Anjouan · Historic town
Mutsamudu
A citadel watching over the harbour, a stepped medina and sultans' palaces: Mutsamudu is one of the finest Swahili towns of the Indian Ocean.
Ndzuwani · The perfume island
Anjouan
Steep mountains, waterfalls, ylang-ylang fields and sultans' towns: Anjouan is the most spectacular island for its landscape, and the one with the richest maritime history.
Anjouan is shaped like a triangle, each point extended by a peninsula. Its centre is a tangle of dizzying ridges dominated by Mount Ntingui. Densely populated, cultivated even on the steepest slopes, it earned the Comoros the nickname of “perfume islands” thanks to its ylang-ylang plantations. Its medinas of Mutsamudu and Domoni are among the finest in the Indian Ocean.
Anjouan
Geography
Anjouan has the most rugged landscape in the archipelago: erosion has carved out cirques, deep valleys and dozens of rivers and waterfalls. In the centre, Lake Dzialandzé fills a forested crater at around 900 m, on the flanks of Mount Ntingui (1,595 m). Three peninsulas, including Bimbini in the west, extend the island. The high population density puts heavy pressure on the forests and springs.
Anjouan
History
Seat of a powerful sultanate, Anjouan long held sway over Mohéli and Mayotte. Domoni, then Mutsamudu, were its capitals. In the 17th and 18th centuries, English ships on the route to the Indies called at this island, which they named Johanna. Faced with raids from Madagascar, Mutsamudu built a citadel at the end of the 18th century. It was also off Anjouan that a coelacanth was caught in 1952 and became famous around the world.
Anjouan
Culture & traditions
People speak Shindzuani. Women wear the chiromani, a draped cloth, often red and white, that has become a symbol of the island. The medinas preserve a rich craft tradition of carved doors and embroidery. Growing ylang-ylang, vanilla and cloves sets the rhythm of village life, between picking at dawn and distilling in the stills.
Anjouan
Nature
The cloud forests in the centre of the island are home to Livingstone's fruit bat, the mongoose lemur and the Anjouan scops owl, an owl long thought to be extinct. The Mount Ntingui and Shisiwani national parks seek to preserve these fragile habitats.
What to see on Anjouan
Our detailed guides to the must-see places.
Anjouan · Heritage
Domoni
On the east coast of Anjouan, the former capital of the sultans keeps its medina, its tombs and the spirit of the great merchant towns.
Anjouan · Hiking
Lake Dzialandzé and Mount Ntingui
In the heart of Anjouan's mountains, a crater lake surrounded by cloud forest, on the flanks of the island's highest point.
Spots & tips
Stone medinas, spice markets, ylang-ylang distilleries, waterfalls and beaches of the south: the best addresses on the perfume island.
The medina and citadel of Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu
Narrow alleys, houses with carved wooden doors, stone stairways: the old town is explored on foot up to the citadel, built between 1782 and 1789, which overlooks the bay.
Tip: Climb up to the citadel at the end of the day for the view over the harbour and the medina.
See the place page
Mutsamudu market and harbour
Mutsamudu
Anjouan produces about 70% of the Union's cloves, and a good share of its ylang-ylang and vanilla. On the capital's stalls: spices, fruit, fresh fish, printed fabrics and carved wooden objects.
Tip: During the clove season, the cloves dry in the sun on mats in front of the houses: a fragrant sight not to be missed.
Domoni, city of stone and craftspeople
East coast
The island's former capital: aristocratic houses with doors adorned with Koranic motifs, carved verandas, ancient tombs. Its craftspeople excel in red pottery and palm-leaf basketry. Read: The seven ships of Shiraz.
See the place pageThe Mawana palace of Bambao
Bambao Mtsanga, east coast
In the mid-19th century, Sultan Abdallah III, known as Mawana, had this palace built facing the sea, in a park, near his sugar cane plantations and his sugar mill, later converted into a perfume distillery. The palace is deteriorating: fragile heritage, to be visited with respect.
Bimbini and La Selle islet
Western tip of the island
The village of Bimbini opens onto a wide lagoon facing Mohéli. La Selle islet and its white-sand beaches can be reached by boat, or on foot at very low spring tides.
Tip: Check the tide times before setting off on foot.
Tatinga waterfall
Near the village of Tatinga
A high waterfall in a bowl of greenery: one of the emblematic landscapes of Anjouan, the island of rivers.
Tip: The trails are slippery in the rainy season: go with a guide.
Public life & institutions
The most densely populated island of the archipelago, Anjouan has its governor in Mutsamudu, its ancient brotherhoods, its harvest festivals and its passionate football clubs.
In pictures
