Beginning in the north east corner the first beach is Bouni , once the sultanate of Hamahame, but now a sleepy village with two stunning beaches. Next down the coast is Chomoni . This sheltered bay has an unusual mix of chequered black lava and white sandy beaches, and bungalows with basic facilities for hire, which is probably the best accommodation option. Down the south east corner is the town of Foumbouni , the third-largest community on Grande Comore. The sands are whiter and brighter than anything you'll find in Moroni or Itsandra and is one of Comore's best kept secrets.
Few tourists come here and the locals are still a little bamboozled at the sight of foreigners.
Right at the southern tip of the island is Chindini , another airy beach with fabulous views. There are a few bungalows around, but there is also any number of places to pitch a tent. The best way to get to all these beaches, from either Moroni, or between them, is by taxi-brousse or, if you get lucky, by hitching a ride with a vehicle going in your direction. The island's interior is studded with grassy plains and the remnants of a rainforest, as well as Mt Karthala , an active volcano that's still belching and burping away. The plains roll down to the coastline where palm trees, beaches of black lava or white sand, and young coral reefs, fringe the shores.