Islands & Atolls of the Seychelles

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Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 London or Manchester to Mahe, Seychelles.

   Fly by scheduled indirect flight.

2. 2

   Day 2 Mahe.

   Arrive and transfer to the MS Island Sky. Enjoy welcome drinks and dinner as we sail the short distance to our overnight anchorage at Praslin.

3. 3

   Day 3 Praslin & Curieuse, Inner Seychelles.

   Spend the morning on Praslin where we will explore the ‘Vallee de Mai', the last remnant of the original high canopied Seychelles palm forest and home to the coco de mer. We will walk its paths looking out for the rare black parrot and enjoying its natural beauty. Sail over lunch to Curieuse, a rugged island that was once home to a leper colony and now houses an eco-museum and visitor centre. The island is an important nesting site for hawksbill turtles and boasts endemic vines and mangroves which we will explore during our island walk.

4. 4

   Day 4 Alphonse Islands.

   There are three islands in the Alphonse group and as we approach them you will understand why they are regarded by many to be the most beautiful of the 115 islands in the Seychelles archipelago. After a leisurely morning at sea we plan to spend the afternoon on the tiny and idyllic island of Bijoutier which, rarely visited, is a haven for a variety of seabirds. There will be the opportunity to swim and we hope to offer a snorkel platform in the crystal clear waters. Bijoutier sits between two larger atolls so the ocean current flows passing Bijoutier replenish the coral reefs and make them especially rich in biodiversity. Spend the morning at sea as we cruise to the Farquhar Group which consists of ten islands and atolls which cover an area of 370 square kilometres. We will spend two days here and will discover the Providence Atoll before we anchor off Farquhar where we will use our Zodiacs to explore the sparkling lagoon of this remote, atoll ringed island of coconut and casuarina trees. Hawksbill and green sea turtles come to the atoll to nest and several of the Farquhar Group's islands are Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas. We will visit the island's settlement, enjoy walks looking for the birdlife or snorkel in the clear waters. We have two days to enjoy the Aldabra group of islands and hope to include landings at Cosmoledo where a huge ring of twelve islands circles a lagoon. Many of the atolls are still to be surveyed and we will explore some of them by Zodiac. This is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area with all three species of booby found in the Seychelles including the last breeding site for the brown booby. We also hope to spot sooty terns and great frigate birds on land and have the opportunity to see turtles as we swim and snorkel in the lagoon. Close by is Aldabra, the island referred to by Sir Julian Huxley as “One of nature's treasures and should belong to the whole world” which is unique and every time we call at what is believed to be the world's largest atoll we find something new of interest. Sightings have been made of the extremely rare white throated rail and the atoll is also home to the world's second largest colony of frigate birds and to the largest crab, the coconut crab. Whilst exploring by Zodiac it is difficult to know in which direction to look. The clear blue seas abound with life, the skies are alive with varied birdlife and ashore giant land tortoises forage as they have done for millions of years. We hope to explore Picard Island with a short walk to see some of the thousands of tortoises and numerous robber crabs or swim in the lagoon, a vast 17 mile stretch of shallow clear water. From our Zodiacs we can watch the ever-changing undersea world and snorkel in colourful coral waters.

5. 9

   Day 9 At Sea.

   Spend a leisurely day on board as we continue our journey through the Seychelles. Maybe join a lecture and watch for wildlife on deck.

6. 10

   Day 10 Amirante Islands.

   Over lunch we arrive at the 28 islands in the Amirante Group which were discovered by Vasco de Gama in 1501 and are considered to be some of the most pristine and untouched islands in the world. If conditions permit we will visit Poivre Atoll which is made up of three islands. In the past the islands were used for vanilla, nuts, maize, cattle and pig farming but in recent years, the atolls' landscapes have become a popular nesting ground for bird species like Chinese and blue heron, whimbrels, fodies, noddies and greater frigate birds. The sandy shores are also important nesting grounds for hawksbill and green turtles.

7. 11

   Day 11 Aride & Cousin, Inner Seychelles.

   Early this morning we return to the Inner Seychelles and hope to anchor off Aride, one of the finest and most important seabird islands in the Indian Ocean. Over one million seabirds breed on the island including tropical shearwater, lesser noddy, frigatebirds and roseate tern and also five species unique to the Seychelles such as the Seychelles warbler and Seychelles magpie robin. The island is largely covered in native woodland including the endemic Wright's gardenia, a shrub with beautifully scented flowers found nowhere else in the world. We will spend our final afternoon on the island of Cousin, a lovely island and nature reserve which is surrounded on two sides by spectacular beaches. There will be the option to take a final swim from the beach or keen bird watchers may like to join a nature walk to look for some of the endemic land birds including the Seychelles sunbird and Seychelles fody.

8. 12

   Day 12 Mahe to London or Manchester.

   Disembark this morning and transfer to the airport for our scheduled indirect flight to London or Manchester. Arrive this afternoon.

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