In some ways, Anjouan is a poster child of the Indian Ocean. With its forests and rivers tumbling in a sea of green and blue down to the ocean below, and its fields of exotic essential oils - ylang-ylang, jasmine, cassis, basilic, palmarosa and orange flower - scattered throughout the island it really could be an advertisement for tropical island living. In reality it is the most densely populated of all the islands, and is feeling the effects of deforestation and soil erosion. In other ways it retains a typical island lifestyle, being more small town curiosity than big city brashness. As one Peace Corps volunteer put it, 'If you don't remember what you had for breakfast, just ask anyone on the street'.The capital of Anjouan, Mutsamudu, consists of two main parallel streets connected by a maze of alleyways, lanes, shops and shabby buildings. Near the Mosquée du Vendredi is the Sultan's Palace, and within easy walking distance of the city centre is the Dziancoundré Waterfall. There are plenty of hiking opportunities on the island, the most interesting ones being the cross-island routes. You might also want to check out the coral reefs and white sandy beaches at Chiroroni and the ylang-ylang distillery at Bamboa, or take a walk around the old town, Hari ya Moudji, in Domoni. Hari ya Moudji is full of crumbling, decaying palaces built by sultans in the 16th to 18th centuries. Descendants of these sultans still live in the palaces, albeit in genteel and shabby decrepitude.Getting to the island is not a problem. Flights from Moroni leave almost daily, although flying direct from Mayotte to Mutsamudu is not possible. Anjouan has a large accessible port so catching boats to the island is always an easy option. Once there, you can get around by share-taxi, taxi-brousse, or rented car or taxi. Mutsamudu is about 165km (102mi) from Moroni, as the crow flies.

Moroni, also known as Port-aux-Boutres, is the capital of Comoros and is on the island of Grande Comore, the youngest but largest of the Comoros Islands. The port lies on the west coast and is one of the island's best assets. With its stone jetties and boats pulled up in parallel lines, it seems more Mediterranean than African, and makes a great foreground setting for the sun that sets in a spectacular blaze of oranges, reds and maroons. Set back from the port is the medina with its maze of small winding streets, shop fronts, lane ways and wall-to-wall buildings dating back to Swahili times.Moroni is fairly spread out but, with the exception of the Arab Quarter, easy to get around. From the north a couple of main streets converge at Ave des Minstères which then winds its way around the lip of the port, before shooting out in a couple of different directions on the south side of town. Many of the hotels and bungalows are situated north of the city, with the restaurants and cafes equally divided between the north and south of the city. Unfortunately, only one or two dining places in the city centre have harbour views.The coastline on the east side of Grande Comore is wilder and more untamed than on the west. If you have time to spare, a camping trip round the east coast is always a good idea. Beginning in the northeast corner the first beach is Bouni, once the sultanate of Hamahame, but now a sleepy village with two stunning beaches. Next down the coast is Chomoni. This sheltered bay has an unusual mix of chequered black lava and white sandy beaches, and bungalows with basic facilities for hire, which is probably the best accommodation option. Down the southeast corner is the town of Foumbouni, the third-largest community on Grande Comore. The sands are whiter and brighter than anything you'll find in Moroni or Itsandra and is one of Comore's best kept secrets. Few tourists come here and the locals are still a little bamboozled at the sight of foreigners. Right at the southern tip of the island is Chindini, another airy beach with fabulous views. There are a few bungalows around, but there are also any number of places to pitch a tent.The best way to get to all these beaches from Moroni, or to travel between them, is by taxi-brousse or, if you get lucky, by hitching a ride with a vehicle going in your direction. The distance between Moroni and Bouni is 27km (17mi); between Moroni and Chomoni, 18km (11mi); between Moroni and Foumbouni, 30km (19mi); and between Moroni and Chindini, 35km (22mi).The island's interior is studded with grassy plains and the remnants of a rainforest, as well as Mt Karthala, an active volcano that's still belching and burping away. The plains roll down to the coastline where palm trees, beaches of black lava or white sand, and young coral reefs fringe the shores. The west coast has all the chichi resorts with suites and casinos, ambient bars and Frenchified restaurants.

Mayotte is currently the only Comoran island that's unequivocally French territory, and its people part of the European Community. Although Mahorais (as natives of Mayotte are known) seem quite happy to be French, particularly for the financial and political advantages it affords, Mayotte is not just petite French, it's petite, petite, and if you scratch the surface of a Mahorais you'll find more Comoran than French underneath.Mayotte actually consists of three islands: the largest, with the capital city of Mamoudzou, is Grande Terre; Pamandzi, or Petit Terre, is about 20 times smaller than the big island; and the smallest of the islands, the rock of Dzaoudzi, is little more than a poor man's Rock of Gibraltar connected to Petit Terre by a highway. Unlike the Arabic influences seen in the rest of the Comoros, Mayotte has no straggling winding medinas. Instead you'll find wattle-and-daub or tressed coconut-frond huts ranged along the wide, open streets.Because it is the oldest of the islands and is therefore ringed with coral reefs, Mayotte is a popular place for fishing, diving and boating. In fact any activity with water as the main ingredient will be available on Mayotte. That's the good news. The bad news is that it's an expensive getaway destination with everything, apart from public transport, bound to make your wallet that much lighter. Visitors don't even have the down-market option of camping, as it has been virtually outlawed.Incredibly, the only air flight to Mayotte is on international carriers flying between Grande Comore and Mayotte, and there are no flights whatsoever between Anjouan and Mayotte. This means the boats that sail between Anjouan and Mayotte, and Grand Comore and Mayotte are always heavily booked, so get in early. The distance from Moroni to Mamoudzou is about 240km (149mi).

Mitsoudjé,11km (7mi) south of Moroni, is a good place to pick up those unique hand-carved bargains that are so difficult to get at the supermarket back home. The town is primarily known for its wood carving industry, and specialises in producing decorative doors, shutters, boxes and furnishings, but you can also pick up smaller items such as candleholders and small plaques.There's a lot of tombstones at Mitsoudjé but there's a good reason for this. The inhabitants of Mitsoudjé believe that they are protected from djinns by the spirit of an aged holy man from nearby Iconi. The legend goes that the holy man promised protection for whichever village constructed his tomb. The Mitsoudjé took his word for truth, stole his body from Iconi, and laid it to rest in a home-hewn tombstone. But, worried that the body and spell might be stolen from them, they employed the old pea-under-the-shell routine, and built a slather of tombs around the area to confuse the hell out of everyone else.Mitsoudjé can be reached from Moroni by taxi-brousse.

Mohéli is the smallest, wildest and least visited of all the Comoran Islands, so getting around the island is haphazard at best. Due to its size and remoteness, Mohéli tends to be something of shrinking wallflower, and is often overlooked when it comes to receiving government goodies. Even the interior rainforests, white beaches, and blissed out solitude don't make up for what Mohélians perceive as a lack; lack of industry, lack of consumer goods, lack of development and lack of government attention.The capital of Mohéli is Fomboni but it's more a sleepy backwater than a bustling metropolis. Nothing much happens in the city and foreigners are still rare enough to elicit curious attention and cries of mzungu (the Comoran word for a European or light-skinned visitor). There are only two choices of places to stay, but it's a bit of a Hobson's choice, really: One is terrible and the other is ridiculously overpriced. This is where a tent would really come into its own and justify the trouble of lugging it around. There are any number of fine camping beaches, including Kavé Hoani, Domoni, Miringoni and Nioumachoua.Flights to Fomboni are possible although infrequent. Most air trips to the island are detours from the regular Anjouan-Grande Comore flight. Getting there by boat is, again, possible but sea trips are not regularly scheduled. You may need to ask around at the Mitsamudu (Anjouan) and Moroni (Grande Comore) ports to find a local boat going in your direction. Apart from good ol' shank's pony, taxis and taxi-brousses are the only ways to get around the island. It's about 80km (50mi) from Moroni to Fomboni.