Things to Do in Comoros in March
March weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
March Weather in Comoros
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
87°F (30°C)
High Temp
73°F (23°C)
Low Temp
11.0 inches (279 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Afternoon cloudbursts lash the mountains. Unpaved roads turn to rivers. Skip 4×4 descents after 3 PM. Flash floods wait for no one.
Is March Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + March lands smack in the gap between monsoon and the brutal build-up: daytime heat still behaves, and the Indian Ocean stays warm enough for a proper swim yet stops short of bathwater.
- + Grande Comore is waist-deep in ylang-ylang harvest, and the air around Iconi and Mitsamiouli carries a perfume so thick you can taste it. Locals run backyard copper stills you can walk right into.
- + Humpback whale season tops out off Mohéli's southern coast through mid-March. Morning boats out of Nioumachoua routinely watch mothers coaching calves to breach, a sight April visitors never catch.
- + Hotel rates have not yet rocketed to the July summit, and on Anjouan you will still find guesthouses that are packed solid once European summer arrives, often run by owners who know your name by breakfast on day two.
Considerations
- − The inter-tropical convergence zone still hangs around, those afternoon storms are not polite island sprinkles but full-throated tropical dumps that can unload 50 mm (2 inches) in 30 minutes and turn Moroni's streets into muddy rivers.
- − Domestic flights between islands run on what locals call 'Comoros time'. March weather pushes cancellations up, and that 30-minute hop from Moroni to Ouani can mutate into an overnight ferry ride whether you planned it or not.
- − Ramadan timing shifts every year, when it lands in March, daytime dining in town centers vanishes, and the beachside grilled-fish lunch you dreamed about becomes a granola bar eaten quietly in your room.
Best Activities in March
Top things to do during your visit
Mohéli Marine Park Whale Watching
March is the final reliable month to watch humpback whales explode from the water off Mohéli's southern cliffs. The channel between Nioumachoua and Chissioua Ouenefou stays deep and glassy before April winds stir it up, and mothers steer calves so near to traditional fishing boats you hear their exhalation before you see their backs.
Booking Tip: Reserve 7-10 days in advance through operators working out of Nioumachoua instead of Moroni, they read weather patterns at sea level, not from an airport 80 km (50 miles) inland. Current tours are listed in the booking section below.
Grande Comore Ylang-Ylang Distillery Visits
Between March downpours, distilleries in Iconi valley keep their copper stills running almost daily. Warm, humid air ferries esters better, so oil yield climbs. You will smell the operation long before you see it: sweet, faintly medicinal, like jasmine steeped in banana liqueur.
Booking Tip: Morning visits are the ticket, distilleries fire up around 7 AM and shut down by noon before clouds stack. Any taxi driver knows the family setups. But ask for 'l'huile d'ylang-ylang', not 'tourisme'.
Anjouan Waterfall Trekking
March keeps Anjouan's interior waterfalls roaring after the wet season. The 200 m (656 ft) plunge at Moya thunders so loudly you hear it 15 minutes before the trail reveals it, and the path through clove plantations smells like Christmas morning. Humidity is high. But cloud cover keeps the heat in check for the 6 km (3.7 mile) round-trip hike.
Booking Tip: Pick up guides at Mutsamudu market, they know which rivers rise too high after morning rain and which guides speak English instead of just nodding. Start early. Afternoon cloudbursts convert paths to mudslides.
Moroni Old Town Spice Market Tours
The covered market behind the Friday Mosque reaches peak aroma in March, vanilla beans are fat and glossy from humid nights, cloves still wear their last-harvest sheen, and cardamom pods pop open with a sound like tiny firecrackers. Vendors are less harried than in peak season and more willing to show how to grade spices properly.
Booking Tip: Arrive between 8-10 AM when mountain farmers roll in with fresh bundles. Carry small bills, CFA francs in 500 notes earn better prices than euros, and vendors like exact change.
Comoros Beach Fishing with Local Fishermen
March seas stay fairly calm ahead of the kusi trade winds of April, and reef access from Galawa Beach or Chindini needs no long boat rides. Hand-line fishing at dawn brings bonito and small tuna smashing metal jigs while the sun paints the ocean copper behind Mount Karthala's silhouette.
Booking Tip: Set it up through beach hotels instead of middlemen in town, the boat owner pockets more profit and you dodge inflated tourist pricing. Bring your own 1-liter water bottle. Crews seldom pack extras.
Where to Stay in Comoros in March
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for March travellers.
March Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Mid March
Matswa Doni Cultural Week (Grande Comore)
Villages near Mitsamiouli stage all-night drum circles and male dance troupes in red-and-white sarongs. Visitors can join communal coconut-milk cooking pits dug on the beach. Expect soot-blackened arms and free bowls of cassava-leaf stew.
Late March
Grand Mariage Preparations (Anjouan)
Wealthy families launch weeks of public negotiations. Drums echo through Domoni's alleys and women parade dowry items: sugar-cane stacks, embroidered cloth. You won't catch the wedding. But nightly street rehearsals feel like a festival.
Packing Checklist
Bookmark this page — your progress is saved between visits
Need the full list with shopping links?
Climate-specific gear, brand recommendations, and what to leave at home.
View Comoros Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
The best vanilla moves before it ever reaches Moroni market, if you're serious, have your guesthouse owner radio their cousin in the hills. You will pay a bit more but get beans that have not been soaked in sugar water to add weight.
Domestic flights weigh your body plus luggage, if you're near the 20 kg (44 lb) limit, wear your heaviest shoes and jacket through check-in, then change on the plane.
Friday prayers shut everything from 11:30 AM to 2 PM, yet this is when fishermen land the morning catch at small beaches. Walk south of Dos-Douani during prayer time and you will buy lobster straight off the boat.
Grande Comore is Ngazidja, Mohéli is Mwali, Anjouan is Nzwani, say the island names the way locals do and watch faces light up. Older vendors often knock a few francs off once they hear you try.
Avoid These Mistakes
French won't carry you through every conversation. Shikomoro is what people speak at home; French is classroom currency. Switch to it mid-chat and you'll feel like you're marking their homework.
Moroni same-day connections are a mirage. International airlines won't tag bags onto domestic flights, and the terminal shuts between landings. A six-hour layover still means a night in a guesthouse.
Leave the Seychelles fantasy at immigration. Comoros beaches are black volcanic grit that sizzles by noon. Pack sandals you can keep on in the surf.
Explore More Activities in Comoros
Didn't see anything interesting yet?
Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Comoros.
See All Comoros Tours on Viator