In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Comoros
Moroni
Moroni is a morning city: do the old town and the covered market before the heat, rest at midday, keep to a car after dark — and dress and behave as a guest in a conservative Muslim town.
Moroni is the capital, on the west coast of Grande Comore below Mount Karthala. The old town around the harbour and the Friday mosque is small and walkable; the covered market, the seafront hotels and the historic town of Iconi are each a short taxi ride away. The trips that go wrong ignore three things: dress and etiquette, cash (few machines take foreign cards) and flights, which are few and arrive at odd hours. Four clusters cover a first visit; Karthala and the north-coast beaches are trips from one kept bed.
- Country
- Comoros
- Best months
- May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Indian/Comoro
- Stay
- 2 days: Old town and harbour, Volo-Volo market
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- KMF
- Money
- Cash economy. Bring euros in clean, recent notes and change at a bank or licensed bureau; a few hotels take cards, but cash machines that accept foreign cards are rare and often empty. Keep KMF 10,000 in small notes for taxis and markets.
- Daily spend
- Budget KMF 8,000–15,000 excl. bed · Mid KMF 15,000–40,000 excl. bed · High KMF 40,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Local operators sell SIMs in town with your passport; confirm roaming with your home carrier first. Wi-Fi is patchy outside hotels.
- Emergency
- Hotel front desk Save it before you go out · Your driver Save it in WhatsApp · Your embassy Save its 24-hour line
- Plugs
- 230 V, 50 Hz; two-round-pin sockets (types C and E). Bring an adapter and a power bank: cuts are common.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Round up for drivers and guides; a few hundred francs for a helpful porter.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; use sealed bottles. Skip ice unless the hotel makes it from filtered water.
- Toilets
- Hotels and cafés; carry tissues and hand gel. Public toilets are rare.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea | KMF 200–800 |
| Local meal (mataba, rice, fish) | KMF 2,000–4,000 |
| Short taxi across town | KMF 1,000–2,000 |
| Water, 1.5 L | KMF 300–600 |
| Taxi Corniche to Iconi | KMF 3,000–6,000 |
| Local SIM with data, a week | KMF 3,000–8,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (HAH)
- HAH to the Corniche: one pre-booked hotel car or airport taxi, 30–55 minutes on a coast road — the risk is landing at night with no ride arranged, not the distance.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (HAH) (Hahaya) | International flights (regional hubs) and domestic flights to Anjouan and Mohéli | Pre-booked car 30–55 min |
| Moroni harbour (Port de Moroni) | Cargo and inter-island boats | On foot to the old town |
Typical fares
- Corniche to old town, taxi
- KMF 1,000–2,000, 6–15 min
- Corniche to Iconi, taxi
- KMF 3,000–6,000, 15–30 min
- Airport to Moroni, pre-booked car
- KMF 10,000–20,000, 30–55 min
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk inside the old town, taxi everywhere else. Agree the fare first. After dark, book the ride back before you go out.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Old town, harbour and Place de France |
| Taxi | KMF 1,000–2,000 across town | Between clusters, after dark |
| Shared taxi (taxi-brousse) | Cheap, per seat | Coast towns, with a local |
| Driver by the day | KMF 25,000–50,000 (check) | Iconi and the north coast |
| Ride-hailing | n/a | Not established |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the taxi fare before you get in; hire a driver by the day for Iconi and the coast.
- Late at night
- No rail. Taxis are few after dark: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.
See and do
01Volo-Volo covered marketMarché couvert de Volo-Volo
The covered market for vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, fish and fruit; the best hour of the day in the city.
Hours: best 06:30–09:30 · Price: Free; spend KMF 2,000–10,000 · Time: 1 hHours: best 6:30 AM–9:30 AM · Price: Free; spend KMF 2,000–10,000 · Time: 1 h · -11.6915, 43.2565
02Old Friday Mosque (Ancienne Mosquée du Vendredi)Ancienne Mosquée du Vendredi
The old harbour mosque, seen from the street in the morning light.
Hours: best Morning, away from prayer · Price: Free · Time: 15 min · -11.7050, 43.2533
03Old market (Ancien marché)Ancien marché
Small old-market lanes for spices and cloth, close to the mosque.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 30–45 min · -11.7038, 43.2521
04Moroni harbour edgePort de Moroni
Boats and fish at the old harbour edge; a short, easy walk.
Hours: best 07:30–09:00 · Price: Free · Time: 20 minHours: best 7:30 AM–9:00 AM · Price: Free · Time: 20 min · -11.7060, 43.2540
05Iconi old townIkoni
A former capital's town on the coast; the history of the sultanate with a guide.
Hours: best Morning with a guide · Price: Guide KMF 10,000–25,000 · Time: 1.5–2 h · -11.7455, 43.2365
06Seafood on the CornicheFruits de mer
A seafront lunch of grilled fish, octopus or lobster with coconut rice.
Hours: best 12:30 or 19:00 · Price: KMF 5,000–15,000 · Time: 1–1.5 hHours: best 12:30 PM or 7:00 PM · Price: KMF 5,000–15,000 · Time: 1–1.5 h · -11.6985, 43.2485
07Place de France (old-town square)Place de France
The old-town square with shade and a café; the rest stop in the old-town walk.
Hours: best Mid-morning · Price: Coffee KMF 500–1,500 · Time: 20 min · -11.7031, 43.2515
08Sunset on the Corniche
The seafront walk once the heat drops: sea breeze and families out.
Hours: best 17:30–18:30 · Price: Free · Time: 45 minHours: best 5:30 PM–6:30 PM · Price: Free · Time: 45 min
09Mitsamiouli and the northern beaches
The best swimming on the island, a driver's day.
Hours: best Dry season weekday · Price: Driver KMF 25,000–50,000 · Time: Full day
10Mount Karthala with a guide
A large active volcano crater; a two-day trip for hikers.
Hours: best Dry season · Price: Guide and 4x4 from about EUR 100 (check) · Time: 2 days
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Karthala crater | Guide and 4x4 to the trailhead, then a hike; usually two days with a night on the mountain | Overnight, start before dawn |
| Iconi and the south coast | Taxi 20 min from the Corniche | Half a day |
| Mitsamiouli and the north-coast beaches | Car with driver, about 45–75 min each way (check) | Full day |
| Mohéli or Anjouan | Domestic flight from Hahaya, or the boat (check safety and schedule) | Overnight at least |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volo-Volo market food stalls | Grilled fish, brochettes, rice and cassava · Volo-Volo | KMF 1,500–3,500 | Budget |
| Old-town bakery breakfast | Bread, fried dough and coffee · Old town | KMF 500–1,500 | Budget |
| Seafood on the Corniche | Grilled fish, octopus, coconut rice · Corniche | KMF 5,000–12,000 | Mid-range |
| Café at the Place de France | Coffee, juice and a light lunch · Old town | KMF 1,500–5,000 | Mid-range |
| Corniche hotel terrace dinner | Lobster or set menu with a sea view · Corniche | KMF 15,000–30,000 | Splurge |
Per person, one meal, 2026 estimate. Menus and hours change: ask the hotel to phone ahead.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | KMF 18,000–30,000 | Old town | Small guesthouses |
| mid | KMF 35,000–65,000 | Corniche | Seafront hotels |
| splurge | KMF 90,000+ | Corniche and the north coast | Larger hotels and beach resorts |
Per room per night, 2026 estimate; holidays and the dry season add 20–50%.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello (Shikomori) | Jeje?jay-jay |
| Hello (French) | Bonjourbon-zhoor |
| Peace be upon you (reply: Wa alaykum salaam) | Salaam aleykumsa-laam a-lay-koom |
| Thank you | Merci beaucoupmair-see bo-koo |
| How much is this? | C'est combien?say kom-byan |
| Please take me to this hotel | Emmenez-moi à cet hôtel, s'il vous plaîtam-nay mwa a set oh-tel seel voo play |
| No pork, no alcohol | Pas de porc, pas d'alcoolpah duh pork, pah dal-kol |
| I need a doctor | J'ai besoin d'un médecinzhay buh-zwan dun mayd-san |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Dress: Cover shoulders and knees for everyone; swimwear only at hotel beaches.
- Greetings: Greet before asking anything; handshakes and 'Salaam aleykum' are normal; use the right hand.
- Mosques: Do not enter unless invited; remove shoes and cover fully if you are; stay away at prayer time.
- Ramadan: No eating, drinking or smoking in public by day; use your room or a hotel restaurant.
- Alcohol: Hardly served; do not bring it into homes or drink in the street.
- Photos: Ask before photographing people, especially women; never photograph the port, soldiers or officials.
- Haggling: Light and polite in markets; never raise your voice.
Red lines
- Mosques: non-Muslims should not enter unless invited; dress covered and look from outside.
- Do not photograph the port, soldiers, police or government buildings.
- Ask before photographing people, especially women.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street taxi drivers who quote in euros and change the price at the door: agree the fare, the currency and 'one way or return' before you sit.
- Unofficial guides at Iconi or the market who ask for payment after a tour nobody agreed: fix the price and duration first, or ask the hotel for a guide.
- Money changers on the street: use a bank or a licensed bureau and count the notes.
- Requests for 'a small gift' at road checks: stay polite, keep your documents to hand and do not hand over cash.
One and two days
1 day
A short stopover. Skip: Iconi and the north-coast beaches: both need a driver and more time.
- 06:306:30 AMVolo-Volo market
- 08:308:30 AMOld town: mosque, old market, harbour
- 12:3012:30 PMSeafood lunch on the Corniche
- 14:002:00 PMHotel rest
- 17:305:30 PMCorniche sunset walk
2 days
The usual short stay. Skip: Karthala: it needs its own two days.
Day 1 — old town and lunch
- 07:307:30 AMOld Friday Mosque from outside
- 08:308:30 AMOld market and Place de France
- 12:3012:30 PMSeafood lunch
Day 2 — market and Iconi
- 06:306:30 AMVolo-Volo market
- 09:309:30 AMTaxi to Iconi with a guide
- 12:3012:30 PMLate lunch and a rest
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage — Moroni: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Moroni
- UK FCDO travel advice — Comoros: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/comoros
- Wikivoyage — Comoros: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Comoros
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Moroni
Emmenez-moi à cet hôtel, s'il vous plaît
Please take me to this hotel
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Marché couvert de Volo-VoloVolo-Volo covered market
- Ancienne Mosquée du VendrediOld Friday Mosque (Ancienne Mosquée du Vendredi)
- Ancien marchéOld market (Ancien marché)
- Port de MoroniMoroni harbour edge
- IkoniIconi old town
- Fruits de merSeafood on the Corniche
- Hotel front deskSave it before you go out
- Your driverSave it in WhatsApp
- Your embassySave its 24-hour line
Write your embassy's 24-hour line here; many countries cover the Comoros from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam or Antananarivo.
Show the hotel name and a screenshot of the map pin; street names are not reliable.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/moroni). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.