Cascade de Soulou

The Soulou cascade on Mayotte's western coast comes down a rock face and lands more or less on the beach, which is an unusual arrangement and the reason it is the island's best known waterfall. An old sugar mill ruin stands near it and baobabs grow along the shore. Flow depends heavily on the season: it runs properly in the rains and is a trickle by the end of the dry.

The landscape

• The fall onto the beach - water dropping directly onto the shore.
• The sugar mill ruin - the old works standing near the beach.
• The baobabs - the trees along this stretch of coast.
• The beach - the sand the fall lands on.

When to go

December to April is the wet season and the fall runs properly. By the end of the dry season it is nearly nothing. The wet season also brings cyclone risk.

Things to know

Flow is very seasonal and for much of the year the fall barely runs. The track down is rough. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Tsingoni is southeast, and Mtsamboro is north.

Key facts