F

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reMayotte, the beautiful stranger

DEGAS Jean-Pierre / hemis.fr

There are some journeys we don’t want to share with anyone in casethe destination is spoilt. Mayotte is one of these. Tucked away in theMozambic canal, between the African coast and Madagascar, thistiny scrap of land is one and a half times bigger than Marseilles.There are no luxury resorts and the island is small. The biggest hotelon the island has 30 bungalows, just think of it ! There is aPolynesian air about it, with its coconut trees, its lagoon and littlewhite sand islets jotted along the reef, an incredible naturalaquarium haunted by turtles, dolphins and whales. It also has anAfrican air about it with its beaches lined with boabab trees and thewomen dressed in multi-coloued boubous, Salouva mahorais. Now aFrench department in its own right, this tiny piece of land situatedat a distance of over 9000kms from France, is of astonishing beauty.There are 160kms of costal paths and a short walk quickly becomesa botanical adventure, redolent of the rare perfume of theYlang-Ylang flowers. This delicate, sweet-scented flower, all thegreat perfumers consider as priceless, has invaded the tropicalforest . Giant bamboos are to be found everywhere and bright greengeckos come for a rest on the roses of porcelaine. Families of makilemurians, always ready to pinch a banana or two, complete thebeauty of the scene. It is heavenly, but don’t tell anyone !

HEMIS_491430 : France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), infinity pool of the Sakouli hotel, located in the Oriental part of Grande Terre,overlooking the lagoon and facing the Bandrele islet

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HEMIS_491512France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Mill Bay withmount Choungui in the background, arrival of the fishermen and their fishing boatsat low tide

HEMIS_491599France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Combani, ginger torch, nativeof South-East Asia, growing in places sheltered from the wind, a Gecko, small greenlizard feeding on dew on a flower

HEMIS_491594France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Dapani, one of the biggestclosed lagoon in the world (1500 km)

HEMIS_491610France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, fisherman'sbeach facing mount Choungui, boat moored opposite the village at low tide, also adeparture point for excursions for the Pointe Saziley and white sand islet

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HEMIS_491623France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, the Haroussi is afestival that lasts two weeks and celebrates the union of a couple, brides dressed intraditional and modern behaviors, waiting for the Debbah, a Custom ceremony ofreligious dances reserved to women

HEMIS_491573France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Kani Keli, N'Gouja beach, theFare, famous in ths island, built of wood and palms leaves locate don the footbridgeoverlooking the laggon, privileged aera for the observation and the clutch of seaturtles, group of friends at sunset

HEMIS_491451France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Sada, located on the Westerncoast, village known for its jewelleries having the most ancient handicraft tradition,women weaving coconut fiber for making baskets in the cooperative

HEMIS_491515France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Kani Keli, N'gouja beach,tourist strioking a Maki, small omnivore lemur, espaccialy frugivore, native fromMadagascar, emblem of the island, very sociable et easily observable in the forestwhere it lives in groups

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HEMIS_491566France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, weighed of theflower Ylang ylang at the distillery out of which is extracted an essential oil used inperfumery, harvested at dawn when the level in essential oil is the highest, a hundredkilo of flowers is necessary to produce about 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang oil

HEMIS_491608France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Hamouro, beach of brun sandfacing the Bandrele Pass, arrival of fishermen and their boats with colorful rockers atdawn

HEMIS_491522France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, Adrien SouliAvenue on the seafront, arrival at the port of the barge from Dzaoudzi on Petite Terreisland, administratif center of Mayotte, separated from Grande Terre island by anarm of sea of 2 km long

HEMIS_491630France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, traditionalmarriage, gold jewelry and Masked hands with henna, the success of the wedding isdepending on the dowry which will give the social status to the future married man atthe eyes of the other members of the village

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HEMIS_491472France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Combani ForestReserve, hiking trail across a wild bambouseraie, hiker observing giant bamboo 15meters high

HEMIS_491496France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, beach Sakouli,frangipani flowers, native of Western India, medicinal plant which has the reputationto be everlasting as the flowers and the leaves continue to grow once picked up

HEMIS_491504France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, women wearingcolored Salouva (traditonal clothes) making up, realizing a festival mask, theM'zinzano, which means sandalwood in Shimaore language, native of the Swahililanguage

HEMIS_491489France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, large centralmarket at the port, pedestrian passing in front of a souvenir shop selling baskets incoconut fibre with the colors of the island

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HEMIS_491498 : France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mtsamboro, one of the biggest closed lagoon in the world (1500 km), plungedinto a mask and snorkel, sightings of dolphins

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HEMIS_491427France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Dzaoudzi, pier for the barge toMamoudzou on the island of Petite Terre, administratif center of Mayotte, separatedof the island of Grande Terre by an arm of sea of 2 km long

HEMIS_491627France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, Debbah (or Deba),Custom festival, religious dances performed by women only deliberatly in a very slowrythm perfectly synchronized that mime the invocations to God and the Prophet

HEMIS_491551France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, Mahoré wedding,traditional and modern brides coexist, maked up like two princess of the Thounsandand One Nights before the Debbah, Custom ceremony reserved to women only whichshows dances with deliberatly slow body language

HEMIS_491631France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mahoré Custom festival,reserved to women only, women wearing colored Salouva (traditonal clothe) realizinga traditional festival mask using kaolin during a religious traditonal festival

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HEMIS_491544France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, cooker wearing acolored Savoula (traditional clothe) grating coconut during a Mahoré Custom festival,the festivals are not only between the members of the same family but between all theinhabitants of the same villages or sometimes, different villages

HEMIS_491545France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, Mahoré wedding,reconstitution of the wait of the bride, traditional and modern brides, maked up anddressed as sumptuously as possible, must stay apart of the others during 8 days

HEMIS_491628France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Tsimkoura, the Haroussi is afestival that lasts two weeks in Mayotte to seal the union of a couple, womenorchestra on the mat preceding the Debbah, a Custom festival of religious dancesreserved to women only

HEMIS_491484France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Combani, Botanical Garden,located near the Coconi breeding-ground, free access, show-window of the Mahorébiodiversity, reader sitting on a bench under a clump of bamboo

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HEMIS_491455France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Sada, eco museum of Ylangand vanilla, Vanilla manual fertilization with a spine of lemon tree, this operationmust be done early in the morning before the big heat

HEMIS_491466France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Coconi, Vanilla manualfertilization with a spine of lemon tree, this operation must be done early in themorning before the big heat

HEMIS_491509France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, picking the flowersof ylang ylang in a farm, named the queen of the flowers, its golden petals are verymuch wanted by great perfumers and essential oils makers, 100 kg of flowers isneeded to produce about 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang oil

HEMIS_491564France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, Ylang Ylang flowerin a hand decorated with golden jewelleries, named the queen of the flowers, itsgolden petals are very much wanted by great perfumers and essential oils makers,100 kg of flowers is needed to produce about 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang oil

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HEMIS_491565France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, weighing of flowerYlang ylang at the distillery of which is extracted an essential oil used in perfumery,harvested at dawn when the level in essential oil is the highest, about 100 kg offlowers are necessary to produce 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang oil

HEMIS_491567France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, weighing of flowerYlang ylang at the distillery of which is extracted an essential oil used in perfumery,harvested at dawn when the level in essential oil is the highest, about 100 kg offlowers are necessary to produce 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang

HEMIS_491569France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, distillery of YlangYalng flowers after harvest, product of essantial oil obtained after 18 hours ofdistillation and listed in 6 different qualities, about 100 kg of flowers are necessary toproduce 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang oil

HEMIS_491519France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Combani, bottles of ylangylang flowers on a background of traveler's tree sundried, about 100 kg of flowers arenecessary to produce 2,5 kg of Ylang Ylang oil

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HEMIS_491438 : France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Sakouli beach, boats on the shoreline at the foot of a bungalow ofthe Sakouli Hotel overlooking the lagoon, volcanic black sand beach with unique specie of baobab of the African continent seen on Mayotte island

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HEMIS_491518France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Combani, ginger torch, nativeof South-East Asia, growing in places sheltered from the wind, a Gecko, small greenlizard feeding on dew on a flower

HEMIS_491534France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Poroani, traditional make upsession with kaolin to realize a mask for the M'zinzano festival which meanssandalwood in Shimaore language, native of the Swahili language

HEMIS_491505France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, traditional makeup session with kaolin to realize a mask for the M'zinzano festival which meanssandalwood in Shimaore language, native of the Swahili language

HEMIS_491508France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, Mbiwi, traditionalMahoré dance reserved for large traditional weddings, woman wearing a sandalwoodbeauty mask embellished with a kaolin festival mask

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HEMIS_491587France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Bandrele, eco salt museum,mama shingo (shingo means salt in Mahoré language), natural home made salt fromthe mangrove swamp obtained by an ancestral cooking technique, woman taking ahandful of salt in a receptacle braided in palm leaves

HEMIS_491539France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Bandrele, Mama skewers,traditional cuisine, specialty zebu brochettes accompanied with plantains bananasand fried manioc, little stand on the side of the road very popular and spread out

HEMIS_491503France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Bandrele, traditional wedding,Mahoré woman wearing Salouva (colored boubou) grating coconut for thepreparation of the meal and makes up with a beauty mask, the M'zinzano based onsandalwood, that they mainly wear when they are exposed to the sun

HEMIS_491536France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Poroani, tradional make upsession based on kaolin to realize a festival mask, the M'zinzano, meaningsandalwood, drawing typical wedding pattern with henna on the arm

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HEMIS_491477France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Combani ForestReserve, hiking trail circling the island, hikers on the ridge overlooking both sides ofthe island allowing to watch both sunset and sunrise

HEMIS_491469France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Combani ForestReserve, hiking trail circling the island, hikers in the middle of fields of ylang ylangwith palm trees

HEMIS_491540France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Moutsamoudou, hiking trailaround the island, hikkers

HEMIS_491473France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Combani ForestReserve, cinnamon tree, cutting the bark which after being dried up will furlnaturally, used in pastry but also to season cocktails and rhum, alcool which is notproduce in Mayotte

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HEMIS_491638France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Combani ForestReserve, Maki, a small omnivore lemur, espaccialy frugivore, native fromMadagascar, emblem of the island, very sociable et easily observable in the forestwhere it lives in groups

HEMIS_491448France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mtsamboro, Foubouni beach,departure point for Choaziland M'tsamboro islets, overlooking the lagoon and fallingfrom the site Chifouni

HEMIS_491437France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Sakouli beach,baobab trees on the Oriental coast on the side of a volcanic black sand beach, this treeis the unique variety of baobab of the African continent seen in Mayotte island

HEMIS_491636France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Moutsatoundou, MusicalBeach, fishermen pulling a net keeping fish caught during the day and left in thewater until their return in the evening

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HEMIS_491506 : France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Ouangani, woman in traditional makeup session realizing a beauty mask, theM'zinzano, which means sandalwood in Shimaore language, native of the Swahili language a

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HEMIS_491635France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Sakouli beach,boats and baobab trees on the shoreline at the foot of a bungalow overlooking thelagoon

HEMIS_491511France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Laminoir Bay,Fishermen Beach, craft fishing village facing Brandrele islet, departure point of theboats for the Saziley Pointe and white sand islet

HEMIS_491560France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mtsamboro, one of the biggestclosed lagoon in the world (1500 km), diving mask and snorkel on the plateau of thereef before falling

HEMIS_491510France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Moutsamoudou, White sandislet, walker on a reef of sand in the middle of the lagoon surrounded by water blueturquoize, its size changes depending to the tie

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HEMIS_491524France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Soha, beach, boys playing onone of the longest light brown sand beach of Mayotte, that crosses the hiking trailcircling the island

HEMIS_491554France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Kani Keli, N'Gouja beach,Fare the most famous on ths island located at the end of a wooden footbridgeoverlooking the lagoon, privileged place for the observation and the clutch of seaturtles

HEMIS_491557France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mtsamboro, on of the biggestclosed lagoon in the world (15MM km), sightings of dolphins and diving mask andsnorkel from the coral reef

HEMIS_491559France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mtsamboro, beach islandMtsamboro, a nesting ground at night and observing sea turtles

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HEMIS_491482France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Kani Keli, N'Gouja beach, lateafternoon on the sand at the foot of the palm and baobab

HEMIS_491591France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Sada, Boueni Bay, lushvegetation at sunset toward mount Choungui, Boueni Bay would be the site of aformer collapsed crater that would crash into the lagoon

HEMIS_491607France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Hamouro, brown sand beachfacing the Bandrele Pass, arrival of fishermen and their boats with colorful rockers atdawn

HEMIS_491596France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Kani Keli, N'Gouja beach, oneof the biggest lagoon in the world, fare and boardwalk advancing on the lagoonbordered by a thick forest overlooking the sand (aerial view)

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HEMIS_491433France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, infinity pool ofthe Sakouli hotel, located on the Oriental part of Grande Terre overlooking thelagoon and facing the Bandrele islet

HEMIS_491435France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Sakouli hotel,located on the South coast facing the lagon protected by the reef, infinity pool on theoutside restaurant

HEMIS_491439France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Sakouli hotel,located on the South Coast of mayotte island facing the Bandrele islet and the lagoonprotected by the reef, bungalow surrounded by baobabs overlooking Sakouli Beach

HEMIS_491633France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Nyambadao, Sakouli hotel,bedroom with canopy bed and mosquito net

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HEMIS_491480 : France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Combani Forest Reserve, Mont Combani cottage, relaxing in ahammock in the tropical forest, step on the GR1 trail track circling the island

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HEMIS_491442France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Trevani, traditional woodenhouses stained near the oldest hotel of the island on Trevani beach, closest toMamoudzou

HEMIS_491529France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, Mount Coumbanilodging, young woman inside a wooden bungalow and its mousquito net

HEMIS_491603France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mirereni, lodging mountCoumbani, Banga, traditional home of wood and earth, reader sitting at a tableoutside a hut in the forest, step on the GR1 trail track circling the island

HEMIS_491530France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Combani, Guerlain Plantation,hiker consulting a map in front of a Banga in the Botanical garden which still has itsown still for the distillation of Ylang Ylang of the estate

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HEMIS_491449France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Sada, local craft store, wovenbaskets in coconut fiber

HEMIS_491465France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, jewellerycraftsman, repairing of a golden neckless for a big wedding, at this occasion, familiesspend huge amount of money to show their wealth

HEMIS_491491France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, large centralmarket at the port, Mahoré women selling fruits and vegetables, main places of life ofMamoudzou where one could also find materials (lambas) and small handcrafts(some of them coming from Madagascar)

HEMIS_491492France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, large centralmarket at the port, stacking sticks of cinnamon, used in pastry, this bark has highlyperfumed smell with a sweet and savoury taste

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HEMIS_491494France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, large centralmarket at the port, bunch of green bananas to cook of which the island is proud topossess more than 36 varieties mostly used in cooking as vegetable

HEMIS_491457France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Jimaweni, Mahore Salouva,colored boubou wear by women, cloth printed with the colors of the archipelago

HEMIS_491488France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, handcraftedbaskets fiber in the colors of the island

HEMIS_491428France, Mayotte island (French overseas department), Mamoudzou, landing of thebarge from Dzaoudzi on Petite Terre island, administratif center of Mayotte,separated from Grande Terre island by an arm of sea of 2 km long

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