5 Must Sees on Grande Comore, Island

Located in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique lies the small Island nation of the Comoros. These beautiful islands offer spectacular beaches, hikes, and incredible food. Having had the opportunity to live there for 2 years on Grande Comore, I had the chance to truly experience the island and see all its beauty. Here are 5 must sees on the island.

Hike Mt. Karthala

One of two volcanoes that formed the island of Grande Comore, Mt. Karhtala is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. It provides an incredible view of the island and a unique hike through the rainforest jungle. It is roughly a 1900 meter hike, and provides a fun challenge, even for the average hiker. As of 2018 you can hire a guide for 25,000 Comorian Franc (€50), and most hotels have a guide they can recommend. I recommend doing the overnight hike, which allows for you to go into the crater, as well as not rush up and down in the day.

Swim with Dolphins

While you can go to various countries and swim with dolphins, the experience in Comoros is quite unique. As not only do you get to snorkel while seeing them swim around, but you get the unique opportunity to have them come super close to you while you get pulled by the boat holding onto some rope, and they swim all around you.

Beaches

Being a tropical island there are several beaches that line the coast. While Istandra beach is always an easy beach to get to from Moroni, my favourites are up on the north of the island. Malouja is the big one that many go and visit, but situated near to there is Galawa beach. A once luxury hotel, this beach is now a secret little hide away from the more popular Malouja beach right near it.

Salt Lake

Located on the north-east side of the island the Salt Lake and Dragon’s Spine are a short drive away from the north beaches.

According to legend, a witch came to the area looking for water, but no one gave it to her, so she turned the lake near the village into a salt-lake. It is still unknown to this day how deep it is. And if you take a little steep walk down you can get close up to it. And on the other side of the lake, there is a small land mass that divides the lake from the ocean, and a beach that you can check out.

Dragon’s Spine

Just the village down from the Salt Lake lies Dragon’s Spine. This formation is several rocks that have formed to create what looks like the spine of a dragon. You can take a little hike up to the top, and/or go check out the beaches that surround the area.