Maore · 16 places
Mamoudzou covered market, Bandrélé salt, red padzas, lagoon islets and evening mabawa: our favourites in Mayotte, from must-sees to local secrets.
Mayotte is experienced first through its lagoon, one of the largest in the world, but also through its villages, its markets and its crafts. Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre are linked by the barge, which leaves from Mamoudzou.
Mamoudzou
The island's main market: cassava, plantains, mangoes, papayas, vanilla, cardamom, medicinal plants, samosas… and craft stalls: carved wooden boxes and model dhows, basketry, jewellery, and salouva, the wrap worn by Mahoran women.
Tip: Come in the morning: that is when the market is at its liveliest.
See the place pageCoconi, central Grande-Terre
In the heart of the farming island, Coconi hosts a producers' market and, several times a year, craft markets, especially before festivals and during the holidays.
Tip: The dates of the craft markets are announced by the tourist office.
Bandrélé, east coast
Some twenty “mamas shingo” keep alive a technique unique to Mayotte: filtering the salty mud of the mangrove, then evaporating the brine over a wood fire. Their association has opened an ecomuseum to share this know-how, handed down from mother to daughter.
Tip: Visits are by appointment: contact the ecomuseum before you go.
Hamouro, southern Grande-Terre
A food market regularly livens up Hamouro beach: Mahoran specialities, local produce and music, with your feet in the sand.
Tip: Ask the tourist office and the associations of the south for the next dates.
Everywhere, especially in the evening
Mabawa, marinated grilled chicken wings, are eaten with banana or cassava at roadside stalls; kebabs and grilled fish are never far away.
Tip: The doukas, village grocery shops, are handy for water and everyday goods.
Kani-Kéli, south of the island
Seagrass beds where green turtles graze, a few strokes from the sand: one of the finest encounters in the lagoon.
Tip: Keep your distance: turtles must not be touched or chased.
See the place pageSouth-east lagoon
An immaculate sandbank in the middle of the lagoon, uncovered mainly at low tide: one of the most photographed boat trips in Mayotte.
Tip: Book with a boat operator; sunscreen and a hat are essential.
North-west of the island
Mtsamboro islet, home to a few fishing families, and right next to it the Choizil islets, with no buildings at all, which can be reached by boat or on foot at low tide.
Tip: Go with an operator who knows the currents and the tide times.
Eastern point of Petite-Terre
A white-sand cove at the foot of volcanic cliffs, at the eastern tip of the island, where turtles come to nest.
Tip: Respect the marked nesting areas and leave no lights on the beach at night.
Dapani, south of the island
A “red desert” facing the lagoon: padza (“bad earth” in Shimaore) is an eroded, barren volcanic soil. A geological trail of about twenty minutes, with information panels, leads to a viewpoint where the red of the earth echoes the blue of the lagoon.
Tip: Go early: there is no shade at all.
South-eastern point
Wild, protected beaches where turtles nest, facing White Sand Islet. They are reached on foot along a coastal path.
Tip: A hike with no shade: take plenty of water and set off early.
Petite-Terre
A crater lake with green water, which you can walk around on a trail with fine views over the lagoon. Read the legend: The king's daughter and Lake Dziani.
See the place page
South of the island
The southern peak (594 m) can be climbed in about an hour and a half; from the summit, there is a view over the double coral barrier.
Tip: Set off at sunrise: the end of the climb is steep and exposed.
See the place page
Tsingoni, west of the island
The former royal mosque of the sultanate's capital: its mihrab bears two inscriptions dated 1538.
Tip: Ask permission before entering, wearing clothing that covers you.
See the place page
Dzaoudzi, Petite-Terre
Housed in the former barracks of 1845 on the rock of Dzaoudzi, the museum presents Mahoran heritage: women's debaa, jewellery, doukas (village grocery shops), Bandrélé salt, archaeology, nature and the lagoon.
Tip: Take the opportunity to walk around the rock and its colonial buildings.
Mamoudzou seafront
Every October since 2022, the town of Mamoudzou has held a traditional canoe (laka) race on its seafront: crews of three paddlers, with youth (14–17), adult and company categories. The first edition drew nearly 1,000 visitors.
Tip: The date is announced each year by the town of Mamoudzou. For the history of the canoe, see Traditional sports and games.
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