly)and Mt Karthala Anjouan

Sazilé The biggest (andmostpoliticallybullying) pop 360,000 lonelyplanet.com these days. these andunique, hiking isparticularlyfantastic, landscape itcreated –the onthemountain desert volcano’s latest blastisthespectacular And thegoodnewsthathascomeoutof the Grande Comore haspicked upthepieces. twoyears aftershame, because theexplosion already tourismindustry.Thisisa struggling eruption onlyfurtherdecimated theisland’s people tosteer clearforawhile. MtKarthala’s tution hadforeign departmentswarning state 2002, whentheislands’switch toanewconsti- ofThis cameontheheels thetourismcrisisof drinking water andkilledatleastonechild. 2005. Itflattened villages, contaminated spewed lava forafull14daysinDecember 11yearsevery onaverage. Thelasteruption last 200years ithasconsistently erupted once the world, Mt Karthala (2360m)–over the dominated bythelargest active volcano in of thethree islands, Grande Comore isalso THE COMOROS

Mitsamiouli Ferries Moroni Hayahaya Airport Mozambique Channel GRANDECOMORE••History Comore Grande Foumboni

Fomboni Ferries Mohéli U NIODES C OMRES

Ferries Sima

COLLECTIVITÉ TERRITORIALE DE MAYOTTE Moya moros, see moros, see p29 . For informationonthehistoryof theCo- History will like ithere. else romantic holidayawayfromeveryone hut villages. Coupleslookingforasimplebut and traditional,withonlyafew tinythatched- dramatically beautifuleastcoastremains quiet populatedthe westcoast.Thesparsely and population andactivityisconcentrated on Mostofand coconutplantations. theisland’s nana, breadfruit, cassava, vanilla,ylang-ylang is foundinthesouth,where there are ba- What littleagriculturallandisstillavailable darkvolcanicgreymeets andmolten black. beaches of varioushues,where brilliantwhite island isfringed bysolidifiedlava andsandy of itshandsomemain town,Moroni.The seat political powerof thethree islands fromthe Ngazidja bytheComorians)wieldsmost des Comores. GrandeComore (knownas independent islandsthatmake uptheUnion ofmost economicallydeveloped thethree 60km by20km,GrandeComore isalsothe I NDA UNION DES COMORES O CEAN Aside frombeingthelargest islandat

Anjouan 40miles 60km 0 0 Grande Terre M AYOTE

Ngoudja (FRANCE) Dzaoudzi Mamoudzou Petite Terre (Pamandzi)

235 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS 236 4 6 1 3 2 5 GRANDE COMORE Mutsamudu (Anjouan) To (Mohéli); RNECMR GRANDE COMORE

Ferry ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ AC Moroni Hatsambou Itsandra Voidjou Hayahaya Mitsoudjé Mikazi 2 RN1 M'vouni N'Tsaouéni ὄ Ibrahim Airport Prince Said Ntsudjini Singani Boboni Ivembéni Nioumbadjou Grille B RN2 1977 LavaFlow La C omre G rande Maouéni Hantsangoma 4 Bangohozi (830m) Mt Karthala (1084m) Lac Bangoi- (2360m) Kouni Koua ὄ 3 (860m) Touadzaha Mindralou Touaifa 1 Bambadjani Lac Salé Itsihoudi RN3 M'Tsamdou M'béni Goula' Idjikoundzi Tsinmoipanga Chomoni Tsangadjou Bouni Dembéni Kourani N'Droude ὄὄ RN3 6miles 10km 0 0 Amboini Bandamadji Sima Simboussa Trou duProphète...... Mosquée DjumbeFoumou...... Comores VanilleetPlantes...... oqé iaues...... B1 Mosquée Miraculeuse...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Foumboni ὄ I NDA O CEAN lonelyplanet.com D 4 3 2 1 B1 B2 C2 riving inGrandeComore comeintotheport inthevillagecapital, of Hayahaya. Boatsar- port liesabout19kmnorthof Moroni, the Grande Comore’s PrinceSaídIbrahimAir- Orientation lonelyplanet.com pinch –andbeready toget ripped off –US so make sure youhave euros(orata enough are nomoneychanging facilitiesatthe airport on theislands,from bankstohotels. There of timeandthey canbechanged anywhere with youasplantospend–itsaves alot working. It’sbesttojustbringasmany euros cash advanceswhenthephonelinesareVisa change cash andtravellers cheques anddoes has anypower,which agiven. isnever open dependsonwhetherGrande Comore in Moroni( p239 whethertheyare), although internet cafés allaroundtheisland,notjust calls are still very expensive. There are now network. Note withalocalSIMcard thateven boasts alimited, butgrowing,mobile phone inthelarger cities.Theislandalso services morning –beprepared. Fridayafternoondown between andMonday intheComorosshuts year, nearlyeverything hours.during daylight Duringtherest of the from eating,drinkingorsmokinginpublic ofthe sensibilities thepopulationandrefrain especially onFridays.Travellers shouldrespect earlierduringthisperiodaswell, and close Shops openearlier closed. andotherbusinesses from dawntoduskandmostrestaurants are (see p266 ), thepopulation of theComorosfasts acceptable. Duringtheholymonthof Ramadan men. Toplessswimmingorsunbathingare not low-cut topsforwomen,andnobare-chested away fromthebeach, meaningnoshortsor lim. Visitors are asked todress modestlywhen group, isoverwhelmingly (andtolerantly)Mus- Grande Comore, like theotherislandsin Information keep askingpeople. will have mapor toguess,followadetailed where youare andwhere youare going,you there are nosignpostsanywhere. Toknow Comore, youwillnoticeoneannoyingfactor: in thenorthbeingbestcondition. around theperimeter of theisland,with those mac roadsinreasonably goodconditionrun the islandwithanyreal infrastructure, buttar- in centralMoroni.Moroniistheonlyplaceon The After ashort timetravelling aroundGrande Grande Comore hastelephone andpostal BIC

( % 73 1204;PldeFrance) GRANDECOMORE••Orientation inMoronican Open WatercourseCF115,000) 1dive/5divesCF20,000/75,300,NAUI [email protected]; them inadvance. soit’sbesttoringoremail open, however, all accountsfairlyreputable. It’snotalways the village of isFrench-run Itsandra, and by goudjou, Moroni) a 4WDor trek there. Ittakes at least seven by normal vehicles, soyouwillhave totake M’vouni andBoboni isalmostimpassable the roadbetween ther upatBoboni. However, most popularroutes begin atM’vouniorfur- April andNovember). (between season The trek shouldonlybeattempted duringthedry spend adayortwoexploringthesummit. The more funtocarrycampingequipmentand Mt Karthala inavery longday,butit’smuch landscape. It’spossibleto climb the mountain out of astupendousdesert as itslava carved villages were damaged –butalsobeautiful, which wasbothtragic–onechild diedand island. Thevolcanolasterupted in2005, formuch of andformsthe base canoes the This isoneof theworld’smostactive vol- Mt Karthala Grille. ing hikes, includingtoMtKarthala andLa Grande Comore hassomevery reward- HIKING centre. dependent Comorosthathasaproperdive Grande Comore istheonlyislandof thein- DIVING ming beaches andfabulous volcanohikes. but theislandishometosomegoodswim- much limited tothedive companylisted here, Grande Comore’s water activitiesare pretty Activities require youtobeairlifted toSouthAfrica. insurance, asanymajor medicalproblems will medical emergencies. Youshould have travel Moroni) the and youare badlyhurt,youcantryringing and medicine. Ifyoucan’tget tothehospital, itstillroutinelyrunsoutofthough plasters forminormedicalproblemsacceptable al- injection of overseas aid,andisnowjustabout until youget toabank. dollars) toget toyourhotel andtolast ataxi El Maarouf Hospital El Maarouf police forhelp.Theyare fornon- alsouseful Itsandra Plongée Mp p240; (Map has been revamped withalargehas been % Mp p240; (Map

, based onthebeach in , based 74 4663;Ave desMinistères,

(off Map (off Map p240 ; % 73 26 04; Rte Ma- 73 2604;Rte % 73 2976; 237

COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS specialises in taking walkers intaking specialises upthevolcano Air Austral Air Austral following international airlines: bythe Grande Comore iscurrently served AIR profit thanpolitics,soitiseasytofly. nonexistent. care Airlines,however, more about itandtheotherComoros isprettytween much ing itshould belongtothem,andboattravel be- don’t much like French-owned Mayotte, believ- Theindependentislands the water istoo rough. thethreeboats between islandswillnottravel if intheComoroscanget very and rough, Seas patched uponetoomanytimes. wood hasbeen rickety thatlooklike affairs theirweathered exist)andnolife(if anyeven jackets. They are death-traps, withnosafety regulations enforced breakdowns are frequent. Boatscanbeabsolute take toshowup,iftheydo,and hours forbuses Comore particularlyalongtheeastcoast.Itcan Patience isthekey togetting aroundGrande Getting There&Around ing, sothere are noproblemsattheend. sure youfindoutthefullpricebefore depart- and equipment,before youleave. Alsomake such aswhowillprovide andcarryfood,water ing atrip,besure tosortoutanyparticulars, and hires campingequipment.Whenarrang- CF76,000) Mbéni;tenthire CF5000,2-dayexpedition perperson yahoo.fr; ispossible.a two-daytrip.Bartering and friendly,charges aboutCF65,000for bagsandtents. Hesleeping isvery professional recommended byreaders whoalsoprovides paying foraguide. should costlessthanhalfof whatyouendup really fit,youmaywanttotake aporter, which amount of water you’llrequire. Unlessyouare forthetrip,anddon’tunderestimateneed the sure tocarryallthefoodandwaterBe you’ll tion, it’sreally totake aguidealong. important crater Especiallysincethelatest itself. erup- best andmostsheltered campsite iswithinthe keted inthickmistformuch of theday.The frequently clear,theslopesare normallyblan- and aboutfive hours fromBoboni. hours toclimbfromM’vounithesummit 238 Connections in Mayotte forflightstoMadagascar. inMayotte Connections andRéunion. Mauritius a weekbetween Moroni,Mayotte, times Oasis, Moroni)Fliesseveral .com inFrench; Quartier Comores Travel Services Travel Comores Chauffera thesummitandcrater areAlthough RNECMR • GtigTee&Aon There &Around GRANDE COMORE••Getting isalsorecommended. Thecompany Mp p240 ; (Map

( % 73 0216) % 73 3144;www.air-austral

( is aMoroniguide % 77 0055;comotour@ worth checking toseeifit’sresumed. checking worth wassuspended,butitmaywellbe of research thisservice toAntananarivo. Atthetime withconnections Madagascar, onthewestcoastof between MoroniandMahajanga .airmadagascar.mg; Oasis, Moroni)Usedtofly Quartier through Paris. andconnections Weekly flightsbetweenMoroniandMalé Oasis,Moroni) Quartier seychelles.net; RueMagoudjou, BOAT in Madagascar onceaweek. lines canalsoflyyoutoMahajanga (CF109,000) ing inallthree islandsforCF72,000.Bothair- acircularticket does tak- Comores AirService fare isCF44,500 (alsothree perweek). flights gothree ToMayotteflights timesaweek. the Moroni toMohéli costsaroundCF20,000,and theislands.Ahopfrom easy waytoflybetween Moroni) Marrouf, Air Service [email protected]; BlvddelaCorniche,Moroni) Aviation toMayotte. alsoprovides services the islandsof AnjouanandMohéli. Comores ice, which flytheirsmallplanesalmostdailyto lines, Comores Aviation andComores AirServ- bytwointernal air-Grande Comore isserved As listed wellastheinternational above, flights Air Seychelles Air Madagascar five hours). To Mohéli boatsare smallerand ries is some are truedeath-traps. Oneof thebestfer- thevessel beforeto see youbuyyourticket as yourdrivertoo rough willturnaround. Try on anyboatare arare are thing,andiftheseas shaky theyare scary.Life downright jackets boats varywidelyandsomevessels are so outside. the latest comingsandgoingsonblackboards displaymakeshift alongtheseafront offices head fortheportinMoroniwhere various Mahajanga inMadagascar. Tofindaboat, inKenya, Mombasa tions are or Zanzibar, –theusualdestina- out toomuch difficulty could findaboattogofurtherafieldwith- get to. Ifyou’ve gotabitlonger towaityou jouan isprobably theeasiestdestinationto An- claim itastheirown)canbedifficult. good gracesof theotherthree islandsthat findingonetoMayottethough (notinthe and theotherislandsinarchipelago, al- Boats regularly GrandeComore plybetween Comores AviationComores Please note thatthesafetyPlease andqualityof Alliance des

(Map p240 ; p240 (Map provide and areasonably efficient Mp p240; (Map (Map (Map p240 ;

(Map p240 ; p240 (Map % Îles % 73 33 66; [email protected]; Blvd El 73 3366;[email protected];BlvdEl toAnjouan (CF11,500, % 73 3144;www.air 73 5540;www % lonelyplanet.com 73 3400;comores and Comores Comores Hiring acaronGrandeComore canonlybe CAR bigger ships(CF9150,fourtosixhours). less frequent, astheportisoften ignored by lonelyplanet.com wooden boats moored volcanic rock between and thedozensofbuildings of theseafront (Old FridayMosque, p241 ), thewhitewashed coral-walled Ancienne MosquéeduVendredi The fadingorange isreflected light bythe in theIndianOcean. most beautifulsights Moroniharbourmustbeone ofsunset the reference toitsproximity toMtKarthala. At the namemeans‘inheartof thefire’, in (in Tanzania).with Zanzibar InComorian, an ancientsultanate thattraded primarily can beratherdisillusioning. quaintstreets the odouremittingfromthese andwastedo withsewage water. As aresult, the government hasyettofigure outwhatto rubbish onthestreet iscommonpractice,and tunately, the placeisquite dirty–throwing playedonsmooth stonebenches. Unfor-noes hours prayers between withgamesof domi- groups of white-robed menwhilingawaythe ting oncrumblingstonedoorsteps, andgrave you’ll passwomenincolourfulwrapschat- the narrowstreets of theoldArab quarter, Comoros ifyou’ve justarrived. Wandering Arabia–agreatticised introductiontothe less placewhere theairisheavy withroman- Moroni feels like anotherworld.Itisatime- pop 44,518 MORONI itvirtuallystops. by 4pmduringRamadan) 11.30amand3pm,after dark(or between toslowdown island, publictransportseems not impossible).Like onthe else everything (but island bypublictransportisvery difficult or PidjaniandChomoni,socirclingtheentire very few taxis-brousses travel M’beni between theeastcoastissosparsely populated, cause bâchés thereform of although are minibuses, afew which mostlytake (bushtaxis), the brousses bytaxis- routesLong-distance are served TAXI-BROUSSE winding andsignpostsnonexistent. is agoodthingsincetheroadsare steep and come withadriver price,which forthesame –€40perday,pluspetrol.Mostcarsstandard arranged inMoroni.Pricesare reasonably Moroni had its beginnings as the seat ofMoroni haditsbeginningsasthe seat (small,converted pick-ups)too. Be- GRANDECOMORE••Moroni in town,buttheseonlyseemtoacceptlocalcards. BICmaintainstwoATMs Ramadan. one hourearlierduring commission andhasabranchofWesternUnion. Itcloses lers cheques. AlsodoesadvancesonVisacardsforahefty Theonly placetochangecashortravel- Thu, to11amFri) ers. Connections are fastandcheapfor theComoros.ers. Connections for internetphonecalls andispopularwithteenagegam- andheadsets café ofthesamename;hasafastconnection 2.30pm Mon-Thu, There’s noofficialtourist to11.30amFri) [email protected]; desMinistères; duTourisme Generale Direction Nassib Cyber BIC month. ing) aroundtownevery foraphonecard! frustrating search Plus itsaves inanoften youfrompartaking pay fortheunits(blockof minutes) youuse. you’re just ringingahotel ortwo,asyouonly mission of course. Stillitworksoutcheaper if theirphonecard–forasmallcom- you use outside phonebooths more thanwillingtolet few minutes, there are alwaystoutsposted try afew. to You’llprobablyneed stamps. which sell phonecardsandwhich post officessell tobearbitrarying namesyet,anditseems buthasn’tgoneabout chang- services, postal The Comorosrecently splititsphoneand Information dows thatresembles ashoppingarcade. Palace, alonglowbuildingwitharched win- huge, incongruousandChinese-built Peoples’ itendsatthe isthusnamedbecause stadium, Populaire theportand de China,which passes harbour andthebazaar. TheAve deRepublic maze of the narrowlanes,isfound between fusing includingthetouristoffice.offices, Thecon- Ministères, where there are somegovernment lead totheappropriately namedAve des shared totake hotel. youtoyourchosen taxi arrive intheport,youcansimplywalkorhaila which willcostyouCF1000(about €2).Ifyou into ashared withsomeotherpassengers, taxi and easiestwayintoMoroniisbyhopping From theairportatHayahaya, thequickest Orientation silhouettes of fruitbatsflappingoverhead. men andboysswimminghere, withthegiant jetties. Atduskthere are often hundreds of From thenorthacoupleof mainroads New internet cafésare opening(andclos- acardphonefor touse If youjustneed ( % 73 1204;PldeFrance; medina ( % (oldArabquarter), withits 73 2500;perhrCF900)Inthepopular h 7.15am-2pm Mon- ( % h 74 4243; 7.30am-

239 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS Mt Karthala is €200. All prices are based onagroupoffour. is€200. Allprices Mt Karthala expeditionup full-day island tourcosts€45,anda two-day oftheislandcosts €35perperson,a beaches inthenorth tothe Aboattrip ing inalltheisland’smajor attractions. Ave tak- hotelorganisesdaytrips AliSoilih) Thisupmarket Le Moroni pensions office inMoroni,butyoucangetahelpfullistof hotelsand 240 4 1 3 2 5 MORONI RNECMR • Mrn GRANDE COMORE••Moroni Restaurant Fakhri(Chez Nouvelle Mosquéedu Ancienne Mosquéedu C4 Post Office(PlacedeFrance).. Matembezi TravelandTourism Direction Generaledu Ministry oftheInterior(Visas).. Agency...... Malagasy Consulate...... Le Moroni...... (see22) French Embassy...... El MaaroufHospital...... Tourisme...... Cyber Nassib...... (see29) Customs...... BIC...... Babou)...... Patisserie Nassib...... Kinaza Resto...... Gobadjou Kiosk...... Café duPort...... Café desEcoles...... Pension Faida...... Les Arcades...... Le Moroni...... Old Market...... Vendredi...... Bazaar...... Vendredi...... Wewu Cyber...... Stadium...... Post Office(VoloVolo)...... Post Office(Port)...... Post Office(Mtsangani)...... Police Station...... Pharmacie desComores...... People's Palace...... EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION fromthisgovernment-runorganisation. 22

( Ave %

AC Ali

73 5242/64/74;[email protected]; Soilih 25 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 D2 D2 D2 C2 C2 A5 D2 C2 A5 C4 C4 C4 C4 D2 B4 D2 C4 C4 C3 C2 B5 C3 B4 C5 B5 C2 C3 B4 C4 9 TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT Southern Taxi-BrousseStation Northern Taxi-Brousse Central Taxi-BrousseStation (PlaceCobadjou)...... Station...... Comores Aviation...... Comores AirService...... (ChalimaTerminal)...... Air Tanzania...... Air Seychelles...... (see33) Air Madagascar...... Air Austral...... Alliance Franco-Comorienne.. Al CamarCinema...... 5 B 7 To PensionZilimadjou(500m); Ave de Republic Moifaka StudioHotel(1km); Populaire de China Hotel LeRavinala(1km); Itsambuni 16 I NDA

O CEAN Rue Caltex Rue Iconi (3km) 2 Port Basha Marrouf Blvd El 14 Zilimadjou 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 20 without a driver from€45perday, excludingfuel. without adriver andrents carswithor up MtKarthala, also organiseshikes foraround€35.It picnics andotherfull-or half-daytrips touroperatorcanorganisehikes, professional andfriendly 04 00;[email protected]; RueCaltex)Thisvery jou; desComores Pharmacie Agency andTourism Travel Matembezi Wooden Boats C4 D2 C3 C4 C4 C2 D2 D2 C2 D2 h 37 RN2 40 niche 18 8am-1pm & 4-7pmSat-Thu, 8-11.30am&4-7pm

38 de la Cor Ave des Ministèr des Ave

Catholic Blvd Church 23 Cobadjou Badjanani Place Place de Magoudjou 12 26 11 19 Zilmadjou Mosquée de Mtsangani 27 36 8 De Lave Volo Coulée 6 13 3

(New) Market

21 es Sans Fils 32 10 RN1 Volo 35 0.3miles 500m 0 0 4 Place de 1 France Hadjudia Route Magoudjou 17 Itsandra Plongée(3km); ( 34 % Dashe Mitsamiouli (30km) 28 To Itsandra(3km); 24 Airport (19km); 31

73 22 73; Rte Magoud- 73 2273;Rte Blvd Karthala 30 29 33 Oasis 15 39 lonelyplanet.com D Chimoni (15km) ( To EastCoast; % 73 CF500 perhour. phonecards. Thepostoffices alsooffer internetaccessfor Allfourpostofficeshavephoneboxes butnotallsell Fri) Post offices inMoroni. details ofemergencymedicalservices Trythisplaceforminormedicalproblems. See Fri) p237 for Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com men inthe bazaargenerally don’tmindbeing crowds, and toddlers playing inthedust.The Muslimzealots haranguingthesunglasses, all are wideboys(hawkers) plastic flogging thebottleneck.Inamong itjostling through by thethrongsof pedestriansandvehicles of fliesandtryingtoavoid beingcrushed fruit, vegetables andfish,waving clouds off paste, huddleoverlow sandalwood pilesof (cloth wraps),theirfacesplastered inyel- our. Womeningaily coloured are ahecticmessof smellandcol- noise, which sprawl downtheroadpastBIC, Moroni’s bazaarandoldcovered market, BAZAAR &OLDMARKET ritual washingof thefeet before entering. the dressed (in long trousers)andgothrough the mosques,youhave tobemale,appropriately kofia in thetraditional ing placeforthetown’smenfolk,manydressed asameet- the steps outside themosquesserve prayers, Mosque) nexttotheport.Inbetween nificent minaret wasaddedearlylastcentury. nal structure the dates backto1427,though colonnades andasquare minaret. Theorigi- Vendredi terfront istheoff-white The mostimposingstructure alongthewa- MOSQUES hili doors foundonmanyhouses. Swa- holes). Watch fortheelaborately carved with32 game playedusingaboardcarved game of or dominoes aimlessly, chatting withlocalsorjoiningina Here youcanspendatleastan hourwandering zibar’s StoneTownandalmostasintriguing. It’s reminiscent of aminiature version of Zan- with buildingsdatingbacktoSwahilitimes. a convoluted Mosquée duVendredi (OldFridayMosque)is The area aroundtheportandAncienne ARAB QUARTER (OLDTOWN) Sights Today Fridayworship takes placeatthemag- (skull cap). To see theinterior of (skullcap).Tosee anyof Nouvelle MosquéeduVendredi Nouvelle , atwo-storey buildingwithelegant ( % medina 7.30am-2.30pm Mon-Thu, to11am kanzu withnarrowstreets lined bao (long white robe) and (longwhite robe) and (anancientAfrican Ancienne Mosquéedu GRANDECOMORE••Moroni chiromani (New Friday (NewFriday comfortable, have satellite TV and comein havecomfortable, satellite TV giant chess!even Thenew-looking roomsare ming pool,excursion desk,bar,restaurant and amenities. Itfeatures abusinesscentre, swim- ifyou’restay feeling homesickfor Western international-standard hotel istheplaceto Ali Soilih;s/dfrom€72/102; suburbs towardsIconi.Take ataxi. is thatit’shardtofind,asoutof towninthe andair-con. satellite Theonlydisadvantage TV bathrooms. Themostexpensive roomshave andgoodensuite ern, cleanandtiled,withTV ties provided Moroni.Roomsare byLe mod- option ifyoucandowithouttheextraameni- s/d fromCF17,000/19,000; don’t have towanderfar. a restaurant (red-bean curryCF2500) soyou able. There’s sittingroomand acomfortable room (full-sizebath)andnetsare alsoavail- shared bathrooms. Bigger roomswithbath- andtelephones but Screened roomshave TV pension veryAlthough welcomingandfriendly,this terraced gardens forstrolling. but on-site massage isoffered andthere are two showers! Thepoollooksabitmurky, are supersmart andhuge have –someeven mozzie netsandair-con, whiledeluxe rooms ones have simpledécorandcomewithTV, to get yourheadaroundthem.Thecheaper has somanydifferent typesof roomsit’shard 44,500, breakfast €4; plus petrol. car outforexcursions forCF15,000perday, homely. Monsieurwillhire andhis himself walls,butfriendlyand in polish withtatty thedoors)ety (thehandlesfalloff andlacking bath andfanorshared facilities.It’sabitrick- rooms inafamilyhomeeitherwithprivate 15,000) from Madagascar. wayoverpricedseem ifyou’ve justarrived allwill in theindependentComoros,although Moroni hasmore optionsthananywhere else Sleeping for theirpictures. andwavefusals youaway,ordemandmoney to askfirst. Thewomenwilleitherscreech re- it’spolitephotographed orfilmed,although Le Moroni StudioHotel Moifaka LeRavinala Hotel Les Arcades Pension Faida The budget traveller’s choice, Faida has is difficult tofindandfaroutof isdifficult town.

( ( % % ( % 73 5242;[email protected];Ave 73 1942;BlvddelaCorniche;rCF11,500- as ( % 73 22 11; Quartier Oasis;rCF7500- 73 2211;Quartier a ( ais % 73 5190;rCF16,000-20,000; ) Moifaka is an excellent Moifaka isanexcellent ) This bigpinkedifice 73 15 56; [email protected]; 73 1556;[email protected]; Moroni’sonly ) 241 a

) COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS taxi rank.taxi it haschairs underatree, anddoublesasa the roundabout.Runbyafriendlyoldman, ommended by readers serves awidechoiceommended byreaders serves turns up to get itintheevenings. The icecream isto diefor,andhalf thetown fresh juice. There are alsovegetarian options. pluslotsof andsandwiches, people), samosas fortwo curry dishes (oneportionisenough kebabs (cooked on anopenbarbecue),huge an outdoorice-cream bar. The menu includes ing ahuge terrace and litupwithfairylights nitely theliveliest restaurant intown,featur- Run byafamilyof volubleIndians,thisisdefi- Oasis;mainsCF4000; 29; Quartier bothoutfront. selling and cake you’re after, there’s abustlingstall crispy just-baked baguettes. Ifit’sjustbread morning comeforfresh fruitjuice,yogurtand terrace.and ricedishes onapleasant Inthe burgers, kebabs serving lar littlecaféatnight, intownturnsintoaverybest patisserie popu- from CF500,mainsCF2000; prices. burgersdishes andeven atmore thanfair of Comorianrice food,includingsamosas, from CF500; Gobadjou kiosk best coffee, cakes andcrepes comefromthe life andpoliticsover beers untildawn.The it packed withanimated localschatting about alcohol. You’llfind rian hang-outthatserves roundabout, isanalternative youngComo- cious fresh duPort,atthe fruitjuices.Café deli- Moroni,isonesuch place.Le Itserves desÉcoles Café andBlvddelaCorniche.along RueCaltex andhole-in-the-wallrestaurantsfood stalls adan. Thecheapest eatsintownare thelittle Moroni, especiallyifyou’re here duringRam- anddrinkingoptionsareEating limited in Eating &Drinking costs CF3000. of decentvegetarian optionstoo. Breakfast fromCF4500.Thereand seafood are acouple mended pizzasalongwiththeusualsteaks recom-restaurant overlooking serves thesea is worthpayinganextra€20for!Theterrace rooms,andneither minibar inthestandard difference thetwoisalackof between safe and andluxe. –standard two pricetags Theonly 242 o Nassib Patisserie Resto Kinaza RNECMR • Isnr GRANDE COMORE••Itsandra h Restaurant Fakhri Fakhri Restaurant lunch &dinner)

(Ave AliSoilih)

( (street eatsperitemCF150) % (

% 73 27 68; Rte Magoudjou; mains Magoudjou; 73 2768;Rte 73 84 60; Rte Magoudjou; pastries pastries Magoudjou; 73 8460;Rte , ontheroadtowards Thisrestaurant rec- h h (Chez Babou; lunch &dinnerTue-Sun) 6am-11pm; , alsoon i % ) 73 21 The Cobadjou, neartheNewFridayMosque. atPlacethe southerntaxi-brousse station (CF700, 1½hours), taxis-brousses leave from town –askalocaltoleadtheway. which ishidden awayinthelabyrinthineold leavebrousses fromtheChalimaterminal, mainly Chomoni(CF500,40minutes), taxis- For destinationsincentralGrandeComore, and asfarM’benionthenortheastcoast. 30 minutes),(CF500,onehour), Mitsamiouli 20 minutes), theairportatHayahaya (CF500, and east.Vehicles here (CF300, gotoItsandra thenorth the newmarket inVoloVolo,serves near roni. Thenortherntaxi-brousse station, There are three inMo- taxi-brousse stations Getting There&Around CF1200; are onlyopentomembers. The CF300 andare Someactivities shown weekly. Films, which are all dubbedintoFrench, cost regular exhibitionsand ahallforconcerts. videos, internet access (perhour CF500), a librarywithFrench books,magazinesand cabaret andeven classes andkaraoke! There’s tural centre alsooffers French courses, sports Blvd delaCorniche; Alliance Franco-Comorienne Films andconcertsare shown regularly atthe Entertainment The village has an excellentchoice of hotels. much trueforany GrandeComore beach. of localslinger here all day,butthisispretty it isdefinitelythough notisolated –groups white-sand beach with superclearwater, al- inGrandeComore.a stay There isastartling isagreatsandra yourself during placetobase Moroni, yetonly4kmaway,thevillage of It- Much lesshectic,cleanerandprettier than ITSANDRA CF15,000 perday. get hire thedriver aswell.Car costsaround panies andcanbehired outfortheday.You driverstaxi doubleasone-manrental com- (CF500). (CF500)orIconi airport (CF1000),Itsandra easily take ashared fromtownto the taxi a bitmore forfurtherdestinations.Youcan deposit youanywhere intownforCF300,or of shared which willpickyouupand taxis, downoneofwalking orflagging thehundreds To hire a car,askatoneof thehotels. Many To southerndestinationssuch asFoumboni Once intown,getting aroundisaseasy h 7.30am-10pm Mon-Sat) h 7.30am-10pm Mon-Sat) ( % serves alcohol. serves 73 1087;[email protected]; lonelyplanet.com cafeteria . Thecul- (snacks

a very good-value placeandidealifyouwant not especiallycharming, butentirely accept- market beach hotel inGrandeComore. It’s see if something else catches youreye. ifsomethingelse see wander around(it’savery smallvillage) and We onlyhadspacetoincludeafew here, so lonelyplanet.com founders of IslamintheComoros. Thelo- of theProphet Mohammed, andone of the Mohammed Athoumani Kouba, acousin tobethefinalrestinglieved placeof Caliph villageThe sleepy of N’Tsaouéni isalsobe- N’TSAOUÉNI arranged forCF5000percar. palm trees. Transfers fromtheairportcanbe outsideamongthe buffet aseafood hotel does bar providing nightlife, sooften andevery the full-size bathtub.There’s acasinoandpiano and have viewsaswellatelephone, TV sea the fishsoup.Roomsare and spacious,light good restaurant (mainsfromCF3000)–try able andwithalovely private beach anda snpt.km; RN1;rfrom€58; (inFrench).processes can explainthevanillaproducingandsorting vanilla green side of themainroad,isasmallshed where (after Madagascar) andhere, ontheinland the world’ssecond-largest producerof vanilla 20m lowerthantheroad.TheComorosis village of Hatsambou, visiblefromRN1about On thecoast3kmnorthof isthe Itsandra HATSAMBOU in theevenings. to take ashared (CF300)intotowntoeat taxi peaceful. rooms, whilesimple,are clean,quietand Maoulida, isvery friendlyandhelpful, and ( recommended byreaders is CF15,000 perday. hireCF2000). Car isavailable foraround specialities tobecooked foryou(mealsfrom days. Youcanalsoorderafew Comorian cleaner ifyou’re longer staying thanafew the hotel, and theowners willarrange fora bathroom. There’s asupermarket underneath room withfanandmosquitonet,private kitchen withfridge,area, bed- satellite TV, to beoutof Moroni.Roomshave asitting % The Itsandra is near enough toMoroniforyou isnearenough Itsandra that’sbeen Another excellentplacetostay Vanille Motel 73 2081;RN1;rinclbreakfast CF7500) Royal Itsandra Hotel Royal ItsandraHotel isgradedandsorted. Theworkers

( % GRANDECOMORE••Hatsambou 73 2808;RN1;rfromCF13,000) a ) is nowtheonlyup- ( % 73 3517;itsandrahot@ Pension Manguier . Theowner, is of abeach. have themain road,butdoesn’t off much home of Bob Denard( p31 ). It’ssignposted French holidayvillas,includingtheformer now apopularleisure spot bordered byafew asahaven for17th-centurypirates. It’s served once in theharbour,anditalmostcertainly the ProphetMohammed oncemadelandfall hasitthat tier localnameisZindoni.Legend egantly as‘holeof theprophet’.Itsmuch pret- of Maloudja Le hotel, translates ratherinel- The French name of thissmallbay,2kmeast TROU DUPROPHETE road. the sea courtyard. Lookforitoneblockbackfrom cal paintjob, andthere isagreat central the walls.Theexterior hasanabstracttropi- is blackandwhite withfamousquotes on ism excursions aroundtown.Theinterior lage. Owner Zoroorganises culturaltour- localfoodinthecentre of thevil- serving CF1200; lemurs.even of forest that’sgoodforwatching birdsand nificent beach andnexttoasmallpocket It’s inalovely onamag- right spot,however, no-frills itisabitgrimy. rooms,although five-star hotel, isfairlydecent,withsimple, ofsince thedemise GrandeComore’s only a the localshere speaksomeEnglish. years toaluxurySouthAfricanhotel, manyof washomefor Mitsamiouli of shade. Because sunbathing orrelaxing, andthere isn’talot like thebeaches are Itsandra, abitpublicfor largest townonGrandeComore. However, on theisland’snortherntip,issecond- youth playingpick-upfootball, Mitsamiouli, beachWith alongsandy that’spopularwith pop 6332 MITSAMIOULI to letyouin. who lives opposite thedoor, inthehouse thetomb,askguardian,cloths. Tosee larger cementstructure, drapedincolourful isinsidea door,andthetombitself carved ing housingthetombhasamagnificently and crumblingFridaymosque. Thebuild- the recently renovated canbemadefordispute, butthebestcase cation of histombisthesubjectof some o Le Maloudja ) ,

the only place to stay inMitsamiouli the onlyplacetostay h lunch &dinner) Cool Memories Cool Memories

( % 78 8156;rwithbreakfast CF15,000; is anexcellentplace (Rue du Ralima; localdishes (Rue duRalima; tomb besidetheold

243 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS There’s asmallsnack bar,too. project, andagreen placeto visit. andpleasant tourism butit’salso awell-thought-out disease, breeding strains of plantsandtrees resistant to ways of improving agriculturalproduction by triches! Mostof thisisdesignedtofindnew apenfullofplants andherbs;even os- ment plant;aninteresting collectionof local and localcrafts;adistilleryvanilla treat- oils,jam,honey spices,essential a shopselling inFrench; admissionfree). .com/cvp/ecomusee.htm Vanille etPlantes mores farmknownas distillery andexperimental ficial oils ecotourism attraction–anessential M’beni ishometoGrandeComore’s onlyof- M’BENI the crater rim,withgreat viewsof thecoast. from themainroad,andyoucanwalkaround or soeastof It’seasilyvisible Bangoi-Kouni. theshorebetween andRN3,about akilometre vibrant bluesaltwater lake crater sitsinadeep to prevent fate befallingthem.The thesame are tooffer said acoconuttothirsty travellers lake. Even todayvillagers inBangoi-Kouni flood todrownthemall,andthuscreated the villagers, heretaliated amagic by sending asked foradrinkof water. bymiserly Refused arrivedposedly ataneighbouring village and is thatof thenearby night. puted tohave inasingle constructed itself Mosque). Accordingtolocallegend it’sre- the so-called about 3kmfurtheron,knowstheoriginsof No-one inthesmallvillage of Bangoi-Kouni, BANGOI-KOUNI &LACSALÉ 244 Another legend connected withthevillage team –theashwaslevelled intoalarge playingfield. had onreality. The onlypeopleinSinganiwhobenefited fromthevolcanowere thelocalfootball until rescuers managedtodigthroughthelava. Bythattime,he’dlostwhatever griphe’dever enough, thestream andspared oflavaparted thebuilding. There heremained forseveral days wasthreatenedno-one exceptthemanhimself,whoelected toremain intheschool.Strangely the initialeruption,villagewasevacuated before thelavareached theinhabited area and andtheman’swarningswere begantoquake more taken seriously.Aftereruption theearth streets, listened, warningpeopleofanimpendingeruption.No-one butthree dayspriortothe destroying everything initspath–onlytheschoolwasspared. ofthe‘skyturningred1977, localsspoke sunset’.The like lavaflowsweptthroughthevillage, inAprilof theIndianOcean,andwithpretty goodreason. DuringtheeruptionofMtKarthala The villageof THE POMPEIIOFGRANDECOMORE RNECMR • Bno-on a aé GRANDE COMORE••Bangoi-Kouni&LacSalé Two weeksbefore theeruptionoccurred, torunningthroughthevillage a madmanhadtaken Mosquée Miraculeuse Singani ( % Lac Salé , on the way from Moroni to Foumboni, likes tothinkofitselfasthePompeii, onthewayfromMoronitoFoumboni,likes 77 0234;www.comores-online . Asorcerer sup- (Miracle There’s Co- 62 21,335240;rCF7500) bungalows with nets right onthebeach,bungalows withnetsright but out icycold. from CF3000toCF5000).Soft drinkscome curries andfishricedishes(mainscost inguette hasthe gear. Therestaurant serves Gu- and youcansnorkel outfront–La Excursions aroundtheislandare available limited toiletfacilities(beprepared tosquat). atthebasic You canstay the bestbeach alongthispartof theisland. moni, about halfway downtheeastcoast,is of blacklava andwhite beach, sandy Cho- Sheltered byabayandwithfascinatingmix CHOMONI former home of andthestill- the sultan), are the16th-century palace inthecentre of thevillage. memorating them onthewallof thesultan’s and religious fervour. There’s aplaquecom- his policiesforbiddingComorian tradition sacred unarmedcitizensprotesting against in IconiwhenAliSoilih’syouthgangs mas- than facecapture. rather intothesea thecliffs themselves off killed theirleader,thewomenof Iconithrew of thetown.Wheninvaders Iconifleeing wave of manyof pirates sent theinhabitants centuries. In1805aparticularlydetermined gasy pirates the16thandearly19th between Iconi suffered badlyatthehandsof Mala- of of theSultan one timetheseat Bambao, Iconi,isrichoriginal capital, inpirate lore. At Arrr! GrandeComore’s and oldestsettlement ICONI The mostimposing buildingsinIconi In March tragedy 1978,asecond tookplace

, which haspalm-thatch Palais deKaviridjeo La Guinguette lonelyplanet.com (

% (the 77 day Mosque). MOHÉLI shiny lonelyplanet.com craggy islets off Mohéli’s isletsoff goldenshorescraggy or ture lovers lookingtoexplore thedramatic, in theComoros,Parc Marin deMohéli. Na- this islandishometotheonlynationalpark relatively Plus cleanbyComorianstandards. withtrash-strewncapitals streets, Mohéli is very goodthing.Whiletheotherislandsoffer century yet,letalonethe21st.Butthisisa upwiththe20ththis islandhasn’tcaught no questionabout Mohéli’s backwater status: of anyComoriantrip.Thereis ahighlight is and mostinteresting of theComorosislands, the otherislands).Avisittothis,smallest and lotsof donkeys, farmore infactthanon sparsely populated (exceptfor,strangely, lots could blendinto. and It’swild,undeveloped ahunted even fugitivethe onewesaid you wanttodropofftheplanetforawhile– Mohéli istheComorosislandyougotowhen pop 36,885 MOHÉLI Hamba Chiconi Parc Marin de Mohéli Boundary Nouvelle Mosquée du Vendredi MosquéeduVendredi Nouvelle Magnougni Chissioua Domoni Sambadjou Chissioua Dzaha Beach Kavé MOHÉLI••History Trandrama Château St-Antoine Miremani- Mirénéni To Moroni Chissioua Kanzohi 1 Beach Ouallah 2 N'Drondroni Ouongobabounou N'Gamaroumbo (751m) Chissioua

Mbouzi

(ridge) Mlédjélé M'Batse M'boinifoungue Ouénéfou Chissioua

Chiconi Wamle Rv Mt Koukoulé(790m) Chissioua Chandzi

Nioumachoua Bandalankoua

mbé (New Fri-

Mt Kibouana(765m) ni (ridge) Rv Ferry Chissioua Chissioua M'Bougo Bandaressalam Méa

De Fomboni wa Rv I NDA O CEAN Chissioua Bangoma Foro Djoiézi

Gnombéni rived onMohéli (uptothistimetheisland ar-In 1830theMalagasy princeRamanetaka History to findinattractive spotsallover theisland. that simplebungalowaccommodationiseasy ecotourism project fundedbytheEUmeans ing andinvitingintheComoros.Anexcellent many consideravisithere themostinterest- the islandsospecialinfirst place,and this lackof organised tourismiswhatmakes beauty departmenttocare. Formanytravellers ties, butitkickstoomuch intheraw- arse ofmaining stands rainforest. spotting therare lemurinthere-mongoose island, where there’s alsoagoodchance of Boundouniontheeastern edge of the will alsofindplentytointerest themat Lac protected inthenational park.Bird-watchers mammals such asdolphinsandwhales.Allare favourite withfansof turtlesandmarine sea the southwestcoast,willlove ithere. ing about intheclearaquamarinewater off snorkel amidthecolourfulcoralreefs, splash- haveMohéli doesn’t manymodernameni- Also knownasMwaliorMoili,Mohéli isa Rv Moihani Shipwreck

Ferry Siri M ohéli Sambia Plateau de Djandro 4miles 6km 0 0

Parc Marin de Mohéli Boundary Kangani To Mutsamudu Iconi Hagnamoida Boundouni Lac Dziani Itsamia

245 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS Comoros. Medical facilities are severely limited Mohéli of isthesmallest andleastdeveloped the Information Nioumachoua.and theislandsoff toN’Drondroni, south coast,fromItsamia Parc Marin thewhole deMohéli encompasses stretch MirénéniandMiringoni.The between quite circletheislandastheycan’tdo the roadsare Taxis-brousses tarmac. can’t if youhave notall yourowncar, although Mohéli’s smallsizemakes iteasytoexplore Orientation when itcomestoretaining onenationstatus. the mostpositive outlookof thethree islands Mohéli’s peoplealsohold orare serving. served and presidents fromMoroniandAnjouanhave thethreetate between fouryears, islandsevery Union president toro- –thepostissupposed itshould beMohéli’senough, timetoelecta autonomy. Ifthenewconstitutionlastslong as onenation,butprovided each withgreater new constitutionthatkept thethree islands Fazul waselected leaderof Mohéli under a achieved inApril2000, when Mohamed Saïd ation withtheMoronigovernment wasonly dependence fromtheotherislands.Reconcili- government, Mohéli’s leaders declared itsin- by FranceandtheindependentMoroni-based moros. Inthe1990safter years of ‘humiliation’ of positionintheaffairs theCo- a back-seat size andloweconomicvalue,wasforcedinto ence thatfollowed,Mohéli, byvirtueof itssmall become aFrench protectorate. gendarme, openingthewayforislandto throne andfledtheComoroswithaFrench fair hadbeguntowane,Fatima abdicated the partner, WilliamSunley.In1867,after theaf- withhisBritish upplantations Mohéli andset able togaincontrolof great tractsof landon ofby thequeen Madagascar. was Lambert from Mauritius madeaduke whohadbeen Lambert , atrader,adventurer andshipowner withtheFrenchmanan affair François Joseph whereceeded educationfailed.Fatima began but thiswastonoavail. Love, suc- however, education, totheyoungsultaness’s to see agoverness,door bysending Madame Droit, Saoudy, whotookthenameof Fatima I. byhisyoungdaughter, Djoumbé succeeded Hecoup thatlefthiminpowerassultan. was was dependentonAnjouan)andstaged a 246 Throughout colonialismandtheindepend- Throughout The French hopedtoget afootinMohéli’s OÉI • retto MOHÉLI ••Orientation 03 86) 55). lage of about Bandaressalam, 4kmeastof the The Mohéli airportisinthenorth-coastvil- AIR Bring agoodnovel orfour. aeroplanes don’talwaysflyifthey’re notfull. the slow andpatienceismandatory–even theislandisvery,Transport throughout very Getting There&Around a beach about3kmnorthof Miringoni. trekcoast. Thesame canbestarted atHamba, a 1½-hourwalktoKavé Hoanionthenorth atop theMlédjéléridge. Fromhere it’sabout hutofruined mountain Château St-Antoine rainforest through andagriculturallandtothe island, beginsatMiringoni,thenclimbssteeply a coupleof kilometres eastof Nioumachoua. descendstothesouthcoast and eventually uptotheinteriorclimbs steeply of theisland the DewaRiver southeastof Fomboni,then midway. Aparticularlyfinewalkbeginsalong island inonelongday,oryoucouldcamp Mohéli issosmallit’seasytotraverse the Hiking and cybercafésare slowlycatching on. inFomboni, services ephone, emailandpostal toflyMayotte.you’ll need There are tel- healthproblems, anyserious and ifyoudevelop goma, 1.5km southeastof thetowncentre. street. Boats usuallycome intotheportatBan- in frontof inFomboni’s main the policestation bits of paper onthe ing islands–try sonably regularly toandfromtheneighbour- Nonetheless, someboatsarrive anddepartrea- means thatitisoften ignored bycargo boats. other three Comorosislands;itssmall size byboatsasthe Mohéli isn’taswellserved BOAT fices are inthemainstreet of Fomboni. Grande Comore (CF20,000).Bothairlineof- Mayotte (CF50,000),Anjouan(CF20,000)and ternal airlines, or youcantrytohitch. cally alongtheroadpastitintotown(CF100) Fomboni.Taxis-broussescapital runsporadi- Comore (CF9150,fourtosixhours). To findoutabout boatmovements, lookfor Another route, acrossthewestern endof the Mohéli is served byboththeComoros’in- Mohéli isserved Flights goatleastthree to Flights timesaweek and Comores AirService Comores Comores AviationComores Alliance des Iles ‘message trees’

Mp p248; (Map lonelyplanet.com Mp p248; (Map

(Map p248 ) toGrande % % 72 01 72 access. h you one. Just askatreception. TryAkmal places caneitherhire cars themselves or find CF15,000 perdaypluspetrol.Mostsleeping All carhires – placesonMohéli costthesame CAR &TAXI-BROUSSE Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Centre deRessources Centre arrives by planeinacanvasbag! Tuesdaymorning, when the‘bank’ second a part-timebranch of theBIC,openevery There’s nofull-timebankonMohéli, just Information where togo. youneed street andwaving atanythatpasswillget you ontheappropriate sideofStanding themain junction justpasttheComores Aviation office. ally befoundjustoutsidethemarket orat the towards Domoni.Taxis-brousses cangener- west the Hotel Relais deSinganithengoes ernment buildingsnexttotheshore, passes meanders alongpastthemarket andthe gov- arrives fromtheairportinsoutheast, Fomboni hasjustonemainstreet, which Orientation Comorianlife.in everyday is agoodplacetojustwanderabout, taking for action-packed Fomboni entertainment, courteous. So, aslongyouaren’t looking ouan, buttheyare stillunfailinglyfriendlyand counterparts onGrandeComore andAnj- are abitquieter andlessoutgoingthantheir enced allthatthetownhastooffer. Mohélians visited thejetty,you’ve pretty much experi- ple of times,castaneyeover themarket and up anddownthenamelessmainstreet acou- are andlow-tech. low-rise Once you’ve walked andmostofand Mutsamudu, thebuildings There’s nooldArab townlike inMoroni those intheextreme.Fomboni isquietandsleepy pop 4665 FOMBONI thenight. villages tostay ifyouneed there are simplebungalowsineach of these it’s hardtodoadaytripanyof them,but oneortwotaxis-brousses perday,so only see oumachoua (CF600,twohours). Mostplaces 2½ hours), (CF300,onehour)andNi- Itsamia (CF500, 1½hours), Ouallah1and2(CF600, across theisland,includingMiringoni ). (right Bungalows Taxis-brousses gofromFombonitopoints 8.30am-noon &3-5.30pm)Fast andreliable internet ( % 72 0460;per10minCF450; MOHÉLI••Fomboni to make intosandwiches. the Comores Aviation forfresh office, loaves real restaurant serves absolutely hugereal meals. restaurant serves shore and marvel atthesizeofshore thefish. andmarvel and followed by fruit. Seafood night includes night and followed byfruit.Seafood fish orchicken accompanied bygiantsalads The disheschange butusuallyinclude nightly setmealsCF3000toCF4000) yahoo.fr; in advance. Meals (mainsfromCF2500)mustbe ordered CF7500 foradaytour. Acybercaféisplanned. CF4000 perday.Excursions totheisletsare at theusualrate, andbicyclesare available for canbehiredrooms andmozzienets.Cars here ensuiterooms. There bath- are also TVs, air-con isanoptioninthemostexpensive hotel, anditisabitmore polished thanthe rest – This claimstobeFomboni’smostupmarket maindishes fromCF1500. restaurant serving airport. It’sshabby butcheerful, withagood the newlychristened opposite the Ninga isright cheapest andmostbasicof Fomboni’shotels, also available (mainsCF2000). knowsit.Dinneris ask theway–everybody The buildingisunmarked, soyou’llhave to areof comfort.Bathrooms thoughtful shared. white pillowsandpaddedchairs addalevel less vinylfloors. Grey shutters, black-and- nice littleroomswithfans,netsandspot- r fromCF6000) Try the spread cheese tinned sardines, andveggies. andthemarkethowever, really onlycarries placesare very limited, and eat.Self-catering Fomboni hasahandfulof places tosleep Sleeping &Eating wander aroundthesmall buried amidpilesof waste andrubbish. Or Shirazi (Persian) tombs of thepitch are more someeven overgrown next tothefootballground;onotherside ner, WilliamSunley,inthe ( Lambert opposite ) andhisbusinesspart- overgrown gravestones of Joseph François in Fomboni.Youcantake alookatthevery There’s not alotinthewayof sights official Sights &Activities Police station Hospital Akmal Resto &Bungalows Akmal Resto deSingani Relais Hotel Ninga Hotel Chez SaoudataMuhadji ( bread shop bread % Thisvery friendlylittleB&Bhas 72 80 38) Main street. 72 8038)Main ( ( % % 72 0845;Bandaressalam; rCF6500) 72 01 27) Main street. 72 0127)Main

( h , where simple plaquesare ( % (Pension Farsifa; 9am-noon) ( 72 0545;rCF11,000-17,000) % market market

Christian cemetery Christian Fomboni’s only 72 0050;akmalresto@ ,

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% 72 0521; 247 The The

COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS eggs. Visitors can observe the turtles with the theturtles withthe Visitorseggs. can observe tidetolaytheir the beach during high atnight grubby beach.of ifslightly sandy, Itsamia is afairly villagesubstantial withasweep Itsamia machoua, andatOuallah12. ism projects inthevillages of Niou- Itsamia, explore onfootorinacar. There are ecotour- placeto national park),Mohéli isafantastic ing offshore isletsof the tranquil lakes andbestof all,the fascinat- beaches,With sandy primaryrainforests, AROUND MOHÉLI boni, see p246 . For informationabout getting to/fromFom- Getting There&Around (CF15,000 perday,includingdriver). able about theislandand hascars forhire Themanager isvery knowledge- TVs! and even vate bathrooms (coldwater only),nets,fans bles withbreakfast CF10,000/16,000) find goodlittlestrawbungalows(singles/dou- massive lobster. Nexttotherestaurant you’ll 248 Miringoni (16km) To Stadium(1km); 1 3 2 FOMBONI 12 Shirazian Tombs...... Market...... (see 19) Football Ground...... Christian Cemetery...... Telecom...... Post Office...... Police Station...... Hospital...... Centre deRessources...... BIC...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION mirto fie...... C2 Immigration Office...... OÉI • rudMhl MOHÉLI ••AroundMohéli AC 13 10 10 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 parc marin A1 B1 B2 C2 C2 C2 D3 C2 C2 Ὀ Ὀ 8 I NDA O CEAN Sea turtles Sea B

with pri- (marine 15 visit visit one-off fee of CF1000. for about CF1500.You cancamphere fora small restaurant area. Meals canbearranged 17 the life of this endangered animalintheeduca- help of alocalguide,andthenlearnmore about Instead headalittle outsidethevillages, where is similarly wideandgolden, butfairlydirty. beaches. Thebeachsand inthe village itself offshore. Some are ringed bytempting yellow- just outofsteeply sea the sparklingturquoise thefive isletsofcan see the for thelackof human-madebeauty–you hotels. Themagnificentviewcompensates villagehot, dustylow-rise without anyproper second-biggest it’s nothingmorecommunity, although thana Mohéli’s is Nioumachoua Mohéli Nioumachoua &theParcMarinde bathroom CF5000) have (see tolayeggs started p258 ). mustn’t shine itdirectly ontheturtlesuntilthey agoodtorch, you and you’llneed although GuidescostCF1500perperson, (Turtle House). Maisontion centre, knownasLa desTortues 11 Customs 1 2 There are simple 6 4 5 7 Jetty onthebeach anda atItsamia, 19 0.2miles 300m 0 0 TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Taxi-brousse Stop...... Taxi-brousse Stop...... Frégate desIles...... Comores Aviation...... Comores AirService...... Bread Shop...... Akmal Resto&Bungalows..... Hôtel RelaisdeSingani...... Chez SaoudataMuhadji...... Akmal Resto&Bungalows.....(see13) bungalows To Bangoma(1.5km); 14 Ninga Hotel(3km) Airport (3km); parc marin 16 lonelyplanet.com

D (r with private (r withprivate 18 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 rising C3 C2 D3 C2 D3 B2 D3 A1 A1 3 maintains arowofmaintains little has aboatforhire thattakes visitors outtothe (known tothelocalssimplyasL’Association) aquawater.by fantastic the beaches are andfronted cleaner,deserted lonelyplanet.com Livingstone’s fruitbat.There of isaset well- an ecotourism centre namedafter thegiant the grandlytitled Maison des Livingstones, fromNioumachoua, and ishometo brousse Ouallah 1 is thelast village accessiblebytaxi- Ouallah 1 order. There’s aboatforhire. structed. Fornowmealscanbecooked to under theproperty’sonetree is beingcon- and shared showers andtoilets.Arestaurant upgraded, andthebungalowshave electricity Facilitiesmaking quite aneffort. have been on theisland–localswhoownthemare spot onthebeach andare someof thenicest bungalows that cascadesprettily ontothebeach. The Nearby isthe of tres above withthestunningbeach level, sea afewa tinylittleplaceelevated hundred me- fusingly knownasOuallah(orWela)2.It’s The next village after Nioumachoua iscon- Ouallah 2 is thebestinComoros. and soon.Readers have thelobster here said fishdishes,manioc,bananas Itserves tables. cute-looking strawhutwithlocalcloths onthe door isthe trees nexttoL’Association headquarters. Next They’re underthebaobab easytofind,right which have nets,bathroomsandelectricity. and makes afascinatingphotograph. dle of anoldShirazi village that’snowinruins 30m incircumference! Thetree isinthemid- around –onereader estimated itstrunkat galows tocheck outthemo up thelittlehillbehind theassociation’sbun- association andforasmallfee willtake you totakeeverything inandout. topack facilities ontheislands;youwillneed snorkelling sites costsCF3000.There are no pick youup.Aguidetoshow youthegood or CF17,000ifitcomesbackthenextdayto CF14,000perboat, Thecostisasteep stays. islands forsnorkelling, picnicsorovernight The Nioumachoua ecotourism association Speaking of bungalows, L’Association Makwe Sambadjou

( (s/d inclbreakfast CF5000) % Restaurant Baobab Restaurant justdownhillfromthevillage. 72 6055) Cascade de Cascade ANJOUAN sells hishandicraftsatthe sells

Mirémani bungalows st massive baobab are inabeautiful (mainsCF2500) , awaterfall (CF5000) , a ,

cooked toorderfromabout CF1500. block.Meals sanitation and aseparate canbe magic landscape includescrumbling oldArab the scent of cloves andylang-ylang, andthe destination. Theair here really isheavy with ing of kissinga lover inanexotic far-flung most peopleconjure up whendaydream- resemblesisland thatmostclosely theimage zouani orNzwani,thisisalsotheComorian tropical island.Knownbythelocals asNd- of onadeserted playingRobinsonCrusoe the Comorosandfulfilsanylifelong fantasies dents, Anjouan isnodoubtthemostscenic of the‘pearlofCalled the Comoros’byitsresi- pop 286,000 ANJOUAN more tourismaccessibilityandpossibilities. givingthevillage Ouallah–Mirénéni highway, 9kmdirttrackleadingtothe to dotherough and onceuprunningthebikes will be able A quad-bike tourcompanyisalsointheworks, village initiatives andtake moneytoconstruct. More bungalows are are planned,butthese you intotheforest. Meals canbearranged. You canalsofindaneco-guide here totake (CF3000) the water comes initwillget dangerous. once because though, must timethewalkright hidden coves thatare visited. hardlyever You a gorgeous hike thatgives access tobeautiful follow thecoastlinealongbeach. Thisis you dothewalkatlowtide,it’spossibleto or hire aguidetoshow youtheshortcuts.If in about three hours –asklocalsfordirections Mohéli. YoucanwalktotownfromOuallah2 among thickvegetation onthewestcoastof cess roadfromOuallah2, Miringoni isset Isolated somewhat byitslackof adecentac- Miringoni inlocalmedicines. the variousplantsused about theisland’sflora–guidewillexplain ing intheforest andthechance tolearnmore it’s stillworthdoingfortheexperienceof walk- reach them,are clearly.But abitfarawaytosee walk there andback,thebats,whenyou of thebats.It’sasteep andslipperythree-hour visitors theforest through totheroostingplace or CF5000percouple)available towalkwith built There’s alsoaguide(CF3000perperson You can stay inthevillage’sYou canstay only bungalows , which haslovely viewsof thecoast.

(s/d inclbreakfast CF5000) withnets bungalow 249

COMOROS COMOROS ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ

COMOROS helps whenyourpresident isthetopchief in reluctantly coaxed backintotheUnion–it rest of theComorosin1996.Theyhave been identity, declaringindependencefromthe giant, swoopingbatswhocallthetrees home. of therainforest, drippingmoisture ontothe cool andmistsoften descendover thetrees roofs. theairisblissfully Upinthehighlands, of themorningtocutnewpalmthatch fortheir men, machetes inthecool off inhand,setting their loadsof firewood of orstacks cassava; the rural population:thewomenswayingunder ening yellowbananas. branches arewhose heavy withaloadof rip- endlessrowsofplantations, palms,andtrees 250 To Fomboni ANJOUAN Through this mosaic of thismosaic greenThrough moves the The Anjounaisare fiercelyproudof their la Selle Île de NOA • Hsoy ANJOUAN ••History

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Vouani l colony of France. the otherthree Comorosinbecomingafull French protectorate. In1912theislandjoined ery, andsignedthetreaty makingtheislanda a more relaxed approach totheissueof slav- ageing travelled sultan toFrance,which had InApril1886the to farmtheirplantations. owners revolted –theydependedonslaves agreed tohaltthepractice,Anjouan’sland- over hiscontinuedholdingof slaves. Whenhe lems withhislong-term supporters, theBritish, AbdallahSultan IIIof Anjouanranintoprob- During thelatter partof the19th century, History with theotherislands. the Comoros–butrelations remain uneasy Pomoni Lac Dzialandzé Mt Ntingui

(1595m) Hombo

Lingoni Rv Plateau Col de Pomoni Hombo Moya ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ 6miles 10km 0 0 Col deMoya Mt Trindrini Dindi (1474m) La Vigie (750m) Patsi Dzialaoutsounga Lac Col dePatsi Boungasséra Tsembehou Carrefour Moiou Djadjana (1090m) Hayoho Tatinga M'rémani Koni-Ngani M'rijou Ouzini

Bouédjou Rv Nioumakélé ὄ ὄ ὄ Chutes deTatinga Ajaho Plateau lonelyplanet.com

Ajaho de Rv Bambao Papani Bandamadji Antsahe M'ramani Plage Papani Domoni 1996 thevolcanictensions created byyears of Comoros over thenext12years. ButinMarch thatcharacterisedcoups d’état politicsinthe of theseries on aparallelcourse throughout lonelyplanet.com highlands havehighlands thecoolestclimate. Tryto Comoros islandsforhiking, asitswooded Anjouan isinmanywaysthebestof the Hiking anything remotely serious. toflyMayotteneed should yourequire limited, withhardlyanysupplies,soyouwill until youget tothebank. lars) toyour hotel, topayforataxi and tolast make sure youhave euros(orUSdol- enough moneychanging facilitiesattheairport,so cash andtravellers cheques. There are no email facilitiesare available inMutsamudu. butonlyvery limited faxand services, and postal The larger townsof Anjouan have telephone Information Mutsamudu. Domoniand towns ontheisland–Bambao, with three mainroadsconnectingthemajor Anjouan isshaped like anelongated triangle, come intotheportincentralMutsamudu. BoatsarrivinginAnjouan Mutsamudu. tal, lage of Ouani,about6kmnorthof thecapi- Anjouan’s airportliesjustoutsidethevil- Orientation pledged tocleanupAnjouan’scities. dent of theUnionbya60%majority. He has Abdallah Sambiof Anjouanwaselected presi- elections heldinApril2002.In2006Ahmed tobecomepresidentenough of Anjouaninthe quick succession,andheldontopowerlong twocoupattempts in survived moros. Bacar Anjouan withtheaimof rejoining theCo- by Major poweron seized Mohamed Bacar led committee’ 2001, whenanew‘military island backintothefederal republic until to remain partof thefederation. whowanted Anjouan dent Ibrahimandthose war broke thesupporters outbetween of Presi- Grande Comore. Almostimmediately guerrilla independence fromthefederal government in president Ibrahim,declared full self-elected federalism andcentralismfinallyerupted. The destiniesof thethree islandsremained Medical facilitiesinAnjouanare extremely The BIC( p252 canchange) inMutsamudu In 1997theAnjouangovernment, ledbythe Anjouan rejected anyattempt tobringthe ANJOUAN ••Orientation along the remote eastcoast. everywhere inthe Comoros,especially else Transport around theislandisslow,justlike Getting There& Around and Hayoho ontheopposite coast. rectly over theridge anddownto Jimilime Jimilime. Youcanalsowalk fromOuanidi- inhabited areas tothetraditionalvillage of jana, thenfollowingtheridge down through begins byascending1090m-high Mt Djad- about 11kmabove Ouani.Thetrekking route walk beginsatColdePatsi (700m),which is exploring off thebeaten path.Oneeasyday on footorbyboat,offers anotheroptionfor The farnortheastof Anjouan,accessible only JIMILIME &THENORTHEAST Hombo, thenaskyourwayfromthere. tothevillagethe roadfromMutsamudu of –follow up toMtNtinguifromMutsamudu the westcoast.Alternatively, youcanclimb thevillagethrough of LingonitoPomonion or return totheColdePomoni,anddescend point, youcaneitherdescendtoMutsamudu over allfourislandsof thearchipelago. Atthis Anjouan. Onarare aview clearday,itaffords summit of pointon Mt Ntingui,thehighest Dzialandzétothe1595m steep climbfromLac Normally covered byclouds,it’sahardand MT NTINGUI to DomoniorMutsamudu. andthenon a taxi-brousse backtoBambao, land, toKoni-Ngani,where youcanpickup views of thecrater andsurroundingfarm- here youcanwalkaroundthelake, withgreat Dzialandzé.From areasemi-wooded toLac a climbsfor1kmthrough track totheright after 2kmarrives attheColdePomoni.The Dzialaoutsoungaontheleftand passing Lac of Bambao. FromDindi,thetrackclimbs, find ataxi-brousse toDindi,about 7kmwest Ngani tothewest.Todowalk,trek or the eastcoastorfromvillage of Koni- nice daytrek fromthevillage of on Bambao Dzialandzé (910m).Together, theymake a lakes, Dzialaoutsounga(697m)and Lac Lac On theslopesof MtNtinguiare twocrater THE CRATER LAKES sun isatitsheight. coolbythetime altitudetostay enough the otherwayround,sothatyou’ve reached walk fromthecoastintohillsratherthan

251 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS the townsquare. able to enjoy Mutsamudu’s attractions – plus attractions –plus able toenjoy Mutsamudu’s inary sciencebylooking surprisinglyhealthy. munching awayontherefuse anddefyingveter- the townsquare. live onthegarbage, Cattle ing theshoreline andtheriver thatruns through cars andpilesof rubbish litter thestreets, chok- remains smellyandfilthy.Shells of burnt-out Despite acampaigntocleanitup, Mutsamudu pop 24,962 MUTSAMUDU roads meanthejourneyisslowgoing. aretances andwinding short,butthesteep from earlymorninguntilmid-afternoon. Dis- (CF500), Ouani(CF150)andMoya(CF200) andDomoni(CF550), Mutsamudu post office. There between are regular services leave fromthetownsquare infrontof the after taxis-brousses 3pm. InMutsamudu, Taxis-brousses are infrequent andslowdown TAXI-BROUSSE English), itcostsanotherCF12,000perday. fuel. Ifyouhire aguide(someof whom speak about CF20,000perday,includingdriver and townsquarein Mutsamudu’s rents cars for [email protected]; p253; (Map out todryontheroads! ber, trytoavoid thecarpetsof cloves spread If you’re drivingaroundAnjouaninSeptem- CAR [email protected]; tact just askaroundinthetownsquare orcon- Alternatively, alongtheseafront. at intervals movements ontheblackboards proppedup destination,checkchosen thechalked-up ship Tofindaboattoyour region’s traffic. sea bythe iswellserved The portinMutsamudu BOAT to DaresSalaaminTanzania (CF170,000). or Moroni.There are perweek alsotwoflights ther afield,you’llhave toconnectinMayotte todestinationsfur- day, butforflights every (CF30,000) andMohéli (CF20,000)almost Anjouan toMayotte (CF50,000),Moroni Air Service 04 82;[email protected]; Mutsamudu) mestic airlines: byboththeComoros’do- Anjouan isserved AIR 252 If you can handle the stench, you might be If youcan handlethestench, be youmight Agence Tourisme Verte Tourisme Agence NOA • Mtauu ANJOUAN ••Mutsamudu

( % 71 1232;Ouani) Comores AviationComores

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half-ruined half-ruined 07) Medical emergencies. 07) Medical bank ontheisland;intownsquare. BIC Verte Tourisme Agence Information ployed menfolk. taxis-brousses andmostof thetown’sunem- where thebank, youwillfindthemainoffices, quarter). Next totheportistownsquare, of lanesandshopsinthe thetwostreets isafascinatingmaze Between area totheHôtel AlAmalabout750maway. allel (unnamed)mainstreets, fromtheport Most of stretches Mutsamudu alongtwopar- Orientation mosques. ing prayerbeadsastheygatheroutsidethe men intheirimmaculate white robes, finger- town square, where youcanchat withtheold laid-back atmosphere andthe of theseafront are especiallywonderful.Sotooisthefriendly, 1492) andtheviewsfromruinedcitadel large andwell-preserved town. Thenarrow,spice-scented streets of the there are ongoing campaignstotidyupthe turies ago toallowhigh-born Swahili women the other. bridges were These constructed cen- bridges covered the Youcanstoptoadmire inMutsamudu. seeing streets of the was financedbyArab interests. across thetownandnewharbour, which greatin a1950cyclone,butstillaffords views Malagasy was damaged pirates. Thecitadel money in1860todefend thetownagainst cannon-laden from theroadabove the upasteep stairway Mutsamudu, Overlooking Sights policeheadquarters Mutsamudu to HôtelAlAmal. 8pm) About70muptheroadfromLaPaillotte, ontheway Shop Internet MédicalUrbainde Mutsamudu Centre yahoo.fr; yahoo.fr; right next doortotheBIC. next right (CF20,000perday).Theofficeis provide guidesforhiking Daniel canalsoarrangehomestayswithlocalfamilies,and and informationaboutboats;inthetownsquare. Monsieur Wandering through the narrowstoneWandering through ( Mosquée du Vendredi Mosquée duVendredi % h 71 0171; 8am-1pm &4-9pm)Forcarhire, excursions Sultan ( medina % thatlinkoneside of thestreet to h citadel 71 1528;perhrCF600; 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) Theonly 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) ’ s Palace , constructed withBritish isthebestformof sight- (RECA Mroni;danielmoitane@ (Friday Mosque), medina medina medina andtheoccasional lonelyplanet.com ( % , istheruined, (theoldArab (founded in (foundedin 71 0200) ( h % 8.30am- 71 13

the nicely decorated, and those onthe1stfloor nicely decorated, andthose rooms behindthis very goodrestaurant are Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com CF4000 to CF6000)that includeslobster. agood, butlimited, menu(mains rant serves fans,nets andhotwater.have TVs, Therestau- Nightlife isnonexistent. kebaband theoccasionalbeef mostevenings. inthetownsquare,stalls fresh which sell bread expensive, there although are acouple of food andallare inMutsamudu, between relatively optionsare andsleeping fewEating andfar Sleeping &Eating itforasmallfee.Nonguests canuse ofdistance townisrunbytheHôtel AlAmal. terfall up theriver gorge tothepretty mising theproprietyof hiswomenfolk. receive malevisitors outsidewithoutcompro- allowedthemaster ofhouses to thehousehold intothedoorwaysofComorian) set thericher Likewise, thesmooth to showthemselves immodestlyinthestreets. to visitfriendsandneighbours withouthaving Moya (33km) To Sima(13km); 1 3 2 MUTSAMUDU Ὀ There walkfromMutsamudu isalsoaneasy La Paillotte La Paillotte Square Town . Theonlydecent Waterfall Dziancoudré 7 Port 1 3 Market 14 AC Muts

amudu 2 ( % River 71 0524;s/dCF12,500/17,500) 9 Medina The stone benches 5 beach 8 Church Catholic withinwalking I NDA O CEAN Dziancoudré Wa- ANJOUAN ••Mutsamudu B ( barazas The 13 INFORMATION Mutsumudu Police Post Office...... Headquarters...... Mutsamudu Hospital...... Internet Shop...... Immigration Office...... (see6) French Consulate...... BIC...... Agence TourismeVert...... Telecom...... (see 7) in ais steaks prices. atless thanexorbitant fries), omelettes, comfort French food,including cious food.Therestaurant hasabigmenu of the water foritsfriendlyambience anddeli- cheap andfriendlyplacethatlooksoutover h (CF500 perhour). guestshaveaccess, although it topayuse ally unavailable. Theplacealsohasinternet perpetu- themostexoticdishes seem though canard CF6500) featuring dishes such as has avery grandmenu(mainsCF4000to cocktails), serves with asmartbar(iteven Therestaurant, carpet, telephones andTVs. in spilledoil)andfairlymodernroomswith beachsmall yellow-sand (sometimescovered a kilometre fromthecentre of town.Ithasa western-style hotel inahuge complexjustover quotes ineuros! Itisaratherubiquitous The owners are friendly. There are omelettes atbreakfast –yummy. Patisserie Raycha Missiri Raycha Patisserie Hôtel AlAmal Hôtel breakfast, lunch&dinner) 11 (duckfillet)andtunacarpaccio,al- ) Anjouan’s only‘proper’hotel even 4 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0.3miles 500m 0 0

( % A1 C1 A2 C1 A3 A1 A1 brochettes 71 1017;[email protected];s/d€62/82; 6

TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Taxi-Brousse Station...... Patisserie RaychaMissiri...... La Paillotte...... Hôtel AlAmal...... Sultan's Palace...... (see9) Mosquée duVendredi...... Citadel...... ooe vain...... B2 Comores Aviation...... Beach Readers recommend this

12 Rd (Beach Rd;mainsfromCF1500;

(kebabs) andskirt 10 Mirontsi D frites frites To Ouani(6km); Domoni (23km) Airport (6km); magret de (french 12 11 10 14 13 9 8

253 A1 D1 C1 D1 A1 B2 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS police station and theroadtoAjaho.police station You can few minutes’ walk upfromtown towardsthe entire country. most imposingstructure in town,ifnotthe minarets,walls andfourhigh it’s nowthe his presidential guard.Withitsbrilliantwhite dallah Abderemane, assassinated in1989by mausoleum breeze.to catch thesea constructed ontheroofs of thestonehouses andthelittlestrawrooms many staircases, paste onthe other’s faceswithsandalwood aces. Lookoutforthewomenpaintingeach work lintelsandpal- onthebigger houses Swahilidoors andstonerelief- with carved maze-like thanthe town fromMalagasy pirates. wall andaruinedtower,builttoprotect the The townisguardedbyanancientfortified some of theComoros’finest woodcarving. craftspeople. Domoniisalsothesourceof especially beautiful,madebyvery skilled population. Theembroideryfoundhere is of Anjouanandnowhasthesecond-largest the coast, Domoni wastheoriginalcapital ruined byoilandrubbish. Halfway down love is it,others theseafront hate it,saying town–some The juryisoutonthisseaside pop 15,351 DOMONI jouan, see p251 . to putstrangers track. ontheright kilometreswalking several outof theirway extremely friendlyandhappytohelp,often ofway. Luckilytheinhabitants Anjouanare totake alocalguideorkeepneed askingthe andvery confusing–you’lleither seasonal off themainroads,paths are generally with thehornifyou’re Once drivingyourself. andaheavy hand asteady– you’llneed nerve trek. Theroadsare anddizzilywinding steep and southof intoacross-island Mutsamudu) routes (westof northof Bambao, Pomoni and turnanycombinationof thethree main you’re feeling energetic, take campinggear lots of opportunitiesforinteresting walks;if excellent forhikingandexploring.There are populated andfarmed,isvery beautifuland The interior of heavily Anjouan,although INTERIOR ANJOUAN 254 Motel Loulou Motel moreThe oldtowniseven windingand A more recent additiontoDomoniisthe For more about hikingaroundAn- details NOA • Itro noa ANJOUAN Anjouan ••Interior toformerpresident Ahmed Ab-

( % 71 9235;rCF15,000; medina in Mutsamudu, inMutsamudu, a ) isa 33; rinclbreakfast CF7500) lucky you might catchlucky youmight aComorianwedding Ifyou’reand watchsunset. thespectacular feast inthelocalhotel, night enjoyaseafood over- tostay can take upto2½hours. Better –thetripheretaxi-brousse fromMutsamudu early ifyouwanttotake adaytriponthe harmful.Start is illegalandenvironmentally fromthelocalkids–practice seashells onthebeach. Don’tbuyyour possessions extracarefulphotographs. about Be leaving wet andthenoffer theirghost-like facesfor naked boys,wholike while torollinthesand arethe seas calm. snorkellingbling, aswellpassable when offers excellentswimmingandrockscram- Mayotte. Thebeach isprotected byareef and argue onMohéli and isasgoodthose looking abeautifulwhite beach thatsome littlevillage over-It’s awonderfullyscruffy Moya is where you shouldheadinAnjouan. pop 8100 MOYA Rooms are simple,butfairlypriced. darmerie. Readers thebreakfast say ishuge. tothegen-road fromMotel Loulou,close Yahaya dishes are aroundCF3000. onorder– Breakfast ormealscanbeserved floors, mosquitonetsandprivate bathrooms. rooms are brandnewandgleaming,withtiled also asktaxis-brousses todropyouthere. The (around CF500 toCF1000). locals willing tofryyouup fresh-caught fish cassava. Ifyouaskaround,there are usually brochetties kebabs selling for smalllocalstalls –called meals atleasttwohours inadvance. are specialities.Order your sauce thehouse Enormous lobsters invanillaandcoconut forsome.be abittooliberalwiththesalt Houmadi can ifChefYusaf to CF4000),even (mainsCF2000 cold andthefoodisfantastic management isvery friendly,thedrinksare and mosquitonets,are hotandbasic,butthe the familycanoften boilsomewater foryou) which have shared bathrooms(someonein shady spotwithgreat views.Thesmallrooms, married. – thebeach isavery popularplacetoget You’ll bejoinedinthewater bydozens of atthenearby Or youcanstay If youjustwantsomethingsimple, check The onlyhotel is

(r inclbreakfast CF7500) here –alongwithjackfruit and , set above, set thebeach ina La Sultan , about100mupthe lonelyplanet.com ( % 32 0634,7114 Chez Ahmed Its theoldestonAnjouan. moros andcertainly is oneof intheCo- theoldestsettlements Twenty kilometres westof Sima Mutsamudu, SIMA &THEWEST lonelyplanet.com at bringing theisland’seconomy andinfra- city. matic community initscapital France. Italsohasalarge expatanddiplo- with holidaymakers on packages from allover to holidayhere, andtheislandiscrammed As aresult, French visas citizens don’tneed are French citizensgoverned byFrench law. morian islandspoliticallyinthatits people France, Mayotte differs fromtheotherCo- territoriale collectivité overpriced over-Frenchified. and somesay A butotherwise sailing, Mayotte (Mahoré) is beaches andexcellentdiving,snorkelling and Yes, sea turquoise white sand, ithasfantastic pop 194,000 MAYOTTE mud embankmenttothestripof white sand. cross theroad)andslitherdownarock trailhead (itbeginswhere theelectricitywires less frequent. Toreach thebeach followthe onthemainroadbecome 3pm, passingtaxis don’tleaveyou start) thebeach toolate; after trip journey(pricesvarydependingonwhere about.Ifyoudon’tnegotiate around- talking –thedriver willknowwhatyouareBeach and get droppedoff atthetrailforSombe beach inFoumbaniorChididine grabataxi perhaps abottleof localrum…Toreach the great day tripifyoubringalongapicnicand andcalmwaterinto crystal-clear –itmakes a black rocks,theremnants of anoldlava flow, water here isvery calmandyoucandive off which The isontheroadbacktoMutsamudu. and theequallysmallvillage of Chididine, Foumbani You’llfinditbetween to yourself. the islandandyou’llmore thanlikely have it Beach the smallvillage of Foumbanitoreach sheltered fishingvillage of landscape becomingwilderonthewayto Kavani,continues 5kmwestthrough withthe towards Marahare andMoya,another island route splits;themainroadheadssouth in the11thcentury.From Sima, thecircular 15th centuryover thetopof amosquebuilt Despite large infusionsof moneyaimed Head northontheroadfromSimapast Mosquée Ziyarani –it’soneof thebestisolated beaches on MAYOTTE ••History wasconstructed inthe (overseas territory) of Bimbini . Sombe Mamoudzou, andtheadjacent industrial zone; tral island, which thelargest contains town, islands: GrandeTerre (356sqkm),thecen- The ‘island’of Mayotte consistsof three main Orientation France theFrench disinclinedtodoso. seem toabreak a populationstaunchly opposed with back totheUniondesComores, butfacedwith UN regularly callsonFrancetohandMayotte the populationvoted withFrance. tostay The Comoros, andthistimeawhopping 99%of Ali Soilih’schaotic reign intheindependent of endum washeldin1976,duringtheheight went aheadwithoutMayotte. Anotherrefer- and theComoros’transitiontoindependence of warships were topatroltheterritory, sent tion. French Foreign Legionnaires andacouple Mayotte’s leaders asked Franceforitsinterven- nounced theindependenceof allfourislands, Abdallah AbderemaneAhmed unilaterally an- dependence ina1974referendum, andwhen into afullcolonyof France. French planters andslaveholders, andthen formed first intoahaven fromasultanate for place inMay 1843andtheislandwastrans- transferrivals. Theofficial of Mayotte took French inexchange forprotection fromhis formed anaccordcedingtheislandto quite afew topower, enemiesduringhisrise Africa’, Sultan Adriansouli, whohadgained During themid-19th-century‘scramblefor History Bargaining isallbutimpossible. port are ifnotmore, thesame, thaninFrance. upmarket resorts, pricesformealsandtrans- fat government ineuros,andlotsof salaries of Mayotte. Thankstobureaucrats receiving of theotherthree islands. considerably lessfriendlythantheinhabitants Mahorais andMayotte’s French expatsseem of therepublic’. Tothecasualvisitor,both charitably refer tothemas‘thespoiltchildren Mayotte are called)soldout,andtheyun- islands feel theMahorais (asthepeopleof theotherthree although stability, Comorian for themostpartenjoyedrelative peaceand local populationandtheFrench expatriates. the economically poor,withacleargulfbetween mainland Franceisknown),Mayotte remains structure intoparitywiththeMétropole(as A majority of Mahorais voted againstin- Under French administration,Mayotte has Budget travellers maywanttosteer clear

255 COMOROS COMOROS ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ

COMOROS 256 M'Tsamboro MAYOTTE Islands I NDA O CEAN MAYOTTE Malandzamiayojou ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ Chissioi Sada Acoua Cascade deSoulou Bouéni M'tsamboro N'Gouja Plage de N'Gouja Mtsahara Malandzamiayatsini Mtsangamouji Soulou Baie de Tsingoni Dzoumogné L'Andréma Baie de Sada Peninsula Kani-Kéli Majiméoni Kadijou Chiconi Bouéni Baie de ὄὄ ὄὄ Chissioi Mtsangachehi Caroni Andrema Chissioi G randeT Combani Chirongui Coconi Mbouini Longoni Choungui Ouangani Baie (594m) de RN2 Dapani Mt Mt Mtsapéré Mt Coimbani (572m) Mtsatoundou Pointe deLongoni (481m) Dembéni Longoni Mt Bénara (660m) ὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ Mtsamoudou Vahibe Sazilé Bambo-Est Kangani Chissioi Bambo Majimbini RN2 Peninsula Sazilé RN3 Trévani Msanga Tsoholé Plage deSakouli Koungou Mamoudzou 6miles 10km 0 0 RN1 ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ Mtsapéré 0 0 (P amdzi) Dzaoudzi Ilôt Bouzi Chissioi Bandélé

P eti Ferry T er See Enlargement L'Abattoir Dzaoudzi Bagamayo 1 mile L'Abattoir 2 km Pamandzi Pamandzi ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ lonelyplanet.com Terre Petite Dzaha Dziani la Vigue Moya Plage which hasanenormous Perspex bubbleunderneathit! windsurfing lessons, boatexcursionsand canoeing. windsurfing on thebrown-sand beachatSakouli, itoffers sailing and shopping area. Mamoudzou, which hasthebankandmain ter twoislands are justashort ferry ridefrom linked toPetite Terre Thelat- byacauseway. airport islocated; andtherockof Dzaoudzi, Petite Terre (Pamandzi; 18sqkm),where the lonelyplanet.com Mayotte Voile Mayotte called craft inanextraordinary zou) Doestrips Découverte Mayotte around €55;afulldayonthewater is€75. excursionsHalf-day inthelagoon generally cost tte ishometoaplethoraof companies. sailing With thebiggest lagoonin theworld,Mayo- SAILING &BOAT TRIPS Le Lambis fishing. big-game and coast. Alsodoesboatexcursions,whale-watching hotelonthesouth N’gouja) AttachedtoLe JardinMaoré Lagon Maoré Aqua Diva companies: dives. of Thefollowingisjustaselection the from about €55foronedive to€220forfive a numberof dive companies.Pricesrange and marlin.Notsurprisinglytheislandhas tion routes of variousspeciesof sailfish the island.Theislandisalsoonmigra- inhabiting thegreat coralreef thatencircles world, withmore than600speciesof fish of themostbiologicallydiverse sites inthe Dive specialistsreport that Mayotte isone DIVING &SNORKELLING Activities eurostogetenough yourself intotown. at theairport,somake sure youarrive with tte. There are nomoneychanging facilities francs orMalagasy ariaryanywhere onMayo- parts ontheUniondesComores. The latterbetter is slightly thanitscounter- ( villages aroundGrandeTerre. Mamoudzou,tween Petite Terre andvarious whileinMayotteyou’ll need are dividedbe- The variousshops, andbusinesses offices Information wanadoo.fr; Blvddes Crabes,Dzaoudzi) Kaweni) % Be aware thatyou Be In anemergency, telephone Mayotte’s 17) , fire service fire ( ( % % ( ( % 60 0631;lambis.plongee-mayotte@ 61 8159;[email protected]; % MAYOTTE ••Information 60 1419;[email protected];

69 0259;PlagedeSakouli) Based ( % ( % 18) cannot 61 1909,691724;Mamoud- or hospital change Comorian

( % Le Visiobul, 61 1515) police

.

France viaRéunion. Flightsto Mamoudzou) wanadoo.fr; PlaceduMarché, Madagascar. andsometimesNosyBein Weekly flightstoMahajanga Comores AviationComores Diego Suarez (€340)in Madagascar. flights toZanzibar(€390),Pemba (Mozambique,€310)and Alliance Papillon Air Seychelles Air Madagascar Air France Air Austral tional airlines: bythefollowinginterna-Mayotte isserved AIR Getting There&Around will beeasiesttofindatweekends. is marked bypaintonstones.Boatstotheislet of and thestart thecircuit. Thewaytothebeach Est. Fromthere, it’sa5kmwalktoMtsamoudou andgetrongui viaMtsamoudou off atBambo- If you’re unsuccessful,take onegoingtoChi- a taxi-brousse goingdirectly toMtsamoudou. trip. Toget there fromMamoudzou, lookfor dou canbeaproblem, soallowalldayforthe hours, excludingstops,butaccesstoMtsamou- the beach isvery withnoshade. exposed, destination fordaytrips,butbewarnedthat known asÎlotduSableBlanc.Thisisapopular Just offshore isthelovely bar sand exposed offshore andthecolourfuldunesof Magikavo. beach of Sazilé, where turtles you’ll findsea circuit trackthattakes inthelittle-visited eastern cornerof theisland,there’s an8km From thevillage of atthesouth- Mtsamoudou Sazilé Peninsula to bedoneinMayotte. the Comoros,there are stillafew goodwalks notasscenictheotherislandsofAlthough HIKING BlueSafari Sea Also hasanofficeoppositetheferry terminalinDzaoudzi. Réunionand Mauritius. inMadagascar, and Mahajanga FlightstoNosyBe Mamoudzou) .com; PlaceduMarché, between Malé andMayotte. between Malé Fliesweekly Mamoudzou) wanadoo.fr; PlaceMariage, Specialises indolphin-andwhale-watching. RueduCommerce,Mamoudzou) [email protected]; to Mohéli. zou) Tickets cost€100toMoroni, €75toAnjouanand €90 [email protected]; RueduCommerce,Mamoud- The route canbeeasilywalked inacoupleof (Map p259; (Map Mp p259; (Map Mp p259; (Map (Map p259; (Map ( % ( (Map (Map p259 ; % 60 1052;[email protected];Dzaoudzi) % % 62 54 45) Organises charter 62 5445)Organisescharter 60 90 90; mayotte@air-austral 60 9090;mayotte@air-austral 61 1052;issoufali.mayotte@ % % 62 3100;ario-mayotte@ % 61 0763;sea.blue 61 6200;comores

257 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS with unlimited kilometres. Forscooters, try aslow€22perday which sometimesgoes for destinationsinthenorth. the oneabitfurtherdownAve AdrianSouliis has departures forthecentre of theisland,and for vehicles south,theoneonPlaceduMarché in Mamoudzou –theonenexttoportis hour). There are three taxi-brousse stations if yougoasfarsouthN’Gouja(about an zou, such asM’Tsamboro (40minutes), or€5 tte –thefare is€3 topointsnorthof Mamoud- Taxis-brousses are reasonably pricedonMayo- TAXI-BROUSSE on theislandhires bikes. outmountain with helmetandlockfor€20perday.No-one zou) Jéjé Kaweni; MultiAuto The cheapest car-hire dealsare tobehadat CAR &MOTORCYCLE and you’lljusthave towaitwhere youare. are boatsdon’trun trip. Iftheseas toorough, like they’llmake seem the condition itdoesn’t on board,andsomeare insuch dilapidated boarding; mostdon’thave anysortof life jacket ous. Youshould alwaysinspectthevessel before sible. Boattravel intheComoroscanbedanger- authorities fixpricesandbargaining isnotpos- ficult andvery expensive, astheMahorais to/fromMayotteGetting byboatisfairlydif- BOAT 258 „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ RESPONSIBLE TURTLEWATCHING

inMamoudzou, which hires Vespa mopeds Mp p259; (Map Don’t shine torches on the female turtles onthebeachuntiltheyhave Don’t shine torchesonthefemale layingtheir started turtles Never buy products made from turtle shells, or foodstuffs made from turtle parts –theseare parts shells,orfoodstuffs Never madefromturtle madefromturtle buy products Limityourviewingto30minutes atatime. Never photograph hatchlings–theyare very sensitive tolight. Donotinterfere withthehatchlings’crawl tothesea,asthiscouldjeopardisetheirsurvival. undisturbed. Leave eggsandhatchlings(babyturtles) turtle Never eyes–photographthem shinetorchesorpoint cameraflashesdirectly intoturtles’ Never trytofeed, catchorrideturtles. slowlyandcalmly,move showssignsof distress.Approach turtles awayiftheturtle When inthewater, yourdistanceandavoiddisturbingresting, keep sleepingoractively feed- AOT • Gad er MAYOTTE ••GrandeTerre illegal. from behind. ing turtles. eggs. h ( Mon-Sat) % % 69 2299;[email protected]; 69 3992;27RueduCommerce,Mamoud- , 1kmfromthetowncentre, currency ortravellerschequesanddoadvancesonVisa & 1.30-3.30pm)Theonlybankthatwillchangeforeign or theUSAcostabout €0.25aminute. before international toEurope numbers. Calls and kiosksoratthepostoffice. Dial aretelephones. atmostshops Cards onsale a To make telephone tobuy calls,you’llneed INFORMATION of alltheComoros. the world’ssuperpowers isthemostneglected thattheislandcontrolledbyoneofhowever, places aswelltoget thefullpicture. It’sironic, thelessattractive tosee Comoros, youneed traveller tocomeallthiswayexperiencethe do someshopping. Plus,ifyou’re thetypeof comingintotowntogrababite toeator self of Mayotte, andyouwill probably findyour- world, Mamoudzou isthecommercialheart of theindependentComoros. charm orarchitectural interest of thetowns port. Allinallit’sasprawl,lackinganyof the country’s inanydeveloping rubbish you’dsee rotting vegetables, opendrainsandpilesof tyre emporiumssitsidebywiththesame Here European-stylepaintwarehouses and the neighbouring industrialzone of Kaweni. arenesses concentrated inMamoudzou, and Most of Mayotte’s shops,restaurants andbusi- Mamoudzou GRANDE TERRE BFC-OI télécarte it’snottheprettiestAlthough cityinthe ( % 61 10 91; Rue Mariazé; 61 1091;RueMariazé; (phonecard)foroneof thepublic h lonelyplanet.com 7.30am-noon % 00 lonelyplanet.com 0 200 m MAMOUDZOU 0 0.1 miles

A B C D E F To Kaweni (500m); Kaweni Kaweni Kangani (7.5km); River INFORMATION Longoni (9.5km) BFC-OI...... 1 D2 Comité du Tourisme du 1 MAYOTTE ••Mamoudzou Mayotte...... 2 C2 Comité du Tourisme du Mayotte Tourist Kiosk...... 3 D2 Cyber Club...... 4 C2 Hospital...... 5 B2 La Maison des Livres...... 6 C2 14 Repos Main Post Office...... 7 D2 RN1 6 Mayotte Vacances...... 8 C2 Grand- Place Mariage To Habitat Rose Doudou (20m) 24 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES 19 10 Rue du 15 Sea Blue Safari...... 9 D3 Route du Vahibé 22 1 SLEEPING 2 4 18 du Marché17 Caribou Hotel...... 10 D2 e Rue de 20 L’Horizon...... 11 D3 2 3 la valescence Plac Rue des Con 5 Pompe de la 8 25 EATING 16 Rue -Villas Le Rond-point...... 12 D3 Quartier 7 Les Saveurs des Iles...... 13 C3 Vétiver Rue de I'Hôpital Rue Ave Market Stalls...... 14 D1

Adrian Shopi...... 15 C2 Rue Vats Mam 10 du Rue 12 Barakani ENTERTAINMENT Cinéma Souli Ecoles awe Rue des To Dzaoudzi (5km) Golden Lagon...... 16 C4 Rue11 Mahabou 9 Le Mahaba...... (see 8) 3 13 Rue de la Commerce23 TRANSPORT du Air Austral & Air France...... 17 D2 Briquetterie Rue M'Gombani Pointe Mahabou Air Mozambique...... 18 C2 Rue Kavani 21 Quartier Air Seychelles...... 19 C2 ce Central Taxi-Brousse Station..20 C2 Rue des 100-Villas mmer ὈὈὈ To Le Vahine Comores Aviation...... 21 C3 (300m) Ferry Terminal-Le Barge...... 22 D2 Jéjé...... 23 D3

Rue du Co RN2 Northern Taxi-Brousse Station...... 24 D2 Square Southern Taxi-Brousse Papaye Collège Rue du Stade 16 Station...... 25 D2 4 Rue du ὈὈὈ

To Passamainty (3km); 259 Chirongui (20km); To Ilot Bouzi N'Gouja (30km) (2.5km) ὈὈὈ COMOROS COMOROS 5pm Mon-Fri, to11amSat) 5pm Mon-Fri, provide informationondivingandsailingcompanies. the island,althoughinfoisn’talwaysuptodate.Canalso of the which isopenonSaturdays. Thebestplacetocomeforlists bytheferry terminal, andsmallerinformationkiosk airport Very4.30pm Mon-Fri) helpful.Italsohasabranchatthe [email protected]; RuedelaPompe; [email protected]; transfers, costs€15 perperson. ferry terminal. Avisit, includingthe5km boat tourist kioskinMamoudzou, just opposite the the island.Ithasan informationpointinthe the organisation thatmaintains conservation visited bycontacting croaching Thelemurs urbanisation. canbe anden- blame themforraidsonplantations) ofcause poaching, cullingbyfarmers (who junk foodinstead of theirnative nosh. tourists are bitten andlemurs get hooked on withtheanimalsthemselves – problems arise The more lemurs themore becometame, againstpettingit. by alemur,we’dadvise approaching you.Even ifyouare approached bytheirlackoftact fear andtheirboldnessin to tell which animals are tohumancon- used can behandledandstroked. Youwillbeable land, someof which are topeopleand used lemurs are commonlyknown,roamtheis- tensis. own speciesof lemur, area forMayotte’sis afauna-conservation Bouzi Îlot SIGHTS Vacances Mayotte postoffice Main desLivres La Maison Cyber Club duMayotte Comité duTourisme opening toavoidthequeues. crowded,sogetthere about30minutesbeforehorribly oppositetheferry terminal. Thebankgets and isdirectly give youmoneyonaVisacard.Thisisthemainbranch ItalsohasATMs,MasterCard. whichshouldtheoretically 260 person perhalf/fullday. Grande Terre averageabout€35/55per andcarhire. Prices isletsinthelagoon,toursof andpicnicsonvarious trips Organisesboat [email protected]; PlaceduMarché) access just outside Mamoudzou; also serves snacks. alsoserves access justoutsideMamoudzou; mainty; per10min€1; in French. novelsandmagazines,all and thesurroundingcountries, bookshop intheComoros,withmaps,guidestoMayotte [email protected]; Thebest PlaceMariage) The chambres d’hôtes AOT • GadTre MAYOTTE ••GrandTerre Three hundred andfifty makis , a large islandintheMayotte lagoon, ( % are endangered inMayotte be- 62 62 1; 24 Route de Vahibé, Passa-62 1;24RoutedeVahibé,

( % (Map p259; (Map (B&B-style accommodation) around (B&B-styleaccommodation)around h 61 1103;Ruedel’Hôpital; ( % 9am-10pm Mon-Sat)Internet Terre del 61 1497;marielaure Lemur fulvusmayot- % ( 61 2550;mayotte % ’ Asile makis, 61 09 09; 61 0909; ( % h 61 0330) 7.30am- h as the asthe 7am- , a slightly plastickyfeel. Therooms,however, a slightly and andsnackbar,business services taurant zou’s mostupmarket hotel comeswithares- from €16; fast €55; d’hôte EATING &DRINKING population. placeforthetown’sFrencha popularmeeting telephones. €6)is Thesnackbar(sandwiches andare andhave comfortable satellite TV wanadoo.fr; rfrom€85; PlaceduMarché; asit’soften full. Reserve, friendly, withgoodviewsover thelagoon. bathroom. It’sconveniently totownand close then lookforthesignpostatcrossroads. To get here followtheroadpasthospital, isthatit’squitedisadvantage faroutof town. bathroom, kitchen andonebedroom.The Youcanalsorentguests touse. studioswith –there’s awell-equippedkitchen for self-cater of roomsandprices,theopportunity to family-run wanadoo.fr; rfrom€35) 16RoutedeMajimbini; fore expensive. aimed atvisitingbusinesspeopleandisthere- Most of theaccommodationinMamoudzou is SLEEPING the 1stfloor,away fromtheexhaustfumes. cious curries,chicken andcoconut rice. It’son cooking atreasonable prices,includingdeli- down-homelocal in Mamoudzou thatserves dishes€7; rice cheaphas several restaurants andcafés. get have atable, awanderinthearea, which themenuisveryalthough limited. Ifyoucan’t prices meanthischeerful placeisoften packed, bigportionsandreasonable friendly service, €7; dium inthesuburbof tothewest. Cavani, aroundthesta- foodstalls also findevening the flieshave donetoomuch damage. Youcan lette foraround€3,butget there earlybefore fried bananasandtheoccasionalome- serve try themarket downbythe port,which stalls There’s notmuch inthewayof cheap eats– in Mamoudzou, mostof which doubleasbars. There of isafairlygoodselection restaurants Les Saveurs desÎles Les Saveurs Le Vahine Hotel Caribou Habitat RoseDoudou L Le Rond-point h ’ Horizon Horizon withbig,modernroomsprivate lunch &dinnerMon-Sat,Sun) a h ) h lunch &dinner Mon-Sat)

Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com This isanotherhomely ( chambre d’hôte ( % % lunch Mon-Sat) ( 65 95 98; 9 Rue Mahabou; r withbreak- 65 9598;9RueMahabou; % ( 61 14 49; 12 Rue du Stade; fish curries 61 1449;12RueduStade;fishcurries % 61 0461;2Rue duCommerce;mains ( 61 1418;hotelcaribou.mayotte@ % ( 61 2976;10RueduCommerce; %

One of thefew places 61 0448;rose.doudou@ withagoodchoice A goodwine list a

) Mamoud- Excellent, Excellent, A quiet, chambre cuisine. reaucrats andexpatsforitsauthenticFrench It’spopularwithbu- classy establishment. gastronomy andlagoonviewinthisfairly menucomplementtheFrenchand acocktail lonelyplanet.com unusual 8m-high waterfallunusual 8m-high thatplunges di- beach of Soulouisthe €55 perperson. trips byboataround theislandsforabout Mayotte Vacances ( opposite ) organises day but offer superbswimming andsnorkelling. are toreach very difficult bypublictransport, islands collectively known as tion before a family. marryingandstarting encouraging theothertocomplete hiseduca- friends willshareseveral thesame perbe’ losophies such as and painted andphi- withhumoroussayings constructedbachelor byyoungmen houses the interesting andcolourful As youtravel aroundMayotte, watch outfor SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES to cover toomuch groundinaday. bending andisratherslowgoing,sodon’ttry in thenorth,makes forlotsof twistingand paved, coastline,especially buttheuneven Most of theroute thatencirclesMayotte is Around GrandeTerre €1forridesaroundtown. standard There are ferries until2.30amonSaturdays. houruntil12.30pm.10.30pm, thenevery 30minutes6amand departs every between only payontheMamoudzou side. Theferry cost only€1perperson, butcars are €20.You time of about10minutes. Footpassengers Mamoudzou andDzaoudzi,withajourney bikes, trucksandfootpassengers between A regular ferry knownas THERE&AROUND GETTING dress codeisenforced. next doortoMayotte Vacances, where asmart €12) to-earth boasts two(fairlyaverage) discos:thedown- drink like here. asailor AndMamoudzou Given Mayotte isapartof France,youcan ENTERTAINMENT On thechocolate-coloured west-coast Within Mamoudzou, shared costa taxis Off the farnorthwestern tipisagroupofOff and (thebachelor life isasuperblife). Often, Le Mahaba Golden Lagon MAYOTTE ••GrandeTerre ‘la vie célibataire‘la vie est su- lavie

(Place du Marché; admission€15) (Place duMarché;

(Rue duCommerce;admission Cascade deSoulou Cascade le barge M’Tsamboro bangas takes cars, banga , small . They , each , an , with French expatriates atweekends. During centre onsite. Therestaurant gets very busy also afullyequipped dive andwater sports mosquito netsand platformbeds.There’s very walls,draped well decorated, withraffia erally average, Jardin’s butLe bungalowsare in therestaurant lunch (buffet €20)are gen- shore Thefoodandservice tolaytheireggs. watch themcomeupon tothe ing thenight the turtlesthatlive justoff thebeach, anddur- viewing. Duringthedayyoucansnorkel with added drawof virtuallyguaranteed sea-turtle but itisalsoonamuch better beach, withthe €125; 14 19;[email protected]; PlagedeN’gouja;rfrom school holidays. up atChristmasandNewYear andduring you are thepool.Pricesgo allowed touse you comeforlunch intherestaurant (€25) full-sizedbathtubandbalcony.If with aTV, ramic terrace. Theroomsare bigandtiled, horizon swimmingpool,aJacuzzi andapano- French honeymooners. There is a fantastic most upmarket beach hotel, popularwith .fr; PlagedeSakouli;rfrom€200; hotel restaurants listed here. the island,butyou’re mostlyconfinedtothe there are oneortwo littlerestaurants around you maybeallowedtopitch atent. Likewise camp sites ontheisland,butinsomeplaces ahead toget properdirections. There are no zou ( opposite ) before out,andring setting from theComitéduTourismeinMamoud- is get anup-to-date listof what’savailable be very hardtofind.Thebestthingdo in thevillages aroundMayotte, can butthese There are afew scattered B&Bsandhomestays SLEEPING &EATING fairly wildandshy. theturtles, whicha snorkel are andfinstosee you’re there todon inthedaytime,you’llneed the villages of andDapani.If Mtsamoudou walk fromthetrailheadonroadbetween islandopposite.sand Toget here, it’sa4km the extreme southeastof Mayotte, andthe on thebeaches of thepeninsulaof trashed onthisroute. of –hire Mtsangamouji cars are regularly track thatleadstothewaterfall, 2kmsouth careful ifdrivingdowntherough tide). Be rectly (orontothebeach atlow into thesea A more rusticoptionis LeSakouli Hôtel Sea turtlesoften comeandlaytheireggs Sea a ). Notonlyare thepricesabitlower, ( % 60 6363;sakouli.hotel@wanadoo as Le Jardin Maoré Le JardinMaoré ) is Mayotte’s Sazilé ( % 261

in 60 COMOROS COMOROS COMOROS fake Grecian andpotted statues palms,butthe the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsandconditions onoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse,access tothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake des Crabes,Dzaoudzi;rfrom€65; option, a 10th-centuryShirazi settlement. ered pottery, tombsandglassbeadsindicating Researchers workingatthesite have uncov- mandzi isthearchaeological site of some colonialbuildingsandasinglehotel. of interest onDzaoudzibeyondafew hand- crater called quil beach knownas the Europeancommunitylives. rent district of Mayotte. It’shere thatmostof Mamoudzou, high- hasbecometheaffluent being considerably quieter andcleanerthan Petitesmall islandscomprise Terre, which, centre.and stillfunctionsasitsmilitary Two of asthecapital Mayotte, in 1962,itserved way. Untilthearrivalof theforeign legion version of the Rockof byacause- Gibraltar) to therockof Dzaoudzi (asortof poorman’s named Pamandzi andL’Abattoir, isconnected The islandof Petite Terre, withtwovillages PETITE TERRE increase substantially. French summerholidaysandChristmas,rates © LonelyPlanetPublications 262 For sleeping tryPetiteFor sleeping Terre’s mostupmarket Near thecoastonwestern sideof Pa- The village of Pamandzi hasapretty, tran- AOT • Ptt er MAYOTTE ••Petite Terre Le Rocher Dziani Dzaha ( % 60 10 10; [email protected]; Blvd 60 1010;[email protected]; Blvd Moya Plage a , butthere’s very little ) . Expect lots of gilt, lotsof. Expect gilt, , andavolcanic Bagamayo . has alimited menu–usuallyadailydish. It has a rotating nightly menu. nightly has arotating depending onwhere you’re going. shared €1and€1.50, which costbetween taxis, there, youcanwhizanywhere ontheislandin to Petite Terre fromMamoudzou. Onceyou’re The redoubtable Getting There&Around on weekends. andfillsquickly however, also hasapooltable, from €10; try ( legs andcrabspecialities,try be arranged. share alittlesittingarea. Dinner (€10)can cation isniceandquiet.Someof therooms are overall butacceptable scruffy andthelo- r from€30) charges €15entryformen(free forwomen). rant andadiscocalled sized bathtubs.There’s apriceyonsite restau- views of thelagoon,whileothers comewithfull- Somehavebut stillcomfortable. balconiesand reasonable forMayotte. Roomsare abitworn cheesy décorisactuallyquite funandtheprices % For more of abaratmosphere onthebeach, Raha Villa For typicalFrench cuisineincludingfrogs Le Faré 60 14 57; Rte deMoya,L’Abattoir;mains€20) 60 1457;Rte h is thebestbudget option.Therooms ( % dinner Tue, lunch&dinnerWed-Sun) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( % 60 1331;BlvddesCrabes,L’Abattoir;mains 62 0364;13RueSmiam,Pamandzi; barge Ningha bringspassengers over (

h Auberge del’Île Auberge Mon-Sat) , which , which , which , which

263 COMOROS