The Outstanding Outer Islands of the Seychelles

Overview

Imagine an arrowhead-shaped, coral island perched in the middle of the warm Indian Ocean, carpeted in coconut palms and inhabited by giant tortoises and thousands of seabirds. That idyllic island is real and it is called Alphonse.

Belonging to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, the Alphonse Group comprises Alphonse Atoll, Bijoutier Island and St Francois Atoll, all lying around 250 miles from Victoria, the Seychelles capital, and seven degrees south of the Equator. A one-hour flight from Mahe takes you there.

The long established and family-friendly Alphonse Island Lodge is the only resort in the group and a change of management over the past few years has resulted in many improvements. The main building now contains the reception, lounge with snooker table, restaurant, bar, swimming pool and spa offering excellent massages. The recently added Beach Bar is set on a white sand beach and provides the perfect base from which to view splendid tropical sunsets (a mojito or Seybrew sundowner in hand if desired).

There are 22 private A-frame Beach Bungalows, each with a generous seafront plot and en suite bathroom, outside shower, air conditioning and fan. If more space is required, a further five open-plan Beach Suites offer ample room, modern décor, two showers (inside and outside) and large private plunge pools. From November 2019 there will be two four-bedroom villas, each with a large pool and plenty of living space, perfect for families or large groups of friends.

Much of the fruit and vegetables used in the restaurant are grown in their on-site organic garden. As you ride your complimentary bicycle around the sandy trails you might come across one of the island’s 60 giant Aldabra tortoises. Should you stop to photograph and find it advancing on you, don’t be alarmed: it only wants a pat on the head and a scratch of its neck.
Many visitors come to Alphonse for world-class fly fishing on extensive tidal flats but also for blue water fishing in the deep sea. Others come to snorkel and dive on the healthy coral reefs, frequented by turtles and filled with hundreds of fish species. The island has fully equipped angling and diving operations and a fleet of sleek, fast boats, are also available to take you snorkelling, dolphin watching and island hopping.

There’s a floodlit tennis court and SUP boards, pedalos and kayaks to use, and you can join guided nature walks to monitor green and hawksbill turtles, explore the tidal flats and spot some of the 130+ species of birds recorded there.

A unique activity recently developed at Alphonse is Sailfish Snorkelling. The fast pelagic predators are enticed to the rear of the boat using hook-less lures, at which time snorkellers drop into the water and watch as the fast fish speed underneath them: an exhilarating experience.

Alphonse also invented the Flats Lunch (see our main picture). Resort staff place chairs and parasols on a small tidal sand bank and conjure up a delicious buffet of salads and fish. Lunch finishes when the water laps at your ankles, at which time you board your boat and head off for another activity or back to the island, often accompanied by a pod of spinner dolphins.
Whatever you come to Alphonse to do – or if you are there just to relax – you will leave having had a marvellously memorable time in one of the world’s most beautiful marine environments.

Overview

Roughly 600 miles from the Seychelles capital, Victoria, pristine Cosmoledo Atoll comprises around 22 islands encircling a shallow lagoon. One of the largest, Wizard Island, has the Eco Lodge with its eight eco pods, kitchen tent, bar and restaurant tent, and small activity tent.

To reach Cosmoledo you need to take an early morning three-hour flight from Mahe to Astove Island, then an hour’s boat ride to the atoll. Once on Wizard Island, your sense of sublime isolation will be profound and serene as you take in the insular beauty all around.

The island attracts fly and deep sea fishermen, and divers and snorkellers keen to experience one of the Indian Ocean’s last unspoiled marine gems. Surrounding and within the atoll is a wonderfully healthy marine environment and islands filled with roosting seabirds and ancient mangroves. Cosmoledo is a globally important seabird site with the Seychelles’ largest colonies of three species of booby: masked, red footed and brown, the latter colony being the last viable population of that endangered seabird.

The lagoon’s tidal flats provide world class catch-and-release fly fishing and the diving is fabulous with plenty of fish species and healthy coral reefs supported by upwellings of colder water to counteract the effects of global warming, so damaging to many of the world’s reef systems. You will encounter many mid-size species such as grouper, so often lacking on other reefs worldwide where fishing has decimated such fish: no reef fishing for the plate is practised at Cosmoledo.

Included in your stay are non-motorised water sports such as kayaks, SUPs and snorkelling equipment, the return boat transfer from Astove, three meals a day with inclusive wine, soft drinks and tea and coffee. The delicious food is superbly presented, often using fresh fish from the surrounding sea such as yellow fin tuna, rainbow runner and wahoo. Also included is a guided tour of Wizard Island and a guided reef flats excursion. Optional boat tours and diving and fishing packages are available. Return flights from Mahe to Astove are extra.

Opened in December 2018, the South African-run operation is efficient and friendly. All the staff do a great job, including the on-site naturalist who will gladly guide you around the atoll’s natural history attractions. The lodge is open from mid-November to April each year.