Mayotte in English

  MAYOTTE, A JEWEL IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

  Looks like the paradise, doesn't it ?

Mayotte is a tiny island in the Indian Ocean (less than 400 square kilometers). It’s very close to Madagascar and some 2000 kilometers away from La Réunion (another French island). It belongs to France : it has been the 101^st department since March 31^st 2011.

 

A billboard celebrating the 101st département.

The new status was approved in a referendum : more than 95 % of the voters voted for the département. Most people had high expectations and thought that the new status would bring prosperity and economic development. With the financial crisis and the debt crisis, many people will certainly be disappointed.

What makes Mayotte a unique destination is the fact that it is both French and African. The market in Mamoudzou has an African flavour.

Mamoudzou market : a colourful place with colourful vendors

Unfortunately, many people coming from mainland France and living in Mayotte for a few years post very negative comments about Mayotte on the Net. We even wonder why they have chosen to live in Mayotte.

THINGS TO DO, THINGS TO SEE

The island is tiny but there are a great many things to do and to see.  

• You can enjoy the numerous wonderful beaches.

The most beautiful one is N’Gouja, it is located in the South of the island.

Some beaches are more remote and can be accessed only by half an hour or so walking : for instance, there is Mtsanga Fanou in the north west of the island in the village named Mtsangadoua (the village we have lived in for almost three years). To go there, you can walk along a path. Along the path, you can see banana trees, …

Mtsanga Fanou, a wonderful beach in Mtsangadoua

Moutsoumbatsou beach

Seychelle beach, named after the famous island in the Indian Ocean

The small island of Petite Terre (where the airport is located) is also endowed with amazing beaches. Here are some pics :

Moya beach

Moya beach (again)

• You can go hiking and enjoy breath-taking views.

You can go hiking in the countryside along paths where you will meet cultivators or herders. Indeed what is paradoxical in such a tiny island is that you can enjoy hiking in the mountains. The highest summit is more than 600 meters high. Not so bad for an island which is only 373 square kilometers wide.

Red Earth

Green all around

 

• You can do snorkelling

It’s THE place to be in if you want to dive into the Ocean and see corals. Mayotte prides itself to have the most beautiful and biggest lagoon in the world. I can’t confirm it because before coming here, I had never seen any lagoon.

Corals in the North islets

There are not many cultural sites. But the ecomusée de la vanille et de l’ylang ylang may be worth visiting though it may be frustrating to you if you don’t understand French. (Nothing is translated in English.)

You can discover the culture of the people living in Mayotte. If you don’t speak French, you will find it difficult to talk to people. Like in mainland France, very few of them have a good command of the English language.

Otherwise, most people are very friendly, all the more friendly when you speak some words of shimaore or shibushi.

CLIMATE

The climate is tropical. There are two seasons: a hot and wet season from October to March and a cooler and drier season the rest of the year.

There are mosquitoes for sure. But there are not so many of them as in other French Overseas territories. Besides, there are “anti-mosquito teams “ who rid the villages of mosquitoes. And you can protect yourself from them by using repellents and long clothes especially during dusk and dawn.

There are not many animal species but the  “makis” (lemurians) are interesting. In the N’gouja beach, they behave like pets and you can get very close to them.  If you have bananas in your hands, they may be cheeky enough to jump onto you.

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS FROM AND TO MAYOTTE

From Dzaoudzi airport, you can fly nonstop to La Réunion and to Madagascar.

If you plan to visit Madagascar, it might be worth spending a week or so in Mayotte : a return ticket from Tana (capital of Madagascar) to Dzaoudzi costs about 250 € (on a flight operated by Air Madagascar). If you choose to fly with Air Austral, it will be a little more expensive.

HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL

In 1843, the Comoros, which included Mayotte at that time, was given to France. But in 1974, Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago of Comoros that voted to stay in the French Republic. The United Nations does not recognize Mayotte as a French territory but what the UN thinks does not seem to make a difference. As France has a veto in the UN security council, the Republic of the Comoros is unlikely to get back Mayotte soon.

HOW TO MOVE AROUND

In Petite Terre and Mamoudzou, you can move around by taxi. There are a lot of them and they can take you anywhere in the town.

If you want to go elsewhere (in the countryside), you can rent a car or move by taxi brousse (collective taxi). You have to wait by the road until a taxi brousse passes by. If you are not patient, just forget it and rent a car!

To go from Petite Terre to Grande Terre, you have to take the barge.

The "Barge", sea shuttle service between

Petite Terre and Grande Terre

RESTAURANTS

Here are some of our favorite restaurants :

L’Auberge de Combani in Combani : very sophisticated food with a local touch (fresh produce from Mayotte).

Le Moana in Mamoudzou. If you like fish, you’ll love Le Moana !

Le Caribou. It is the most famous restaurant in Mayotte. We like their fish tartar with  French fries.

L’Orient Express is a Chinese restaurant, the best one in Mayotte.

HOTELS

There are some hotels in Mamoudzou and others along the coast.

Le Jardin Maore is a first-rate hotel in the south of the Island. It’s wonderfully located along the most beautiful white sand beach. Bungalows are very nice. Unfortunately, the rate is high, not advised for those who travel on a budget.

Tourism is not developed: very few foreigners visit the island.

Many reasons explain this fact:

• First, Mayotte is a remote place. Flying to Mayotte takes time and quite a lot of euros!
• Second, it is not known by many people. Before my cousin chose to come and work in Mayotte (some eight years ago), I had never heard of Mayotte.
• Third, as it is a French department and an island, the cost of living is high, higher than in mainland France. As the currency is the euro, it is all the more expensive in dollar terms. Don’t expect to eat a three courses meal in a restaurant for less than 20 €!
• Fourth, many blogs and websites describe Mayotte in a very negative way.

But visiting Mayotte is all the more interesting since tourism is not developed. It’s more authentic and genuine. It can be a great experience that is certainly worth the cost.