Tourist Attractions & Monuments Mayotte

Mamoudzou is a very good base for exploring the lagoon, if only for the number of providers there to take you there. The city is about 7 minutes by boat from the "S" pass and other dive sites, about minutes from the Bouzi Island.

On the parking lot there are a few kiosks for picnics and a house of the forest protection office. It is a fairly busy beach, especially at weekends. On the other hand, try to check the tide times before coming to Moya, because as it is located on the flats, if the tide is very low, you may not be able to swim. But Moya is especially famous for its turtles laying eggs. Unfortunately, poaching is still present. That's why patrols take turns to avoid poaching. The turtles are often there at nightfall, on a small moon evening and at high tide. Officially the beach closes at 6pm to respect the peace of the turtles, the guard watches over them. If you want to see the turtles laying eggs, you have to go through the Oulanga Na Nyamba association which organizes night outings regularly. However, if you are lucky enough to see them during the day, especially the emergence of babies joining the sea, respect the instructions of the approach charter (be discreet, don't touch anything, avoid making too much noise and no lights...). It can be tempting to help the small turtles to reach the sea by taking them in your hands to make their task easier, but this will harm them in the long term: it is by crawling on the sand while their belly is still soft that the turtles get used to the granulometry of the sand, which will allow them to recognize the beach and to come back to lay their eggs throughout their life.

A walk not to be missed. The main natural curiosity of the island, the Dziani lake or Dziani Dzaha (in shimaore) has the originality to be emerald green. Its exceptional color is due to the sulfur it contains. You can go by taxi to the beginning of the trail and climb to the crater in a few minutes. Avoid going there when it has rained, as the ground is very slippery. Once you reach the top, you will be transported to another place, and why not to Vietnam, by contemplating the lake and its sulphurous water, with the blue lagoon in the background. This lake is located in a collapsed crater and bears witness to the volcanism that brought Mayotte up from the bottom of the Indian Ocean. According to the Mahorais, it is a sacred place where people come for ceremonies. It takes about an hour to walk around it, but be sure to bring water, as this walk is not at all shaded. Following the small path around it, there are views of Grande-Terre, Mamoudzou, and the outer barrier reef. Go around it to find a sign that will show you the path that leads to the Papani beach, which is quite difficult to access, only at low tide, or more simply to the superb Moya beach.

Lake Dziani is a curiosity that is increasingly exciting the scientific community. A team from Montpellier revealed that the composition of the water is similar to the oceans of 3 billion years ago, it would contain 100 times more inorganic carbon than sea water

This islet that we discover after the cape of the northern point is superb. It is not an islet, but a real island of several square kilometers that can be discovered and on which you can picnic. The inhabitants of Grande Terre have set up gardens to grow citrus fruits and bananas. The pebble M'tsamboro has several beaches on each side with superb bottoms and crystal clear water. Facing the M'tsamboro islet, depending on the tides, a beautiful islet of white sand appears... postcard landscape guaranteed.

2 km after the village, you can reach the pretty beach of Hapondra, by parking your car just after the bend before a big descent. Count on a good half hour walk in the middle of the fruit trees. Once you arrive at the banana plantation, turn right. After a steep descent, you will see a banga built on the beach. The drop off is 100/150 m from the beach, facing west, it is rich and well preserved. At high tide, turtles come to graze on the grass along the beach.

Located on the western slope of the Pointe d'Handréma in the north, Le Préfet beach is one of the most beautiful on the island. However, pedestrian access is now not recommended for security reasons. The trick is to get there by boat to fully enjoy it. The story goes that one of the prefects of Mayotte was particularly fond of this place and the island's way of life! The water is crystal clear, turtles regularly rub shoulders with the site, snorkellers can enjoy an exceptional drop-off and corals.

The Sazilé point, which can only be reached on foot, can be the occasion for a nice walk. Two hiking options are available to you:

Beach Trail: 5.8 km round trip. This easy trail follows the different beaches of the peninsula from the beach of M'tsamoudou to the beach of Sazilé where you can enjoy the drop off with snorkels. The path passes by hundred-year-old baobabs with shapes as strange as captivating. You will be able to observe many padzas, fruits of erosion and deforestation. The beaches crossed are high places of laying for the marine turtles. Be careful not to disturb them if you have the chance to see them out of the water. This is an ideal hike for families or for a day trip with a picnic and swimming.

Sentier des crêtes : from the parking lot at the exit of M'samoudou, the sentier des crêtes allows you to discover the jungle with its multiple species and the mahorais gardens on the hillside. It is not uncommon to see the inhabitants carrying heavy baskets of cinnamon apples, bananas or roots on their heads. The path is relatively flat, except for the final descent to the beach, and offers superb panoramas on the bay of Dapani, the islets of the East and of course the islet of Sable-Blanc which appears or disappears according to the tides.

The ideal is to have two cars to start with the ridge trail and then return by the beach trail, thus avoiding the climb back up after the beach.

Bivouac option. The association Les Naturalistes organizes bivouacs at the end of the peninsula, with observation of the clutches. The participants hike in the afternoon, set up their camp and have dinner on the beach and then wait for the turtles. The turtles come to lay their eggs at high tide, as soon as it gets dark. If you witness such a spectacle, you should know that the turtle has just traveled several hundred kilometers to find the beach of its birth, that it is exhausted to go back to the beach while it spends its life in the water and that it must dig a hole, which can sometimes reach 1,50 m of depth, to deposit its eggs. You will understand that the poor thing asks to be left in peace, and that it is forbidden to climb on it or to photograph it when it lays. Do not walk next to it, it feels the vibrations. The group left in the morning by the crests.

Security. As everywhere else, do not go to bivouac alone on the beaches to save a few euros, it is the group which ensures your safety.

Wikipedia estune free encyclopedia that presents Mayotte in its historical, economic, geographical, etc.

Some common sense recommendations, indicated by an entry sign: pay attention to your business, leave nothing visible in the car, ban the fire, collect your waste before leaving, bathing is unsupervised, supervise your children.

You'll reach the beach after a 20-minute walk in a bambouseraie, where the tallest bamboo can reach 40 m. If you don't make too much noise, you will discover lemurs who are watching us, hoping for some bananas. The beach arrives quickly, where there are few poorly maintained farés, and a kiosk for picnic. The place is paradise, a waterfall of fresh water falls directly on the beach, or in the sea at high tide. A natural shower to desalinating after a bath! Further away, at the roundabout, you leave a path down on Tsingoni.

Tahiti Beach, a name that arouses curiosity, and it is deserved. On the menu: beautiful golden sand, black rocks polished by the ocean, and a panorama of the Bouéni peninsula and the emblematic relief of Mount Choungui. Underwater, the drop-off is not far away, and green turtles like to walk around, so get your masks! A small beach snack bar allows you to eat on the spot and a lodge allows you to spend the night there. Like all the beaches in Mayotte, be careful not to leave anything of value on the sand while you have your head under water.

The "S" shaped pass, or Longogori pass, shares the coral reefs of Hajangoua and Pamandzi, over a length of about 4 km. The pass appeared more than 20,000 years ago during the last ice age and originated from a river bed, which explains its sinuous shape that gave it its name Longogori (sinuous path).

The reserve, created in 1990, has an exceptionally beautiful and diverse seabed and is a favourite site for divers and photographers.

A few steps from the village of Tsingoni, this section of the GR1 allows you to reach Sohoa beach in about an hour. The walk is pleasant by the panoramas it offers on the bay and the surprising encounters with makis and other zebus. Tropical vegetation is also abundant, the surroundings of the path are full of bananas, mangoes, pineapples and even vanilla shoots. Once at the beach, all you have to do is take a swim before turning around.

Covering three hectares, the botanical garden of Coconi is a concentrate of Mayotte! You will find the majority of the island's plant species. From the tiny flower coloured to the extravagant tree, you will not cease to be surprised, even if you thought of all the secrets of Mayotte. In the long term, the garden will include explanatory panels to discover the medicinal and chemical properties of some of these plants and their use in the daily lives of the inhabitants.

Tariff: free.

Duration: between 1 a. m. and 2 p. m.

Difficulty: .

A 6 km trail on the heights of Mamoudzou leads you to the Governor's House. Built in the 1880 s as a place of convalescence for soldiers of the Foreign Legion, it then turned into a holiday destination for the most affluent of the island. But more than the building itself, the interest of the walk lies in the forest it passes through and in the panorama it offers upon arrival. The rise is driven by exotic discoveries: (mango, bambouseraies) and especially the presence of the makis who live there. From the Governor's House, you can reach Koungou by borrowing 8 kilometers from the GR.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 1 p. m.

Difficulty: .

It is difficult to impose when you are a freshwater lake on an island where the lagoon is king! So yes, this freshwater restraint (one of the few that the island has!) does not present bright, enchanting colours, but it has abundant fauna and flora. Amateur ornithologists can test their knowledge by observing the many birds coming to nest in these porous fields, while budding botanists can admire the diversity of plant species that feed on lake water. A recommended trip to the rainy season, because the extent is reduced considerably when the heat rises.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 50 minutes.

Difficulty: .

A few steps from the village of Tsingoni, this section of the GR 1 allows you to reach Sohoa beach in about an hour. The walk is pleasant by the panoramas it offers on the bay and surprising encounters with makis and other zébus. Tropical vegetation is also abundant, the way of the road is full of bananas, mangoes, pineapple and even vanilla sprouts. At the beach, you only have to bite a head before you turn around.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 1 p. m.

Difficulty: .

At the exit of Dapani, the padzas offer you a colourful show in color: from red, blue, green, there are for all tastes! This walk is splendid in fine weather, the blue of the sky revives the red of the earth and the lagoon unveils its turquoise waters. This "red desert" is one of those wonders that only nature can produce, but from an ecological point of view, the ferocious erosion of these lands is a danger to the lagoon. Explanatory panels inform you about the formation of these soils and current rehabilitation projects.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 30 minutes.

Difficulty: .

A track that you take just before the college of Dzoumogné, passing in front of the only locomotive of the island, leads to Mount Dziani Bolé, 472 m high. The track is accessible by 4x4 or on foot. It is preferable to climb it early in the morning to get there at low tide and discover the coral reef. We pass ylang-ylang plantations, distilleries; we cross padzas, then we rise through the Hachiroungou forest. We finish the climb with 170 steps. From there, on a clear day, you can see Anjouan, the Comorian island, 75 km away.

Impossible to miss: the Faré beach stretches along the Boulevard des Crabes, a few meters from the barge. Apart from the children who splash around and the fishermen who stroll along it at the end of the day, it is mostly frequented by the M'zungus who play beach volleyball, beach tennis, mölkky and other beach sports. It is also the starting point for Maoré Jet's nautical activities. Ideal on your arrival or when you leave to enjoy the beautiful view over Grande-Terre and the lagoon. A superb point of view to photograph.

Also known as the "Choazil Islets", these two rocks are connected by a white sandy tongue that is only exposed at low tide. The smaller of the two rocks is easily climbed to admire the view from the top, and what a view it is! On the Grande Terre side, you can see the minarets of the villages of Hamjago and M'tsamboro, overhung by beautiful green mountains, and on the open sea side, you can see several islets of white sand at low tide, the islet of M'tsamboro, and on a clear day, the island of Anjouan. Most of the boat operators make a stop here for a drink or a picnic.