Astove Coral House

The accommodation on Astove is fairly basic but clean and comfortable, and the food is well prepared, fresh and delicious. The rooms are arranged around a central courtyard in which meals are taken and guests can relax.

The original building was started by a family from the USA who lived alone on the island for many years until a misfortune caused them to leave. Their abandoned home lay empty for some time but has now been renovated, refreshed and converted into a charming bijou lodge of great character.

Most come to Astove for the superlative fly fishing, but equally as good is the diving and snorkelling. Just offshore in the east, where the shelf surrounding the island ends, there is a dramatic sheer reef wall which plunges 500 metres vertically. Along this wall snorkellers can observe myriad species of fish and many turtles. The corals are in rude health and the visibility extends to around 100 feet, or 30 metres.

We rate the snorkelling here as amongst the best in the world: an accolade indeed. Here you will see many fish absent from other reefs worldwide: mid- to large-sized species like giant trevally and grouper are normally taken out on more accessible reefs, but here there is no reef fishing so they remain as nature intended. Lemon and silver tip sharks are often encountered.

World class diving can also be enjoyed on the wall, providing a rare scuba treat. As one descends the wall, the coral and fish species change, giving a wide variety of underwater encounters to savour.

The island itself was once a coconut plantation and those palms dominate the vegetation, along with casuarina trees and common Indian Ocean littoral species. Giant Aldabra tortoises roam the island, which is also home to many birds. The central lagoon is very shallow and provides perfect conditions for catch-and-release fly fishing, for which it is world-renowned.

The lodge is open from mid-November to April each year.