When the other islands broke away from French rule in the 1970s, Mayotte voted to remain a French overseas collectivity (with administration from the French government). This relationship gives Mayotte a higher standard of income—and more French bureaucrats—than the rest of the Comoros.
Lying 145 mi/235 km southeast of Moroni, Mayotte is fairly mountainous, with an average elevation of nearly 2,000 ft/610 m, and is surrounded by a magnificent coral reef that ranges 1-6 mi/2-10 km from the shoreline. (Excellent scuba diving can be arranged by the dive club that serves Kani Kele on the southwestern coast.) Among the island's most distinctive features are its waterfalls—our favorite is Sulu Falls—which plunge directly into the sea.
Mayotte actually consists of three main islands, the smallest of which is Dzaoudzi, the former capital. Dzaoudzi has retained many of its colonial buildings and is worth a few hours of leisure time. The slightly larger Ile Pamanzi is connected to Dzaoudzi by a causeway known as the "Boulevard of Crabs." Mayotte's airport is on Pamanzi.
You'll need to take a short ferry ride to reach the main island, Grand Terre. The ferry docks at Mamoudzou, which has a very French atmosphere (it's also fairly compact—you can spend a pleasant hour walking around investigating its shops). You can also take a boat to Sisoa Bouzi, a coconut-grove island in a lagoon just south of Mamoudzou. Sisoa has a natural-history museum.
A nice day trip is a boat ride and snorkeling trip to some of the offshore islets, such as Mtzamboro (off the northwestern corner of the island) and Bandele (off the southeastern side).
