Comoros Islands Tours & Vacations

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travelers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travelers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

The Comoros Islands are located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, right off the east of Africa and between northern Mozambique and Northern Madagascar. The Comoros Islands are made up of several cultures including influences from Africa, Asia, and France.

Yes, every person - regardless of where they're traveling from - needs to have a tourist visa in order to clear immigration on the Comoros Islands. This includes nationals from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the countries in the European Union. You also need to make sure your passport has more than 6 months of validity from the date you intend to enter the Comoros Islands. 

Getting to the Comoros Islands isn't always easy and can sometimes be extremely tricky. There are only two ways of getting to the islands and that's by either flying or catching a boat, but both of those options are still rather difficult to facilitate. There is one international airport, located near the capital city on Grand Comore island, however, there aren't daily flights so you'll have to organize your holiday around flight availability. Catching a boat is not easy either with an irregular schedule and not a lot of information provided on how to book tickets etc, however, the beautiful Comoros Islands are worth the effort. 

Due to its past, the Comoros islands have three officially recognized languages - French, Arabic, and Comorian - however, Comorian is the language that the majority of the population use in everyday life. 

Due to its relatively remote location, internet access on the Comoros Islands is scarce and often unreliable. If you need to stay connected to the outside world, the bigger hotels offer free wifi that your phone should be able to join. Once you start moving away from the capital city of Moroni, expect little to no service, especially in the wilderness and rainforest areas. 

The short answer is yes, you can use your cell phone while on the islands but you'll need to either activate your cell phone provider's international data roaming plan or purchase a local SIM card. Both of these can be easily done but internet service is often unreliable outside of bigger hotels in Moroni. 

You should find western-style flushable toilets in larger hotels and other modern buildings, especially in the capital city but squat/pit toilets are also common once you start to move away from populated areas. You should also remember to take toilet paper and soap with you wherever you go as this is not always supplied. 

Due to various environmental reasons (volcanic ash potentially polluting drinking water), we don't recommend drinking tap water on the Comoros Islands. To avoid buying bottled water, try taking a reusable drinking bottle with you and filling it up with filtered water. If filtered water isn't readily available at your hotel, ask your leader about the best places to access it. 

Packing for the Comoros Islands is much like packing for any other tropical destination - plenty of lightweight clothing, swimwear, sun-protective items, comfortable walking shoes, and your camera to take those wanderlust-y photos! 

All major credit and debit cards (such as Visa) are accepted in most western-style establishments and hotel chains, particularly in Moroni (the capital city). However, once you leave the populated areas, it's best to have cash with you in case local places don't offer electronic payment. 

The ATMs on the Comoros Islands generally accept foreign cards (such as Visa and Mastercard) but most of them charge a usage fee and you'll probably only find them in well-populated areas. We don't recommend relying on being able to access your travel funds via ATM though as there could be disruptions and this may cause difficulty during your trip. 

The climate of the Comoros Islands is considered to be tropical with hot, rainy summers and moderate, dry winters expected. Summers can reach high temperatures of 82°F while winters still sit around 77°F, making it the perfect destination to visit all year round. However, summers can experience up to 365mm on average per month and are subject to occasional monsoons so keep that in mind when planning your trip. 

The food on the Comoros Islands is heavily influenced by French, African, and Arabic cuisines with meat, fish, plantains, and coconut milk all being key ingredients in most dishes. There are plenty of traditional meals to try during your adventure across the islands including sweet treats, main meals, and savory snacks that are both hearty and extremely flavourful. 

Intrepid is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability. That’s why we do our best to help as many people see the world as possible, regardless of any physical or mental limitations they might have. However, we’re always happy to talk to travelers with disabilities and see if we can help guide them toward the most suitable itinerary for their needs and where possible, make reasonable adjustments to our itineraries.

Absolutely. All passengers traveling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.

For more information on insurance, please go to: Travel Insurance

From Australia?

Go to: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/

From Canada?

Go to: https://travel.gc.ca/

From the UK?

Go to: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

From New Zealand?

Go to: https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/

From the US?

Go to: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html

The World Health Organisation also provides useful health information.