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Comoros Islands: Anjouan

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The Comoros Islands. Most people would struggle to locate this country on a map.

This small nation sits in the Indian Ocean between east Africa and north Madagascar. It’s seldom visited, which made me want to visit all the more.

I’ve introduced you to Mohéli, the smallest, wildest of the three islands.

Now it’s welcome to Anjouan, a bustling island with a rebellious streak – but blessed with tropical landscapes. CONTINUE READING BELOW

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Anjouan is best reached by small inter-island aircraft, an experience in itself.

My home was the quaint and rather empty Johanna Livingstone Hotel, decorated in bat motifs and with a terrace perfectly situated to watch some fiery tropical sunsets.

It was situated in a quieter corner of Anjouan’s main city Mutsamudu, with the pretty Al Amal beach a short walk away, where we rare tourists mixed with locals enjoying the refreshing ocean.

A carpet of ylang ylang blossoms drying out before creating oil.

Ylang ylang blossoms are a valuable crop throughout the Comores

The capital city’s old centre is a dense maze of ancient alleyways and many nods to the Comoros Island’s Islamic faith. The array of market stalls and throngs of people going about their business is dizzying.

On the other side of the island sits the city of Domoni, with its own set of narrow little streets and beguiling buildings. 

The city is crowned by a bristle of gold-topped minarets making up an impressive mosque and resting place for this small nation’s first post-independence leader.

Anjouan’s more rural hinterland is filled with lush valleys, hills and rugged coastal spots which in a country more developed for tourism would be an azure-coloured holidaymakers’ playground. 

But it was the urban centres of this island which were truly eye-opening, where European visitors are seldom seen picking their way around the streets.

A place that’s yet to be discovered.

Next time: Grand Comore, this archipelago’s biggest island. But does biggest mean the best?

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Comoros Islands: Mohéli

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When it comes to the Indian Ocean, most holidaymakers have heard of the sun-drenched paradises of the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius.

How about the Comoros Islands? This small nation, situated between the east African coast and north Madagascar, seems virtually undiscovered – so I had to take a look for myself.

The Islamic country gained its independence from France in 1975 and has had a bumpy political history, so there was a lot to find out.

My trip from Manchester to the Comoros on Ethiopian Airlines consisted of three stopovers until reaching the tiny, chaotic airport outside the capital Moroni.

But let’s start this discovery in Mohéli, the smallest of the three Comores, a place where nature and relaxation hold sway. CONTINUE READING BELOW

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A view of Mohéli's mountain and coast from the Laka Lodge lookout in the Comoros.
An orange-necked Mongoose Lemur seen on a visit to Laka Lodge in Mohéli, Comoros Islands.
Boys playing football on the beach at Nioumachoua, Mohéli island, Comoros.
A vast and ancient tree in the rainforest of Mohéli in the Comoros Islands.
A stunning indigo sunset seen over the Indian Ocean at Mohéli in the Comoros Islands.
A bunch of piercing red berries found in the rainforest on Mohéli island in the Comoros.
A portrait of two teenage boys on the beach at Nioumachoua, Mohéli island, Comoros.
A view of Laka Lodge beach on Mohéli in the Comoros islands as dusk begins to fall.
A ylang ylang flower bloom in the forests of Mohéli, the Comoros Islands.
The sight of a Livingstone Bat in flight over the forest canopy on Mohéli in the Comoros Islands.
A group of Comoran men resting in the shade by a beach on Mohéli island in the Comoros.
A dazzling seashell found on a beach at Mohéli in the Comoros islands.
A large spider sets its web across a patch of forest in Mohéli, the Comoros Islands.
A view of a bungalow at Laka Lodge in Mohéli, the Comoros Islands.
A black and white Mongoose Lemur clasping a tree on Mohéli island in the Comoros.

Mohéli is best reached by one of the Comores’ internal airlines Royal Air with its 1960s small plane and a Ukrainian crew. It’s half an hour from the other islands, Grand Comore and Anjouan.

Mohéli has some decent, solid stretches of Chinese-built road which took us to Laka Lodge, a cluster of bungalows set close to a beautiful beach.

Nature is the name of the game here, with trips to visit sea turtles and the vast Livingstone fruit bat. There’s even a group of Mongoose Lemurs who visit every afternoon expecting a feast of bananas.

This is a spot where even this reluctant bather took a dip in the sea, while walks up a lookout hill to witness fantastic, fiery sunsets were obligatory.

With just a small handful of other European guests, it was evident that few travellers have heard of this place let alone decided to make the long trip here.

The lodge was next to the village of Nioumachoua, with the beach playing host to football games and young lads asking to have their photograph taken. 

One evening we heard there were lengthy, lavish wedding celebrations taking place and walked over to witness this spectacle.

It happened to be the night when it was the men’s turn to dance. I went from watching to having a ylang ylang blossom garland and a gold sash placed around my neck and joining in the festivities. A memorable brush with the culture of this small island.

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Video credit: Priscilla Camue

Coming soon: Visits to the larger islands of the seldom visited Comoros archipelago. Is this a country that should become a bucket list staple or left to the more adventurous tourist?

Coastal walk: Lytham to Blackpool

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The weather forecast promised a warm September day in northern England.

I hurriedly booked train tickets from Manchester to the genteel Lancashire seaside town of Lytham St Annes, and planned to walk along the coast to colourful, brash Blackpool.

I took this trip on a beautiful autumn day in 2023, but the route was reversed.

Did going from south to north make all the difference? KEEP READING BELOW

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When I arrived at Lytham, I headed straight for the promenade where the tide was far out and sandscape glistening in the sun.

The curve of Granny’s Bay was full of people enjoying the warmth and dog walkers enjoying the sea’s absence.

I did the same at St Annes Beach, wandering far out on the golden sands, beyond the resort’s perfect row of bathing huts. Visiting the stranded pier and its famous old remnants had to be done.

St Annes Pier in Lancashire taken with the tide very far out.

St Annes Pier surrounded by sand not sea

The genteel coast eventually gives way to the bold bulk of Blackpool. Unlike last year, the tide was sloshing against the Brutalist coastal defences so there would be no walk along the beach this time.

I enjoyed peering up at the concrete monuments and huge mirrorball of the New South Promenade with a perfect view of famed rollercoaster The Big One – and the resort’s iconic tower.

So this time I finished my walk among the hum and buildings of Blackpool, unlike the relative calm of Lytham’s coast. As for the photographs, I was blessed with another year of stellar skies and finding relative minimalism by the sea. 

This is a coastal escape from the hustle and bustle of inland Manchester, no matter which way you walk.

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Fuerteventura: Costa Calma

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My recent island travels have taken me to São Tomé e Príncipe and Cape Verde, which were all about exploration.

This time I visited Fuerteventura in Spain’s Canary Islands, where the emphasis is on sun, sand and relaxation.

I stayed at Costa Calma in the south-east of the island, settling down to days of hotel buffet meals, lounging around and sunset wanders.

But there was photography too, capturing the essence of this popular destination.

Would you like to kick back and take it easy here?

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Fuerteventura: Island architecture

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I recently went on a good old-fashioned beach holiday to the Spanish island of Fuerteventura.

It’s a destination blessed with a sunny climate, beautiful beaches and has relaxation at its heart.

But on Fuerteventura’s Costa Calma, especially popular with German holidaymakers, I became fascinated with the resort’s architecture.

Could your attention be turned away from the beach? CONTINUE READING BELOW

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I stayed at the SBH Crystal Beach Hotel, a large confection of concrete and marble made for hundreds of holidaymakers.

It was a layer cake of whitewashed tiers, confusing to navigate, but boasted a beautiful view over the long beach.

The coast has been developed over the years with several large hotels and a little resort town, packed with white and pastel buildings guarded by sturdy desert plants.

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The neighbouring Taro Hotel took the prize for architectural exuberance, topped with peaked concrete slabs like southern Fuerteventura’s rugged mountains.

Down on the beach, the bright yellow lifeguard pods became something of an architectural obsession in their own right.

This little getaway reminded me of family holidays to Spain in the 1970s and 80s, when the big hotel was king and you didn’t have to go far.

The beautiful skies, stark lines and rich colours were a joy to photograph – it wasn’t all snoozing and swimming on this sunshine break!

Has your simple beach holiday turned into an architectural joy? Let me know :)