Comoros is doable independently, but it is one of the least touristed countries in Africa, so expect patience and some French rather than smooth backpacker infrastructure.
Visas are issued on arrival at Hahaya airport near
Moroni, and there are no hostels: plan on guesthouses and small hotels at roughly €25 to 60 a night. Shared taxis and taxi-brousses cover each island cheaply, usually €1 to 3 per ride. Inter-island flights cost about €80 to 130 one way and schedules shift, so book a day early. French and Comorian are the working languages, ATMs are limited to the main towns, and conservative dress matters in this Muslim country.
Five to seven days is the right amount of time for Comoros if you want to see two islands without rushing.
Two days covers
Moroni and the north coast of Grande Comore, including Trou du Prophète, an hour away by taxi-brousse. Add two more days for the
Mount Karthala trek, which needs a night on the crater rim.
Mohéli deserves at least two or three nights for the marine park and the turtle beaches near Itsamia, and
Anjouan another two or three for Mutsamudu and its interior. With flights of 30 to 45 minutes between islands, ten days lets you see all three comfortably.
Yes, you can travel around Comoros without a car, using shared taxis and taxi-brousse minibuses on each island and short flights between them.
On Grande Comore, shared taxis around
Moroni cost about €0.50 to 1, and the ride north to
Mitsamiouli takes roughly an hour for around €2. On
Mohéli, transport is thinner, so the 1 to 1.5 hour trip from Fomboni to Nioumachoua often means hiring a car with driver for €25 to 40. Flights between islands run €80 to 130 one way. Boats between islands exist but are irregular and often overcrowded, so flying is the safer choice.
The essential stops in Comoros are
Moroni,
Mount Karthala and the island of
Mohéli.
In Moroni, spend half a day in the medina and at the harbor by the Old Friday Mosque. Karthala, at 2,361 meters, is a two-day guided trek costing about €60 to 120 per person, with a night beside one of the world’s largest active volcanic craters. On Grande Comore’s north coast,
Trou du Prophète and the crater lake
Lac Salé make an easy day trip. On Mohéli, base yourself in
Nioumachoua for two nights to snorkel the marine park islets and see green turtles nesting near Itsamia.
If you are short on time in Comoros, skip
Anjouan and the capital of Mohéli,
Fomboni, and focus on Grande Comore plus one Mohéli beach base.
Anjouan has a fine old medina in Mutsamudu and green valleys, but adding it costs another flight of €80 to 130 and at least two days. Fomboni is a functional town with little to hold you, so head straight to
Nioumachoua, 1 to 1.5 hours south. On Grande Comore, you can also skip Karthala if you lack two full days and the fitness for a 6 to 8 hour climb, and spend that time on the north coast instead.
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