Mutsamudu Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Mutsamudu

Mutsamudu, also known as Moutsamoudou, serves as the capital and primary urban center of Anjouan Island, while standing as the second-largest city in the Union of the Comoros. With a recorded population of 23,594 in 2021, the city is recognized for its historical maritime significance and its role as the nation's sole deep-water port. It is also known as the former home of former Comorian president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi.

Likely founded in 1482, Mutsamudu developed into a flourishing Swahili trading hub connecting routes between Mozambique and Madagascar. Over time, its coastal position attracted Arab, Persian, Indian, Somali, and Malagasy merchants and sailors who settled in the town. By the 1700s, it had risen to become the most prosperous settlement in the Comoros Archipelago. Accounts from an expedition in 1773 by Frederick Holtzappel described whitewashed stone dwellings with painted plank ceilings and coconut-leaf thatch, multi-story elite homes, public baths, and residents dressed in white linen, silk, and silver-sheathed daggers.

The urban layout features two main streets running parallel to one another, with a 15th-century medina situated between them. Within these quarters, narrow streets host numerous small shops and local craft vendors. Defending the city is an ancient citadel built in 1786 with British assistance to protect against Malagasy slave raiders, though the structure suffered severe damage during a cyclone in 1950.

Mutsamudu experiences a marine tropical climate, maintaining temperatures between 27°C and 32°C year-round. The period from December to April brings the hottest weather, whereas comparatively cooler conditions occur from May through November. Rainfall is significant across most months, peaking in January. The region is periodically subject to powerful winds and tropical cyclones, such as the 1950 storm, Cyclone Elinah in 1983, and Cyclone Feliksa.

The modern economy revolves around its deep-water port, constructed in 1982. Three-quarters of the cargo handled at the harbor consists of container transhipments bound for the other two islands in the nation. Major goods imported through the facility include rice, sugar, flour, cement, and petroleum products, while key exports shipped out include ylang ylang, cloves, and vanilla.