Comoros

The Comoros has three official languages: Comorian (Shikomori), French and Arabic. Comorian is the everyday language, and each island has its own dialect. French is used in government, business, schools and on most signs and menus. Arabic is the language of religion, and many people read it from Quran school, but few speak it in daily life.

English is spoken very little, even in hotels. Basic French is the most useful thing you can bring. A few words of Comorian, such as jeje ("hello") and marahaba ("thank you"), are always welcome.

• SIM cards: buy a local SIM card in Moroni, where the mobile operators have shops. Bring your passport.
• Coverage: mobile data works in the main towns, but it is slow and often breaks down. Coverage is weak in the countryside and on the less-developed islands.
• Internet: hotel internet is often slow and unreliable. Download maps and important documents before you arrive.

• Medical care: facilities are basic on all three islands, and supplies of electricity and water to hospitals can fail. Serious cases need evacuation abroad, so buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation.
• Hospitals: the main hospitals are El-Maarouf in Moroni (+269 773 26 04), the hospital in Fomboni on Mohéli (+269 772 03 73) and Hombo hospital on Anjouan (+269 771 00 34).
• Malaria: the risk of malaria is high. Talk to a travel doctor about tablets, and use insect repellent and a mosquito net.
• Other mosquito diseases: dengue and chikungunya also occur. Protect yourself from bites during the day as well.
• Vaccinations: typhoid and hepatitis A are recommended for most travellers. See a travel clinic about 6–8 weeks before your trip.
• Water: do not drink tap water. Drink bottled or boiled water.
• Medicines: pharmacies in Moroni have limited stock, and it is even more limited on the other islands. Bring enough of your regular medicines and a basic first-aid kit.

All visitors need a visa, but you can buy it on arrival at the international airport near Moroni and at other entry points. It costs about €30–50, paid in cash in euros or US dollars.

• Passport: it should be valid for at least 6 months after your arrival date, with at least one blank page.
• Onward travel: carry proof of a return or onward ticket.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

• Dress: dress modestly everywhere except the beach. Clothes should loosely cover the body from the shoulders to the knees. Women should also cover their hair when they visit a mosque.
• Mosques: remove your shoes before you enter. Ask first, and do not visit during prayer times. Non-Muslims may not be allowed inside some mosques.
• Alcohol: drink only inside hotels and the few restaurants that serve alcohol. Drinking in public, or being drunk in public, is illegal.
• Ramadan: during the fasting month, do not eat, drink, smoke, play loud music or dance in public during daylight. Many restaurants close during the day, and life slows down.
• Photos: always ask before you photograph people, especially women.
• Greetings: greet people before you ask a question. Use your right hand to shake hands, give and receive things, and eat.
• The Grand Mariage: on Grande Comore, the anda or "Grand Mariage" is a huge traditional wedding. A man's family may save for many years for it, and it gives him a high status in his town. The celebrations last several days, with dancing, music and gifts of gold. They happen mostly in the summer months, when many Comorians living abroad come home. If you are invited, it is a great honour, so dress smartly and accept.

On public holidays, government offices, banks and many shops close. The Islamic holidays, such as Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, are the biggest celebrations of the year. Their dates follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move about 11 days earlier each year. Book flights between the islands early around these holidays.

Friday is the main day of prayer. Many offices and shops close around the midday prayers on Friday, and some do not open again that afternoon. Shops usually open from about 8:00 until noon and again in the late afternoon. Markets are busiest in the early morning.

• Between the islands by air: small local airlines link Moroni with Mohéli and Anjouan. Flights are short, but schedules change often and flights can be delayed or cancelled. Book locally, confirm your flight the day before, and keep spare days in your plan.
• Between the islands by boat: ferries run between the islands, but they are often overloaded and unsafe. Take a flight when you can. Never travel in small open boats (kwassa-kwassa).
• By shared taxi: shared taxis and minibuses (taxi-brousse) link the towns on each island. They follow set routes, leave when full and take cash only. Fares are cheap.
• By taxi or driver: in the capital and Mutsamudu, taxis are cheap and usually shared. For day trips, hiring a car with a driver is the easiest option. Your hotel can help you find one.

Comorian food mixes African, Arab, Indian and French cooking. Rice is the staple, and meals often include fish, coconut, cassava, green bananas and breadfruit. Fresh fish, such as tuna, is grilled or cooked in coconut sauce. A classic dish is langouste à la vanille, lobster cooked in a vanilla sauce, as the islands also grow vanilla. Mataba, cassava leaves cooked in coconut milk, is a common side dish. Lunch is usually the main meal, and simple local restaurants often serve one or two dishes of the day.

Street snacks include grilled meat skewers (brochettes), samosas and fried banana. Fresh fruit such as mango, papaya, jackfruit and lychees is cheap in season. The usual drinks are tea, fresh juice and coconut water. Alcohol is available only in some hotels and restaurants. During Ramadan, families eat together after sunset, and food stalls appear in the evening.

Grande Comore (Ngazidja)

• Moroni, the capital, has an old medina of narrow lanes and carved wooden doors. The white Old Friday Mosque, with roots in the 15th century, stands by the small harbour. The national museum has displays on history, nature and the coelacanth, an ancient fish found in Comorian waters.
• Mount Karthala is one of the world's largest active volcanoes, with a huge summit crater. The climb is long and hard, and most people take one or two days with a local guide.
• The coast: Itsandra beach is a short drive north of Moroni. Further north, near Mitsamiouli, are white sand beaches, the Trou du Prophète bay and Lac Salé, a salt-water crater lake close to the sea.

Mohéli (Mwali)

• Nature: the smallest and least developed island is the best for nature. The Mohéli National Park protects coral reefs, small islands and the sea around the south coast.
• Turtles and whales: at Itsamia, green turtles come to nest on the beach, and local guides run night visits. Humpback whales pass the island in the southern winter.
• Fomboni is the island's small capital and airport town.

Anjouan (Ndzuani)

• Mutsamudu, the island's port, has a maze-like old medina and an 18th-century citadel with views over the town and the sea.
• Domoni is an old stone town on the east coast, with historic mosques and tombs.
• Ylang-ylang: the island is green and very steep. You can visit small distilleries, where the flowers of the ylang-ylang tree are turned into oil for perfume.