Visa and entry requirements Mayotte:
Passport not required
No visa is required

Information from the Foreign Office about your trip to Mayotte:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/frankreichsicherheit/209524

Mayotte is a group of islands southeast of mainland Africa with around 230,000 inhabitants. The islands lie in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique and are geographically part of the Comoros. Mayotte is politically part of France and part of the European Union. The official language is French and the currency used there is the euro.

The archipelago consists of the main island Grand Terre - Mayotte, a secondary island Petit Terre and several small uninhabited islands. The highest point on the volcanic island of Mayotte is Mont Benara at 660 meters.

One of the most famous animal inhabitants of the island are the giant tortoises, which lay their eggs on the beaches at dawn. There is also a rare species of lemur as well as whales and dolphins frolicking off Mayotte's coast. In the lush rainforest you can find very old baobab trees and the huge ylang-ylang trees, up to 30 meters high, with their bright yellow flowers.

The island's population now consists of up to 38% illegal immigrants from the neighboring Comoros. Among the many refugees who reach Grand Terre by sea, mostly at night, there are often heavily pregnant women, as children born in Mayotte automatically become French citizens. Almost 98% of all residents profess the Muslim faith.

Mayotte lives mainly from agriculture, tourism and import duties. Officials sent by France and a unit of the Foreign Legion temporarily live on the main island.

Mayotte's largest cities include Mamoudzou, Dzaoudzi, Bandrele, Pamandzi, Boueni, Koungou, Kani-Keli, Sada and Dembeni.

The main attractions of the archipelago are the Vanilla Museum, the Mayotte Museum, Lake Karihani, the Prefect Beach, the view from 210 Marches d'Acoua, the Tourism Office, the Botanical Garden of Coconi, the Beach de Moya and other breathtaking sandy beaches .

The capital of Mayotte is Mamoudzou with around 65,000 inhabitants located on the main island. Ferries run from the capital to the neighboring island of Petit Terre, where the international airport is located. As soon as you arrive, Mamoudzou impresses with its impressive bay.

In February 2016 I traveled to Mayotte for four days, coming from Nairobi with Kenya Airways. After direct flights from France, this is the only way to fly to the island of Mayotte from the mainland.

After arriving at the airport, you can take the ferry to the main island in around 20 minutes. The first impression is actually that of typical France. What is very striking is that almost all women have applied the traditional face painting with the yellowish sandwood paste, similar to the women in Myanmar.

Basically, Mayotte consists of a beautiful, hilly green landscape, has some impressive beaches and there is always the pleasant scent of vanilla in the air.

For me, the first day on the agenda was a complete tour of the island with my local host via Couchsurfing. The island seems very quiet and relaxing with all the countless fruit trees and its colorful variety of flowers. The next day, hiking was on the agenda and we went up to the 594 meter high Mount Choungui to enjoy a breathtaking view as a reward. In the afternoon and the next day we went to the famous beach at N'Gouja Bay to relax. There you can swim with the huge turtles in the perfectly temperate sea, you just have to be careful that they don't scare you. Once a turtle appeared right next to me, at first I thought it was a child with a swimming cap :-)).

All in all, Mayotte is a worthwhile holiday destination. After the somewhat strenuous journey, you will be rewarded with a great vacation.