Comoros ? An Up And Coming Holiday Location in The Indian Ocean
The Union of Comoros is made up of four remote, small islands: Grand Comore, Moheli, Mayotte, and Anjouen. Situated between Madagascar and Mozambique in the lush and exotic Indian Ocean, the Comoros Islands lay to the south of Africa in the Mozambique Channel.
This destination is one of the lesser known Islands off Africa’s coast. The Union of Comoros has known its share of chaos and turmoil but in 1975 won its independence from France. With a new constitution drawn in 2001, now this nation has become more settled. It has also become a luxurious traveller’s holiday spot. The island is 700 square miles in size and houses no more than 700,000 people year-round. The nation’s capital, Moroni, holds the international airport.
Arabic and Swahili blend into the colorful language spoken in Comoros, but travellers will hear the natives speak French and Arabic, too. This comes as no surprise as the national religion is Islam. Seafarers made the Union of Comoros a popular stopover enroute between Africa and Asia.
Things to Do in Comoros
Locals farms produce essence of orange, ylang-ylang, jasmine, orange and cloves, pepper, nutmeg, and vanilla spice. Alcohol is largely prohibited here. Mount Karthala on Grand Comore is worth discovering. Snorkeling the vast reef is a favorite pastime. Diving is spectacular in the archipelago. So, too, are sailing and boating. Local motorized canoes, known as pirogues take visitors to view Green Turtles at the Marine Reserve.
There is much to see In the Union of Comoros. Visit the old fishing villages, waterfalls that plummet into the sea and royal tombs. Enjoy watching the Comoran dancers or take a day-trip to the perfume distilleries, unspoilt beaches, numerous mosques or dhows, the Arab sailboats used long ago.
The local dishes are worth trying are usually served with rice. Spicy sauces will smother them. Expect to see Plantain, Cassava, Barbecued goat meat, seafood and couscous on the list. Guests are generally held to a number of alcoholic drinks per person and your servers will expect a 10% tip.
Accommodation in Comoros
Accommodation is at a minimum here while Comoros is still being developed for tourism. Few budget hotels exist or pensions. The common trend is room sharing or tourists can stay in simple shelters. Moroni and Mutsamudu have the best options.
Each island does have its own airfield to making island hopping possible and there is a ferry service linking them as well. As currency exchanges are not available at the airport, come prepared. It is not difficult as US dollars, French Francs and Euros are accepted forms of currency. The climate is generally hot and humid. The rainy season runs from November to April and tornado season runs from January to April.
It is a good time to visit the Union of Comoros before a mass of tourism begins. The islands promise an exotic experience surrounded with tropical, lush vegetation and lovely turquoise sea. This is an Indian Ocean treat not to miss.
For further reading check out The Top 10 Spas in the World, Sexy Seychelles-A Perfect Romantic Island Getaway, Barcelona – The Chicest City on the Med or Ascension Island, Charles Darwin Place a Bid for Life on Mars
By Jori Sams-Freelance Journalist-visit more of the creative works written by Jori Sams on her website
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Written by Jori Sams
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Filed under Kayaking by on Sep 22nd, 2011. Comment. 
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Kenya safari holidays include Kenya camping safaris Kenya beach holidays Kenya lodge safaris to Masai Mara Amboseli and safaris from Mombasa Kenya the land where safari was born also known as the cradle of mankind is a land of unashamed splendor and great contrast From the highlands of central Kenya to the great Rift valley and its resident lakes across to the second largest lake in the world Lake Victoria further south to the elephants of Amboseli and a spectacular view of Africa s highest point Mount Kilimanjaro and down to the cost where the shimmering white sands of the beaches of the Indian Ocean and ancient culture of millennia passed is still alluring to the traveler to this day
I'm married to a go and we live on another continent than we grew up on and have 3 kids. The oldest is 9 and tells me that wherever we are, she intends to be on the other side of the world (which will probably be Australia because there is no way we are going back). When she was 8 I took her to London and Paris because she had always loved Madeline books (and the holiday location was her choice). After 4 days in London she asked if there was a decent university in England. So now she has her sights set on Oxford. The youngest two are very close to each other, but I still think they will Go. They used to say they would live next door to each other, now it's 19 houses apart. They have picked Switzerland as their home. Great skiing and they figure we can join them on family holidays (as we were there last xmas). When we visit people in Australia, as we drive out the driveway, we have conversations like – “they will still be in that driveway/house/job/school etc when we return in 1, 2 5, 10 years right” – yep………….the kids just sigh and state – that is SOOO SAD, how can anyone actually like doing that? Beats me….sounds like some sort of torture.Luckily we are surrounded by expats (and yes we knew some people who recently moved to Mumbai). We are very fortunate, we don't know anyone who doesn't want to be an expat…..most expats chose to do it – and love it. It can be a very fulfilling life….full of adventure and excitement. Plus – you get to appreciate previously normal things in life, which is another great thing about being a GO.]]>
''No-o-o-o!!! That's ignorant!''
GoY – not everyone is that into South Park to get the reference. One weekend I watched all of the episodes on the SP website that I have never seen or didn't remember. It's startling at first (for the more sensitive viewers) because there's no ''beeping'' out of the more colorful language.
But, in all, it was a weekend well spent.]]>