Nioumachoua.
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Overview

Nioumachoua is the second-largest town in Moheli. In the south of the island, it is the base to explore Moheli Natural Park.

Get in

By bus There is a regular bus service from Fomboni.

Buses departing from Nioumachoua leave at 5AM, it is important to reserve you seat with the driver the day before. All buses departing from Nioumachoua have Fomboni as final destination, but they can drive from east or west road. The west road is longer than the east road, but it is in much better conditions.

Travelling from Nioumachoua to Itsamia by bus is tricky. It can happen that no taxi driver wants to drive to Itsamia, as it is far away. In this case take a taxi to Wanani or Kangani. Wanani is just 12 km to Itsamia, 9 km Kangani-Itsamia, from here try to catch a taxi, hitchhike or just walk. Another option is taking the bus back to Fomboni but stopping in Wanani (12 km far from Itsamia). From here you can try to catch a taxi, hitchhike or walk. There are not many cars to hitchhike, but the few that are around take passengers easily.

By shared taxi Shared taxis from Fomboni to Nioumachoua run all day long. Take in consideration that due to the fuel shortage and the conditions of the road finding a taxi to travel between the cities in the south can be difficult and expensive (up to FC12,500). Take in consideration that the fuel is expensive, so private cars are expensive as well.

By motorbike If you are based in Nioumachoua a very good option is renting a motorbike for yourself.

But the real problem is to convince someone to rent you a car, locals don't trust a lot on tourist's skills in these roads.

Prices might look a bit expensive, but fuel is expensive.

See

Whale watching from July to October Coral reefs and inhabited isles Fishing on the reef with local fishermen Livingstone bats (giant fruit eating bats endemic on Moheli) Boating, sailing, canoes and kayaks, bikes Hiking in coastal and primary rain forest Civets (small wild leopard type cats) Bird Watching (endemic species!) Traditional villages Local artisanal (carpets from sisal, potteries, embroideries)

Do

For every activity at the Natural Park a fee of FC2.500 is required. Importantly, the fee permission is paid per person just once as it lasts for three months.

Humpback whales watching. can be done from August to middle November

Snorkeling in coral reefs and inhabited islots. You can snorkel pretty much everywhere, although the more isolated the best

Kayaking. Take the chance to explore the virgin beaches of Moheli natural park on your own

Watching Livingston bats. , these massive animal are endemic from the Comoros and famous for being the biggest bats in the world. The excursion to watch them includes a 1 hour hike, what is good excuse to learn about local agriculture and medicinal plants from the local guides. This is an impossible excursion to be done without a guide, as Livingston bats are not easy to find

Camping in the Natural Park. If you have your own tent don't miss the chance of exploring and sleeping in the island, plus if you don't have snorkelling equipment you can rent one in Laka lodge

Tour in the islots. The community bungalows organised trips to discover the whole Natural Park by boat, bring your snorkel equipment

Visiting an islot. If visiting all the park sounds extenuating, the other option is sailing to one of the islots, enjoying it for half day and coming back after the association organises the trip

Eat

Saurakh Restaurant. The only local restaurant in town is just in front of the entrance of Laka lodge. It can be easily missed as there is no panel or advertisement but an old cartel laying on the floor against the wall.

Sleep

Community bungalows. These three bungalows where built up in collaboration with the European Community with the pursue of helping the local community to develop a model of tourism, alleviate poverty and promote environmental conservation. Bungalows are run by a group volunteers from the village which form a management group that is elected democratically every two years. All them are volunteering, only the cooker is an employee. Since there is no taxes system anywhere in Comoros the incomes from the communitary bungalows reverts on the village. For example, at the school behind the bungalows the orphans from the village get their education granted, the association has built up the library and by November 2018 the hospital was being renovated with the funds from the bungalows. Although the bungalows need a bit of restoration, the unbeatable location right on the beachfront and the views from the rooms have no competitors. The staff is really friendly and helpful and they organise for you all excursions and trips. By November 2018 internet was on process to get installed

Vanilla lodge. This lodge is surrounded by nature. It offers comfortable, clean and cozy rooms. Most of them with views over the rainforest, many others with amazing sea views. Good internet connection available.

Moheli Laka Lodge. Restaurant, "Whale bar" and three beaches, facing the inhabited coral reef, isles. Family and child friendly. All hiking and boating services available (whale watching from July to end of October, fishing, coral reef snorkeling, waterfalls of Meringoni, Livingstone bat reserve, ponding by green sea turtles at night, hiking in coastal and primary forest, canoes, kayaks, bikes, ping-pong, badminton, beach volleyball, etc.) Ask for Mr. Ally Youssouf, manager.

Laka Lodge. Probably the nicest hotel on Moheli, Laka Lodge offers gorgeous rooms and bungalows, Wifi, a restaurant and lots of activities, including snorkelling, swimming with dolphins and manta rays, scuba diving and the chance to spot some lemurs in the grounds.