Comoros itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick your length first, then your islands. The table below is the short version; the sections after it explain each route.

Days 1–3, Moroni. Land at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport, settle in the capital and use the first full day for the medina, the harbour at sunset and Volo-Volo market in the morning. Avoid Friday midday for the old town and mosque area. Day 3 can be a half-day south to Iconi's old town and ruins.

Days 4–6, Mohéli. Fly or take the ferry to Mohéli and base yourself around Fomboni or Nioumachoua for the marine park. Two nights is the minimum for a turtle night at Itsamia; three is better. This is the part of the trip most people remember, so protect it.

Day 7, Moroni. Return to Grande Comore and sleep in Moroni. This night is not sightseeing, it is insurance: if the inter-island hop is delayed or cancelled, you are already where your international flight leaves from.

Days 1–3, Moroni. Same start as the week trip, but with time for the old market and a slower first day after the flight.

Days 4–5, north Grande Comore. Move to Mitsamiouli for the beaches near Chomoni, Lac Salé and the lava coast at Trou du Prophète. Two nights is enough unless you are diving.

Days 6–8, Mohéli. Three nights around the marine park and Itsamia. Add a fourth if you dive.

Days 9–11, Anjouan. Fly to Mutsamudu for the citadel and the old medina, with mountain walks inland. Check current travel advice for Anjouan before you commit to this leg; if advice is unfavourable, spend the days on Mohéli and Grande Comore instead (check).

Days 12–14, Moroni. Three nights back on Grande Comore. That is more buffer than most trips need, which is the point: it absorbs one cancelled flight without wrecking the holiday.

Three weeks lets you stop treating transport as the enemy. Keep the same island order as the two-week route, but add nights rather than new places: 3–4 in Moroni, 2–3 on the north coast, 4–5 on Mohéli, 3–4 on Anjouan, then 3–4 back in Moroni.

Use the extra days for the things that need weather and patience: the Mount Karthala crater hike (dry season only, with a guide), a second turtle night, and a full day on a boat in the Mohéli marine park. If a flight cancels, you lose a beach day, not your flight home.

This is also the length that suits combining Comoros with a longer Indian Ocean trip, since you are not racing a fixed return date.

Season decides more than itinerary shape. Go May–October for the dry season; the Karthala hike is generally a June–September proposition. Outside that window, expect rain and rougher sea crossings.

Inter-island flights and ferries are the planning bottleneck. Fly where you can, keep one buffer night before any international departure, and do not book a same-day connection between an inter-island hop and a long-haul flight.

Money and entry: carry enough cash for the islands, since card acceptance is limited outside Moroni, and confirm your visa situation before booking. Costs vary widely with how much you fly between islands.