Mamoudzou Grande-Terre Island Mayotte
5
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
Offshore: ships anchor in the lagoon and tenders land passengers in the heart of the Mahoran capital. The covered market is a few steps from the landing.
Mayotte is a French department between Madagascar and Mozambique. You pay in euros, which simplifies everything: no bureau de change required.
Shimaore, French and Kibushi answer each other from stall to stall. French is enough to be understood everywhere.
Pyramids of mangoes and plantains, sacks of spices, vanilla pods and brilliantly patterned fabrics that women wear knotted as a salouva. It is the day's first immersion, steps from the landing.
By the barge, a local institution shuttling constantly between Mamoudzou and Dzaoudzi in fifteen to twenty minutes. From there you reach Lake Dziani and Moya beach.
It is a volcanic crater whose emerald green water cuts sharply against the blue of the open sea, on the island of Petite-Terre. The path around it gives plunging views over the two-tone landscape.
Yes. N'Gouja beach and the Saziley point reserve, in southern Grande-Terre, rank among the best places in the world to swim metres from green turtles, which graze the seagrass entirely unbothered.
From August to September, when humpback whales come to calve in these calm waters. Dolphins, by contrast, turn up on boat trips almost year-round.
The market, then the barge to Petite-Terre and the loop around Lake Dziani. The southern lagoon sites such as N'Gouja involve distances only organised excursions can cover in the time available.
Because of ylang-ylang, whose yellow flowers have been distilled here for over a century and go into the great perfumes. Some tours visit the plantations and stills, among baobabs and lemurs.
