Adventures in Africa: Mayotte

It is a quick flight from Grand Comore over to Mayotte, but the contrast between the Moroni airport and the Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi airport makes it feel like you have traveled a long way. Mayotte is France, after all, and Comoros is very much not. 

My stomach was still very upset from food poisoning, and I was grateful that I had booked a hotel just across the street from the airport. 

I went straight to check in at the Ibis Styles hotel and I lay down and fell asleep. When I woke up around 16:30 I was still feeling unwell, but I did not want to lose more of the few daylight hours (I fly on to Reunion tomorrow afternoon) I have in Mayotte, so I mustered my energy and left my room. As I left the hotel I took a few photos--it is a nice hotel, very airy and contemporary . . . 

. . .  and right on the coast.

My hope was to find one of Mayotte's shared taxis that would take me to Lac Dziani, a crater lake on the north of Petite-Terre, which is Mayotte's second largest island. My hotel and the airport are on the south tip of Petite-Terre.

The island is not big, but it is about five kilometres from the Ibis Styles hotel to Lac Dziani and I had read that I would be able to take a shared taxi that more or less ran this route. I decided I would walk and try to figure out the taxi as I went, so I set out northward. Eventually after twenty to thirty minutes I gave up on the taxi because there did not appear to be any, or at least if there were, I was sure not figuring them out. Five kilometres is not a short walk in any state, but I was really weak and the walk was tiring, but I was determined. Most of the way I passed through residential streets . . .

. . . until I reached the trailhead at 17:45.

The trail around the crater is about four kilometres, and with sunset at 18:30 I estimated I had just enough time to complete the hike. 

Since the shared taxi had not worked out, I intended to use the Mayotte Taxi'CO app to get back to my hotel from the trailhead. So, although I was tired already, I at least was not worried about the walk back.

The crater was definitely worth visiting. From the west side, where I began, I could look back over most of Petite-Terre and across to Grand-Terre, Mayotte's main island.

As I circled around the north edge of the crater (and the north edge of Petite-Terre) the view out into the Indian Ocean was quite dramatic. 

Along the trail I encountered enormous snails, like this distinguished fellow. . . 

. . . and various birdlife, including a bright red bird who somewhat led me down the trail for a dozen metres or so. 

The crater itself is quite something. I believe these volcanic crater lakes are quite common, especially on islands, but I have only ever seen one in person before on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and on Rapa Nui you cannot walk around its entirety like you can here.

Sun had set by the time I finished the hike, and I ordered my taxi to meet me at the trail head. The Mayotte Taxi'CO app is new and certainly not up to the standards of other rideshare apps like Uber, Bolt, and Yandex. Anyway, I thought I had successfully requested my ride, and the price, although high at €20, felt entirely worth it since I was sick and had walked 9 kilometres already. But, I waited and waited, and eventually I realized no taxi was coming. I get the impression the app may not be quite ready to go, or, who knows, perhaps I was not using it properly. I gave up and started the walk back.

About halfway back to the hotel I passed a grocery store and decided to stop to get some water and juice and food. I still did not trust my stomach, but I after all this walking I thought I better try. So, with my backpack full of a few things, I carried on, drinking mango juice as I walked. 

Finally I was getting close to the hotel, only to encounter this imposing gate!! 

The hotel is apparently within the airport compound that closes at 20:00, and this is a serious gate. There was definitely no way I was going to be able to climb it. I was especially frustrated because the sign says 20:00 but it was only 19:50! I attempted to contact my hotel without immediate success, but realized on the map that if I went around the block there might be another access point. I thought I could reach it before 20:00 if I hurried, so I hustled back and around the corner (about 500 metres) and indeed the gate was still open. So, that was a relief! I got back to my hotel about five minutes later absolutely wiped. I was sure glad I had made myself visit the crater, but I definitely wish I had put more effort into figuring out how Mayotte taxis work before undertaking the expedition!