Chomoni Beach

Chomoni is the Comoros' postcard: a run of white coral sand on Grande Comore's east coast interrupted by rounded black lava boulders - Karthala's old flows meeting the sea - so that the beach reads in three clean stripes of black, white and turquoise. Fishing pirogues pull up at the village end, the swimming is clear and easy inside the reef's shelter, and on most weekdays the only company is crabs and the odd zebu wandering the palms. It is the standard reply to the question of which beach to make the day trip for, and the drive over the island's green shoulder earns the answer.

What you actually see

• The lava-and-sand stripes - black boulders on white coral sand.
• The turquoise shallows - reef-sheltered swimming off the beach.
• The village pirogues - outrigger canoes hauled at the north end.
• The cross-island drive - Karthala's green flanks en route from Moroni.

When to go

May to November brings the dry trade-wind months and the calmest sea state; weekends draw Moroni families and their picnics - join or avoid to taste. The kusi wind can stir the afternoons; mornings are glassiest.

Honest expectations

Facilities are minimal to none - carry water, shade and everything else, and pack out what you bring. Currents pick up beyond the reef line; stay inside the sheltered stretches. The road is decent but Comorian logistics reward early starts and fuel-tank prudence.

Nearby

Lac Sale to the north, Moroni across the island and Karthala's trailheads.