7 Days in Comoros
Trip Overview
Seven days thread Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli together, pairing lava-sculpted calderas with lazy lagoon afternoons. Dawn breaks to breadfruit crackling over charcoal, midday slips across turquoise channels, dusk settles beneath jackfruit trees alive with fruit bats. The rhythm stays moderate, two internal ferries, gentle village walks, one dolphin-watching boat ride, so you step ashore salt-skinned, not schedule-scarred. Expect markets heavy with ylang-ylang, volcano rims laced with sulfur, beach barbecues where swordfish steaks sizzle over coconut-shell embers.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$90-120 per day
Best Seasons
May to October (dry south-easterlies, warm seas)
Ideal For
Nature lovers, Snorkelers, Couples, Slow travellers, Spice enthusiasts
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
First Glimpse of Karthala
Moroni, Grande Comore
Land, drift through the old medina, watch fishing dhows glide home heavy with red snapper.
Morning
Landing and medina stroll
Collect your rental 4×4 at Prince Said Ibrahim airport, nose into Moroni's clove-scented lanes. Wooden shutters groan beside stalls selling vanilla pods sticky with resin. Fishermen drag iodine-scented nets across black-sand shore.
Book car the day before via Karthala Rent. Airport counters run out fast
Lunch
Le Kandza on Rue de la Corniche
Afternoon
Volcano Museum & Friday Mosque
Karthala Volcano Museum shows off scorched lava bombs you can still feel heat in. White-robed worshippers pad across the 15th-century Friday Mosque's mosaic courtyard, sandalwood incense spiralling skyward.
Evening
Sunset at Itsandra Beach with grilled lobster
Chez Mariam plants tables on the sand. Lanterns dance as waves slap lava rock.
Where to Stay Tonight
Itsandra north of Moroni (Retaj Moroni, balconies face Karthala's silhouette)
Ten minutes from both airport and first ferry port
See all Comoros accommodation options →Keep small CF coins for street-side sugar-cane juice. Vendors beat café rates.
Day 1 Budget: $110
2
Karthala Crater Trek
Mount Karthala, Grande Comore
Climb the world's largest active volcanic crater and peer into sulfur clouds.
Morning
Guided ascent to crater rim
Leave Boboni village at 5 a.m. Crunch up loose basalt, the air sharpening with altitude. Wild basil scents the trail. Roosters crow far below. The final climb reveals a mile-wide caldera steaming like a witch's pot.
Book guide through Retaj reception night before; Ali Mze knows every shortcut.
Lunch
Packed picnic of boiled cassava and tamarind sauce
Afternoon
Descend and soak at Lac Salé hot springs
Slip into milky geothermal pools ringed by screw-pines. The water carries a whiff of rotten eggs yet unknots calf muscles on contact.
Evening
Night market in Iconi village
Try mkatra siniya bread straight from oil drums, brushed with honey and sesame
Where to Stay Tonight
Itsandra (Same hotel, no need to repack)
Easy drive back after trek
See all Comoros accommodation options →Carry a light jacket; 2000 m altitude feels cool even when Moroni swelters.
Day 2 Budget: $95
3
Cross to Perfumed Anjouan
Anjouan Island
Ferry eastward, then hike waterfalls surrounded by ylang-ylang groves.
Morning
Ferry to Mutsamudu, Anjouan
Catch the 7 a.m. KomorExpress. Spray flies as the hull slices aquamarine swells. Flying fish skim past. Diesel mingles with salt. Docking in Mutsamudu's horseshoe harbour takes 3 hours.
Tickets sell out weekends, buy day 2 evening
Lunch
Maison de la Vallée near port
Afternoon
Dziani Boundouni waterfall hike
Thread a narrow path between coffee bushes and ylang-ylang trees whose yellow blossoms drip perfume. The waterfall crashes into a jade pool. Swim while butterflies waltz in the mist.
Hire guide at Bambao village, paths are unmarked
Evening
Mutsamudu medina at dusk
Shoot coral-stone doorways glowing orange under the last light, then sip ginger tea at Café Msoho.
Where to Stay Tonight
Mutsamudu old town (Al-Madina Hotel, rooftop terrace overlooks minarets)
Walking distance to ferry and spice souk
See all Comoros accommodation options →Pack motion-sickness tablets; Comoros ferry crossings can buck outside the lagoon.
Day 3 Budget: $90
4
Spice Route by Scooter
Anjouan
Zip around the island's spice plantations and crater lakes.
Morning
Scooter loop to Domoni spice farms
Rent a 125 cc scooter and glide on scented air past clove trees shedding rust-coloured petals. Farmers let you twist nutmeg husks open. The mace stains fingers saffron. Pull up at Lac Dzialandée, a mirror-smooth crater lake circled by wild figs.
Check brakes, roads climb steeply to 1000 m
Lunch
Chez Halima in Domoni village
Afternoon
Snorkeling at Bouni beach
Black-lava sand slips into coral gardens where parrotfish graze algae. The water is bathtub-warm; sea cucumbers puff dust clouds when you fin past.
Evening
Dinner at Moya Plage
Tables sit under lanterns strung between palms. Order lobster tail flambéed in local rum.
Where to Stay Tonight
Same hotel in Mutsamudu (Al-Madina Hotel)
Avoids repacking before next ferry
See all Comoros accommodation options →Bring a sarong, mosques require covered shoulders and knees during the spice-route loop.
Day 4 Budget: $85
5
Mohéli's Living Sea
Mohéli Marine Park
Transfer to Mohéli for boat safaris with dolphins and nesting turtles.
Morning
Ferry to Fomboni, Mohéli
Early boat leaves Mutsamudu at 6 a.m.; dolphins bow-ride the swell. Fomboni's white minaret rises framed by baobabs. Transfer by truck to Laka Lodge on the south coast.
Reserve Laka Lodge 48 h ahead, only eight bungalows
Lunch
Laka Lodge restaurant
Afternoon
Snorkel at Saziley Point
Roll off the pirogue into gin-clear water above giant clams the size of shoeboxes. Hawksbill turtles graze sea-grass beds, indifferent to your shadow.
Ask lodge for Abdallah, he times trips to outgoing tide for best visibility
Evening
Beach barbecue under Milky Way
Lodge staff grill red snapper while bats rustle in tamarind trees
Where to Stay Tonight
Laka Lodge, Nioumachoua (Beachfront bungalow with mosquito-net four-poster)
Inside the marine park so turtles nest metres from your porch
See all Comoros accommodation options →Charge devices at lunch, solar power shuts off at 10 p.m.
Day 5 Budget: $120
6
Sea Turtles at Dawn
Mohéli
Witness nesting green turtles at Itsamia beach, then kayak through mangroves.
Morning
Turtle nesting watch
Rise at 4 a.m. and walk 200 m to Itsamia beach. Under red torchlight watch a 300 kg female dig her nest. The air smells of warm sand and salt. Volunteers mark the site so hatchlings can later scuttle to the moonlit surf.
Volunteers guide, no extra booking needed
Lunch
Packed sandwiches from lodge
Afternoon
Mangrove kayak
Paddle through tunnels of mangrove roots. Fiddler crabs wave oversized claws. Kingfishers flash turquoise wings against dark water.
Best at high tide, ask lodge for timing
Evening
Sunset dhow cruise
Traditional sailboat glides past baobab silhouettes. Sip fresh coconut water as the sky turns tangerine.
Where to Stay Tonight
Same Laka Lodge (Beachfront bungalow)
Gives two full days to explore the park
See all Comoros accommodation options →Bring quick-dry towel, sunsets are humid and you'll want to swim again.
Day 6 Budget: $100
7
Return to Grande Comore
Moroni
Morning ferry back, last-minute vanilla shopping, and sunset farewell.
Morning
Ferry to Moroni
Wave goodbye to Mohéli's baobabs from the deck. The crossing takes 2.5 hours; flying fish scatter silver droplets into sunlight.
Buy ticket at Fomboni port evening prior
Lunch
Retaj Moroni buffet
Afternoon
Volcano market & airport
Load up on vanilla pods at Volcano Market, pods should bend without snapping and perfume your wallet for days. Ten-minute drive to airport for evening departures.
Evening
Departure
Check-in opens two hours before international flights
Where to Stay Tonight
Airport vicinity (Day-use room at Retaj if late flight)
Shower and repack before red-eye departures
See all Comoros accommodation options →Wrap vanilla in wax paper, plastic traps moisture and causes mold.
Day 7 Budget: $70
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Domestic ferries link the three islands, Grande Comore to Anjouan (3 h), Anjouan to Mohéli (2 h). On each island, shared taxis and scooters are cheap. Negotiate before riding. Rental 4×4 on Grande Comore is essential for Karthala.
Book Ahead
Laka Lodge Mohéli, Karthala guide Ali Mze, KomorExpress ferry seats, and car rental in Moroni.
Packing Essentials
Reef-safe sunscreen, motion-sickness tablets, sarong for mosque visits, dry bag for boat trips, universal power adaptor, head-torch for turtle walks.
Total Budget
$700-840 for the week excluding flights
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Stay in village guesthouses on Anjouan and Mohéli (Volcan du Sud, Chez Faida), eat street mkatra for $1, and take shared taxis instead of scooter rental. Same route, half the cost.
Luxury Upgrade
Upgrade to Itsandra Beach Hotel's suites, book private charter flights between islands, and arrange sunset yacht from Mohéli. Add spa treatments scented with ylang-ylang oil.
Family-Friendly
Shorten Karthala trek to crater viewpoint only, choose beachfront villa at Laka Lodge with adjoining rooms, and book pirogue with shade cover for dolphin trips. Bring snorkeling gear sized for kids.
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