Komori · The Islands of the Moon
Volcanoes and lagoons, sultans and seafarers, tales of djinns and grand marriages: explore the geography, history, culture and treasures of Ngazidja, Mwali, Ndzuwani and Maore.
News · Health
Mpox in the Union of the Comoros, malaria on the rise in Mayotte: our advice before you leave, with sources.
News · Mayotte
Since 1 January 2026, the departmental council has become the Assembly of Mayotte. Here is what changes.
Tip · Mohéli
All year round, green turtles come to lay their eggs on the beaches of Itsamia. A night outing with the village guides.
Tip · Season
From November to January, the markets overflow with fruit: the best time to stroll around Volo Volo or Mamoudzou.
From the volcano of Grande Comore to the lagoon of Mayotte.
Ngazidja · The island of the volcano
The largest and youngest of the four islands lives to the rhythm of its volcano, Karthala. Lava flows, coral medinas, old sultanates and grand marriages: Ngazidja is the political and cultural heart of the Union of the Comoros.
Discover
Mwali · The nature island
The smallest and wildest of the Comorian islands. Forests, mangroves, turtle nesting beaches and the memory of Queen Djoumbé Fatima: Mohéli is an open-air biosphere reserve.
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Ndzuwani · The perfume island
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.
Discover
Maore · The lagoon island
The oldest island of the archipelago is surrounded by one of the largest enclosed lagoons in the world. Turtles, whales and lemurs, the mosque of Tsingoni and the rock of Dzaoudzi: Mayotte combines natural riches with a singular history.
DiscoverFeats, results and fixtures of athletes from the four islands, at home and abroad.
At 18, the Mahoran from Bouéni is playing with Les Bleus at the Powerchair Football World Cup in Buenos Aires, from 13 to 23 October. On his first…
Les Diables Noirs of Combani beat Bandrélé FC 3–2 in the regional final on Saturday 17 October, winning the fourth regional final in their history.…
The 12th Indian Ocean Island Games will be held in the Comoros from 10 to 19 August 2027. The opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday 10 August,…
At her first World Championships, in Baku, the 25-year-old Mahoran judoka won silver in the under-78 kg category. She beat the world number one,…
Understanding the archipelago from every angle.
History
Stone towns, princely rivalries, ports of call for ships bound for the Indies and raids from Madagascar: dive into the eventful history of the archipelago's sultanates.
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Hale halele
“Hale!” – “Halele!”: origin myths, place legends and mischievous tales, retold with their sources. Step into the spoken word of the Islands of the Moon.
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Nature
Long thought to be extinct, this fish, which appeared more than 400 million years ago, lives in the underwater caves of the Comoros.
Read more“Hale!” “Halele!”
Myths, legends and mischievous tales from the four islands.
Origin myths
Why does Karthala have such a vast crater at its summit? Because a ring of love fell there, say the storytellers of Grande Comore.
Place legends
In the north of Grande Comore, a round, bottomless lake lies where a village once stood that had refused a little water to a traveller.
Place legends
Why does the crater lake of Petite-Terre have such a strange colour? Because of a blind king and a sacrificed princess.
Evening tales
Cunning Ibnasya borrows a cooking pot from his miserly neighbour… and gives it back with a “baby”. A mischievous tale from the Swahili world.
From the first seafarers to today's archipelago.
8th–10th c.
The oldest known sites, such as Sima on Anjouan, have yielded rice and mung beans from Asia: Bantu-speaking Africans and Austronesian seafarers meet in the archipelago.
13th–15th c.
So-called “Shirazi” lineages ally themselves with local chiefs and found dynasties; stone cities develop.
25 April 1841
Andriantsoly cedes Mayotte to France; formal possession is taken on 13 June 1843.
25 July 1912
The annexation law makes the four islands a province of the colony of Madagascar.
6 July 1975
After the French law of 3 July providing for ratification island by island, the Chamber of Deputies proclaims independence; Ahmed Abdallah becomes head of state.
31 March 2011
Mayotte becomes a French department, then an outermost region of the European Union in 2014.
The must-see places and our itineraries.
Discovery
The complete itinerary to understand the archipelago: a volcano, a biosphere reserve, the perfume island and a giant lagoon.
Adventure
For walkers: the crater of Karthala, the cloud forest of Ntingui and the Choungui viewpoint.
Ocean
A trip with your feet in the water, to meet the turtles, whales and best-preserved reefs of the archipelago.
Culture
Medinas, citadels, ancient mosques and palaces: a journey through the history of the merchant cities of the Indian Ocean.
