| The Comores is a group of three main islands of | | | | volcano in the southern hemisphere; you can hike |
| volcanic origin, namely Ngazidja (formerly Grande | | | | up it and descend into the crater; beaches are a |
| Comore), Nzwani (formerly Anjouan) and Mwali | | | | mixture of black lava and white sand. |
| (formely Moheli) and several islets. | | | | Moroni marketplace In Moroni, where you can buy |
| The island of Mayotte is a French territory, that is | | | | perfumes, spices, handicrafts and jewellery. |
| claimed by the Comores. An underdeveloped | | | | Itsandra & Iconi villages Itsandra: fishing |
| tourist industry and intermittent political coups and | | | | village 6km from Moroni with fine beach; watch |
| crises have made the Comores one of the least | | | | local men dance; once the ancient capital of the |
| visited Indian Ocean destinations. | | | | island; Iconi: 14th century village. |
| However, the Comores offer a particular charm | | | | Lac Sale Near Moroni; hot, sulphur springs. |
| that mixes French style, Swahili and Arabic | | | | Arab Quarter or Medina In Moroni, elaborate |
| architecture, spectacular sunsets and a colourful | | | | 2-storey buildings with arcades, balustrades and |
| history with a lingering aroma of vanilla and | | | | meticulously carved wooden latticework doors |
| ylang-ylang. Beaches host natural palm trees said | | | | and shutters; easy to get around. |
| to be the highest in the world and are mostly | | | | Chissioua Ouénéfou Small island, |
| white, although some can be found created of | | | | off the coast of Mwali; part of a marine reserve |
| black lava. | | | | where you can watch green sea turtles, which |
| Coral reefs and a rich, marine life can be found in | | | | were almost extinct a couple of years ago. |
| the surrounding seas. In fact, it is here where the | | | | Mayotte 3 French islands, ringed with coral reefs; |
| prehistoric coelacanth, which was thought to be | | | | popular for diving, boating, big-game fishing and |
| extinct, was found in 1938. All the islands can be | | | | other water sports; the lagoon is claimed to be |
| visited, except Nzwani, which has issued a travel | | | | the biggest in the world; old fortifications at |
| embargo due to its political instability. | | | | Dzaoudzi. |
| Top Ten Attractions: | | | | Mitsoudjé 11km south of Moroni, known |
| Mosques All over; in Moroni, the Mosquée | | | | for its wood carving industry, specialising in |
| du Vendredi provides an attractive view from the | | | | producing decorative doors, shutters, boxes and |
| top. | | | | furnishings; many tombstones can be found. |
| Mount Karthala Near Moroni, the largest, live | | | | |