Domoni and Moroni

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Domoni

   Domoni is the old capital of Anjouan, a fishing town on the east coast with a medina that feels like another century. It was an important centre of the island's Swahili-influenced culture, a place of scholars, merchants and boat builders, and it kept a sense of its own dignity even after the capital moved to Mutsamudu. The streets are narrow lanes of coral stone and whitewash, with old carved doors, balconies, and mosques of simple elegance, and the town curls round a small harbour where boats are pulled up on the beach.

   Read the complete Domoni write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Domoni is where the day begins. Next is Mutsamudu.

2. 2. Mutsamudu

   Mutsamudu, or Moutsamoudou, is the capital of Anjouan, called Ndzuwani by its people, one of the three islands of the Comoros, and it sits tucked against the north-west coast under steep green hills. The old town climbs the slope in a tangle of narrow alleys, with a medina of coral-stone houses, carved doors and whitewashed mosques, while the harbour below is busy with dhows, small cargo boats and fishermen. A fortress above the town recalls the days when Anjouan's sultans controlled a prosperous trade, and when the island had a reputation as a stopping place for ships on the route to India.

   Read the complete Mutsamudu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Mutsamudu comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Medinas of the Historic Sultanates of.

3. 3. Moroni

   Moroni is the capital of the Comoros, a small, crowded and lively town on the west coast of Grande Comore, with a harbor full of wooden boats and a skyline of mosques. The name comes from the Comorian words meaning at the heart of the fire, a reference to the volcano that looms behind it. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and coral stone houses, and at its center the Old Friday Mosque, with its white minaret and walls that rise directly from the sea, is a landmark that dates from the fifteenth century and has been rebuilt over the years.

   Read the complete Moroni write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Moroni, about halfway. Next is back through The Medinas of the Historic Sultanates of.

4. 4. back through Mutsamudu

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Mutsamudu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Mutsamudu comes up about 372 km into the recorded legs. Next is Domoni.

5. 5. Domoni

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Domoni write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Domoni closes the day.