National Geographic Traveller - UK (2020-07 & 2020-08)

COMOROS

Also known as the Comoro Islands — Grande Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan

— Comoros is among the region’s best-kept secrets. In Moroni, the capital,

you may detect hints of the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar in the narrow

lanes and carved doors. Wildlife-wise, the islands echo Madagascar, with

mongoose lemurs on Anjouan and whales and dolphins offshore. But in

many ways, the Comoros is a place apart — and fascinating for it.

dodos

Gone but not forgotten, dodos live on as an

emblem of Mauritius — they feature in the

island’s passport stamp. Poignantly, they’ve

also come to symbolise the mass extinction

that threatens our planet. For the past 50

years, Mauritius has had a conservation

network that’s focused on the nation’s

endangered plant and wildlife species. Île aux

Aigrettes, a protected islet off the east coast, is

one of its gems. mauritian-wildlife.org

elephants

Strangely, perhaps, Africa has few safari

regions that include Indian Ocean beaches

as well as wildlife-rich savannah. Tanzania’s

Saadani National Park is one of those rare,

magical places. Base yourself at Saadani

Safari Lodge and you can spend your days in

a four-wheel-drive vehicle searching for herds

of elephants. They move between the trees

and the Wami River, cooling themselves with

slow flaps of their ears.

Time your trip to

coincide with a festival

for the guarantee of a

vibrant atmosphere

festivals

1 SAUTI ZA BUSARA,

TANZANIA

Zanzibar’s annual live music

festival is one of Africa’s

best, showcasing local

taarab and bongo flava

bands alongside African

stars from as far afield as

Algeria and South Africa.

11–14 February 2021.

busaramusic.org

2 HOLI, MAURITIUS

Culturally diverse Mauritius

has a packed calendar

of festivals. The most

colourful of these is Holi, a

two-day Hindu celebration

involving bonfires, music

and the good-humoured

showering of friends and

neighbours with fistfuls of

gulal powder in rainbow

hues. 28–29 March 2021.

tourism-mauritius.mu

(^3) AZGO, MOZAMBIQUE
For five days in May,
Maputo’s annual arts
festival, Azgo — local
slang for ‘let’s go!’ — floods
the campus of Eduardo
Mondlane University with
Mozambican and pan-
African music, cinema
screenings and adventurous
art shows. 19–23 May 2021.
azgofestival.com
FROM LEFT: Sunrise over Anse Source
D’Argent on La Digue Island in the
Seychelles; lamb biriyani; an elephant
on Tanzania’s wildlife-rich savannahs;
accordion player, Sauti za Busara music
festival, Zanzibar, Tanzania
PREVIOUS PAGE: Grey heron on the
beach at Bandos Island, the Maldives
IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY
Jul/Aug 2020 97
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