The Comores is made up out of four islands, found approximately halfway between Mozambique and Madagascar. It has a tropical climate with a rainy season that stretches from October until April.
You will find beautiful white beaches, turquoise warm sea and you will be surrounded by the scents of vanilla, nutmeg, jasmine and ylang-ylang.  True paradise as we can only imagine in our wildest dreams.

Unfortunately the downside to visiting this island far out way the potential for a great holiday:

• Health Risks :  The three major health risks are malaria, cholera and dengue fever.  It is imperative that you do not drink the local water, rather rely on bottled water.

• Volcano :  On the largest of the four islands, Grande Comore you will find an active volcano. Experts predict another eruption in the near future.

• Accommodation : Despite my best efforts to find suitable hotel accommodation, I failed.  It seems as if most foreigners who were involved in the tourism industry pulled out of the country due to the political instability and corruption. Most of the hotels I could find seemed old and did not provide meals.

• Medical Facilities :  No proper medical facilities are available and travel agencies actually encourage tourists to take their own medical kit.

• Crime :  Although crime is not high in this Islamic country, tourists are often victims of pick pocketers.

In my opinion, I would rather spend a little more on a holiday than to be exposed to these elements.  After all you want to relax on holiday and not worry about ending up with cholera.

This island used to be a wonderful tropical holiday destination.  Unfortunately political instability led to the country now being extremely impoverished.  The instability and corruption in the government killed the big tourism industry that thrived in the 1980’s to 1990’s.  Many tourists will now not be able to see the beauty of the island, which includes underwater splendor, beautiful rainforests and the unique animal life of Comores.

for more on the comores visit http://www.ocomores.org