The Comoros Islands. An unheralded destination in the beautiful Indian Ocean.

If you make the journey to this small country, you’ll certainly set foot on Ngazidja – or Grande Comore – the largest and most populous island of this little-known archipelago.

My initial stay on the ‘big island’ was just for a few days before heading by air to smaller siblings Mohéli and Anjouan.  

Did the return trip save the best until last?… CONTINUE READING BELOW

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Arriving at Moroni’s very small airport is an experience – and an indication that the Comoros aren’t used to receiving hordes of tourists. 

But there’s a lot to see on Ngazidja, from the bustling streets and rustic markets of the capital, where you’ll encounter few European visitors and feel you’re really off the beaten track.

The coastline offers undeveloped beaches, dramatic rock formations and stunningly vibrant mangrove lagoons. Further inland there are ancient baobab trees with trunks mighty enough to hide an entire tour group.

If architecture is your bag, be sure to see medinas of old houses and carved doors. There are also ruined sultans’ palaces to see at sunset as the call to prayer rings out and bats cross the sky.

Islam holds sway over this island, so there are mosques of all eras to spot.

An inescapable observation about Ngazidja and the Comoros is the presence of litter. With no waste collections, it’s a blight on the landscape.

The same goes for abandoned skeletons of vehicles, sometimes in the middle of otherwise beautiful countryside. This needs to change if the Comoros wants to attract more visitors in the future.

The return to Ngazidja was dominated by one prospect – a trip to Mount Karthala, the island’s dominant volcano which last erupted in 2007.

From a village in the foothills it was a four-hour hike to the crater and back. There was no swirling, fiery cauldron at the top but a vast landscape buried in volcanic matter.

The truly memorable experience was dinner cooked on the fire in the village and spending the night in tents surrounded by lowing cattle and waking up to an atmospheric, misty sunrise.

A night under the stars aside, home for this part of the stay was the Itsandra Beach Hotel and Resort, set by a lovely part of the coast with stunning sunsets and even pet tortoises mooching around the lawn.

It had the first sense of developed tourism but was by no means busy. A comfortable base to prepare for the long, drawn out journey back to the UK but possibly the least authentic version of this yet to be discovered country.

If you’re travelling this far, you have to visit all three Comoros islands. They each have something unique to offer and will appeal to your sense of adventure. There’s only one way to find out… 

• Would you like to experience the Comoros Islands for yourself? My small group tour was with Undiscovered Destinations and operates twice a year. They also arranged air travel with Ethiopian Airlines, from Manchester to Moroni via Addis Ababa with two further brief stopovers in Geneva and Dar-Es-Salaam. Any further questions, please get in touch.