Grande Comore

A spice island beneath the active Karthala volcano, with Moroni's old harbor mosque, black lava coastlines and white-sand beaches.

Grande Comore (Ngazidja in Comorian) is the largest island in the Union of the Comoros, with the capital Moroni on its west coast. The whole island is volcanic: Mount Karthala in the south rises to 2,361 m and has one of the largest active craters in the world, erupting as recently as 2005–2007, and black lava shores and lava flows are visible all over the island. Almost all residents are Sunni Muslims, and the culture blends Swahili, Arab and French influences; plantations of ylang-ylang, cloves and vanilla have earned it the nickname "the spice island."

Areas to explore: Moroni's old town (the medina), old harbor and Friday Mosque can be covered in a half-day walk; heading north along the round-island road you'll find Itsandra Beach, the old town of Ntsaoueni, Trou du Prophète, the white sands of Mitsamiouli and the crater lake Lac Salé, all doable as a one-day loop; the east coast has Chomoni Beach, and the south has Iconi, the Singani lava flows and Foumbouni. Climbing Karthala is usually a two-day round trip (with a guide and camping).

Getting there: fly from Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam or Mayotte to Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (Hahaya), about 20 km from Moroni. Getting around the island mainly means hiring a car or taking a taxi-brousse (rural minibus); roads are in fair condition, so a hired car with a guide is recommended. Tourist facilities are limited, with hotels concentrated in Moroni and Mitsamiouli.

Tips: dress conservatively, and women should cover their shoulders and knees; during Ramadan most restaurants are closed in the daytime; the currency is the Comorian franc, euros can be exchanged, and credit cards are rarely accepted; French and Comorian are widely spoken, but English is not.

Top sights

• Old Friday Mosque, Moroni – A two-tiered mosque with white arcades beside the old harbour. Built starting in 1427, it is Moroni's most iconic building.
• Mount Karthala – An active volcano at 2,361 m with a huge compound crater. The summit is reached on a two-day hike with overnight camping.
• Moroni Medina & Old Harbour – A labyrinthine Swahili-style old town behind the mosque, with carved wooden doors, narrow alleys and a small harbor of wooden boats.
• Volo Volo Market – Moroni's largest open-air market, where you can find ylang-ylang and other spices, tropical fruit, fresh fish and printed cloth.
• Musée des Comores (CNDRS) – A small museum run by a national documentation and research center, displaying volcanic materials, a coelacanth specimen and traditional cu…
• Itsandra Beach – A white-sand bay north of Moroni, the weekend beach of the capital's residents, backed by the old town of Itsandra and a sultan's fort.
• Ntsaoueni – Said to be where Islam first entered the Comoros, with an ancient mosque, stone walls and a saint's tomb.
• Trou du Prophète – A small bay at the northern tip, enclosed by lava headlands, where legend says the Prophet's emissary came ashore; white sand and blue wate…
• Mitsamiouli Beach – One of the most beautiful white-sand beaches on Grande Comore, with coconut palms, dugout canoes and emerald shallows, and Galawa Beach nea…
• Lac Salé – A saltwater lake in a seaside volcanic crater, with emerald water separated from the blue ocean by only a volcanic wall.
• Chomoni Beach – A white-sand bay on the east coast, ringed by black lava headlands, with few visitors and simple fishing-village restaurants serving grille…
• Iconi – One of the oldest towns on Grande Comore, with the ruins of a 16th-century sultan's palace and a tragic cliff legend.
• Singani Lava Flows – A broad field of black lava left by the 1977 Karthala eruption, which buried the village in molten rock.
• Foumbouni – A historic port town on the southeast coast of Grande Comore, once a Badjini sultanate center, with old walls, a mosque and crowded fishing…

Where to eat

• L'Escale Restaurant – A long-established restaurant on Moroni's seafront boulevard, ranked first on Tripadvisor's Moroni list, serving the da…
• Le New Select Restaurant – An affordable restaurant on Place de France in the city center, open from breakfast to dinner, with a terrace for watch…
• Jardin de la Paix Restaurant – A courtyard restaurant at a hotel in the embassy district, serving Comorian fusion dishes made with fresh fish and seaf…

Itineraries

• Grande Comore Volcano & Coast – Start from the Moroni Medina, climb Mount Karthala, and loop around the northern coast to Mitsamiouli.