The Comoros archipelago consists of four volcanic islands sprinkled over the Indian Ocean, between the northern tip of Madagascar and the top half of the Mozambique coastline. Three of the islands - Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Mohéli (Mwali), and Anjouan (Ndzuani) - make up the Republic of Comoros, while the fourth island, Mayotte, remains unrepublic, unrepentant and unapologetically French. The three islands of the republic cover an area roughly 12 times the size of Washington, with the biggest and northernmost island, Grande Comore, shaped like a foot and shinbone. Beneath it is the smaller island of Mohéli, the oval stone that the foot is kicking, and beneath that (and a little to the east), the medium-size island of Anjouan, shaped like a melting map of Tasmania. Mayotte, further south again, is about twice the size of Washington and is shaped like a feisty little seahorse standing on its head.

While Comoros isn't renowned for its weird and wacky wildlife on terra firma (apart from the fact that it's full of drongos), it is famous for being a bit of a Jurassic Park under the sea. In 1938 a local museum curator found a coelacanth in the bottom of a local's fishing basket. This prehistoric 'fossil' fish, with limblike fins and cartilaginous skeleton, was thought to have been extinct for over 70 million years, and the discovery, according to one professor, was equivalent to finding a live dinosaur. Incredibly, the locals had been catching these 'extinct' coelacanths (or

The climate is marine tropical, with two seasons: hot and humid from November to April, and cool and dry the rest of the year. In fact, for a significant part of the year Comoros enjoys a near-perfect, balmy 25°C with the scent of ylang-ylang, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla wafting gently in on the trade winds. But when it's not perfect paradise weather, it's tempestuous and surly, with monsoonal winds and cyclones screaming in off the ocean.

The tourist industry on Comoros is woefully underdeveloped, and the Comoran franc is still hogtied to the Euro. This makes basic accommodation both overpriced and underwhelming, and the islands one of the more expensive destinations in the region. If you can camp, or find a modest

The Banque Internationale des Comores (BIC) is an efficient bank that exchanges all currencies, but the best currency to carry around and exchange is French francs. There are several branches of the BIC in both Moroni and Mutsamudu, but the only bank on Mohéli is the bank-in-a-satchel, which flies in and out of the island every second Monday. Don't get caught there without cash because it might be a long time between withdrawals. Except in upmarket hotels and restaurants, which also exchange money at vastly inflated rates, credit cards are next to useless.

In Mayotte, money can be changed at the Banque Française Commerciale Océan Indien in Mamoudzou or Dzaoudzi. The more upmarket restaurants, and most hotels, travel agencies and car hire firms accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Diners Club credit cards. If you have the right kind of card, you can even withdraw money from an automatic teller machine. And you'll need plenty of it if staying in Mayotte for any length of time.

Bargaining is something of a tradition in Comoros (less so on Mayotte), and the idea of a fixed price as strange as a three dollar note, but there is an etiquette that goes with the bargaining. The process should be unhurried, conducted in a spirit of mutual admiration for your opponent's bargaining prowess. Hostile or agitated offers will only increase the price of the item. Tipping is not the norm except in the more Frenchified environs of Mayotte, but tipping staff for good service is appreciated.

The wet season between November and April is not a particularly healthy time to visit Comoros. If you don't die from dehydration or sheer frustration at the oppressively humid conditions, you might find yourself caught in a monsoonal wind (