Itsandra is a town just north of Moroni on Grande Comore, the largest of the Comoros islands, and in old Comorian history it was a power in its own right. Before French rule, Ngazidja was divided among a number of sultanates, and Itsandra was among the most important, with its own ruler and a reputation for trade and seafaring. Today it is a coastal community of about three thousand people with a long beach, a mosque at the center and narrow lanes where children play football between walls made of volcanic stone.
The landscape of the island is dramatic. Grande Comore is dominated by Mount Karthala, an active volcano that rises to about 2,360 meters and holds one of the largest calderas in the world. Its slopes are covered in forest and farmland, and its lava flows have shaped the coast with black rock and pale beaches. Along the shore near Itsandra, the sea is clear and the reef close, and you can often see fishermen casting nets from small boats in the early morning.
For riders, the coastal ring road is the main attraction. The route around the island is about a hundred and fifty kilometers, mostly paved but with potholes, stray goats and occasional stretches where lava has covered the surface. The traffic around Moroni is dense with shared taxis, but beyond the city it thins, and you pass villages with whitewashed mosques and fields of bananas, cassava and ylang-ylang. The island produces much of the world's supply of ylang-ylang oil, used in perfume, and in the distillation season the air near the roadside stills is sweet.
The best time to ride is the cool dry season, from about May to October. The rainy months, November to April, bring heavy downpours and some cyclone risk. Fuel is available in Moroni and a few stations along the ring road, but supply can be unreliable, so fill up when you can. Power cuts are common.
Food is simple and good, with grilled fish, coconut rice, breadfruit and cassava cooked in coconut milk. Dress modestly, since the islands are almost entirely Muslim, and avoid riding through villages during Friday prayers.