Jardins de Coconi

The botanical garden at Coconi sits beside the agricultural college in central Grande-Terre, laid out with the crops Mayotte grows and traded on: ylang-ylang, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and the fruit trees, alongside native species and a section on medicinal plants. Ylang-ylang distillation is explained and sometimes demonstrated. The garden runs down a slope with the hills behind. Ylang-ylang was planted commercially on Mayotte from the early twentieth century and the island supplied a large part of the world's essence at its peak. Production has fallen sharply since but the trees remain across the island.

What you actually see

• The ylang-ylang - the crop Mayotte's perfume trade was built on.
• The spice collection - vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and pepper.
• The native plants - the island's own species in the collection.
• The distillation - the ylang-ylang process explained on site.

When to go

May to October is the dry season. Ylang-ylang flowers year round with peaks. The garden keeps set hours and closes on some days.

Honest expectations

The garden is modest and two hours covers it. Distillation demonstrations are not on a fixed schedule. Labelling is in French.

Nearby

Lac Karihani is north, and Mamoudzou is east.