Anjouan and Grande Comore Build New Routes for Nature and Agro-Tourism in the Comoros

Written By: Abhirup Gan

Abhirup Gan

I'm Abhirup Gan, a Mass Communication graduate and digital marketing professional. Driven by a passion for storytelling, I create insightful, research-led content that explores tourism trends, destination stories, and hospitality developments with depth and clarity. Through my writing, I hope to inspire readers to discover not only where to travel, but the stories, cultures, and experiences that make every journey meaningful.

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August 28, 2026 12:55 GMT+5:30

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The islands of Comoros, Anjouan, and Grande Comore have become popular as destinations within the Indian Ocean archipelago through agriculture, perfumery, volcanics and rural tourism experiences. The new tourism products enable tourists the chance to undertake tours to rural areas through plantations and agricultural tourism, among other activities such as trekking and nature tourism. This is happening at a time when the government of Comoros is trying to diversify tourism away from its coastal holiday experience. According to the World Bank, improved accommodation services, inter-island connectivity, and environmental management have been found to be important for tourism development, and the bank’s recent report on the country indicates that there is a revival in ylang-ylang production in 2025. A trip to Comoros would involve visiting Moroni and Grande Comore before engaging in rural plantation visits in Anjouan and finally trekking to the volcanic landscape of Mount Karthala.

Anjouan Connects Tourism With Fragrance Heritage

Anjouan has a particularly strong connection with the cultivation of aromatic plants. UNESCO’s tentative World Heritage documentation identifies the island as an important landscape for perfume plantations, including ylang-ylang, cloves and vanilla, alongside distillation facilities and rural agricultural areas.

Ylang-ylang has played a major role in the agricultural identity of Anjouan. The fragrant flowers are processed into essential oil used in the international perfume industry, creating a direct link between local farming and a globally recognised luxury product.

This heritage provides an opportunity for visitors to understand the production process at its source. Plantation walks, agricultural visits and demonstrations connected with distillation can give travellers a closer look at how aromatic crops move from rural fields into commercial fragrance production.

The experience also introduces visitors to the island’s rural landscapes. Rather than simply travelling between beaches and hotels, travellers can explore agricultural communities where plantations remain part of the local economy and landscape.

Ylang-Ylang and Vanilla Create Rural Travel Routes

Vanilla and ylang-ylang provide two distinctive themes for agro-tourism. Vanilla cultivation connects Comoros with one of the world’s best-known luxury food and fragrance ingredients, while ylang-ylang offers a more direct connection with perfume production.

Cloves add another layer to the agricultural story. UNESCO’s documentation of the Comoros perfume plantation landscape identifies plantations of ylang-ylang, cloves and other aromatic plants, together with vanilla and the infrastructure historically associated with processing and storage.

A guided agricultural route can therefore combine several products rather than focusing on one crop. Travellers can learn about cultivation, harvesting and processing while exploring the villages and landscapes surrounding the plantations.

This type of tourism also has a practical local dimension. The World Bank reports that a development project supporting agriculture, tourism and related businesses in Comoros created 1,772 direct full-time jobs between 2019 and 2024, with 60 per cent of those jobs going to young people.

Mbeni Adds a Cultural Dimension on Grande Comore

Mbeni, on Grande Comore, can form part of a broader cultural and rural itinerary. The town is located away from the main coastal resort pattern, giving visitors an opportunity to explore local life alongside the island’s agricultural heritage.

Grande Comore is the country’s largest island and home to Moroni, the national capital. Its volcanic terrain provides a natural setting for outdoor travel, while traditional settlements and agricultural landscapes create opportunities for cultural excursions.

The island’s tourism potential is closely connected with Karthala. UNESCO’s documentation of the island’s terrestrial ecosystems describes the volcano as a major geological feature, with a caldera measuring around three kilometres across and mountain forests supporting distinctive biodiversity.

Karthala Brings Volcano Trekking Into the Itinerary

Mount Karthala is one of the defining natural attractions of Grande Comore. The volcano forms a major part of the island’s landscape and provides a demanding trekking experience for visitors travelling with appropriate local guides and preparation.

The upper slopes transition through different vegetation zones, while the summit area provides access to volcanic terrain and the large caldera. UNESCO’s 2026 tentative listing for Karthala National Park recognises the site’s geological and ecological importance.

Trekking Karthala requires more planning than a conventional day excursion. Weather, terrain, altitude, walking duration and local conditions all need to be considered before setting out.

For experienced hikers, however, the volcano provides a strong nature component to a Comoros itinerary. It also creates an opportunity to combine outdoor activity with the island’s cultural and agricultural experiences.

Inter-Island Travel Becomes More Important

Developing tourism across several islands increases the importance of reliable connections between Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli. The African Development Bank is supporting a major maritime corridor project designed to improve transport connectivity and safety between the islands.

Better inter-island links can make multi-destination travel more practical. Visitors could combine Moroni and Karthala with Anjouan’s plantation landscapes and, where transport and visitor arrangements permit, continue to Mohéli for additional nature experiences.

The wider tourism strategy also has a conservation component. UNESCO previously supported Comoros in developing a sustainable tourism management plan based on mapping cultural and natural heritage across the three main islands.

A More Diverse Comoros Travel Experience

The emerging tourism offer gives travellers several distinct ways to experience the archipelago:

• Grande Comore: Karthala trekking, volcanic landscapes and Moroni.
• Anjouan: Ylang-ylang, vanilla, cloves and rural plantation heritage.
• Mbeni: Cultural and agricultural experiences away from the coast.
• Mohéli: Nature and marine experiences within the wider island network.

When put together, the above-mentioned attractions serve to expand the possibilities of travel in Comoros outside the scope of beaches and beach hotels. Farm trails give travelers insight into agriculture on the island, while the volcano Karthala introduces an important adventure element. Thus, there emerges an itinerary for tourists based on the heritage of fragrance, farming, volcanology and local culture.