Boat Excursions to Praslin and
Nearby Islands in Seychelles
Curieuse Island
Curieuse Island is a granite island 1.5km off Praslin’s north coast. A colony of lepers from 1833 to 1965, Curieuse is today utilized as a breeding center for giant Aldabra tortoises. The wardens at the Giant Tortoise Farm show visitors around the pens, after which you are free to explore the rest of the island. BaieLaraie is a great base for swimming and snorkeling in Praslin Seychelles. From BaieLaraie, a path leads to Anse St José, where you can visit the Doctor’s House, it contains a small historical museum. If you fancy a dip after your picnic, the beach is lovely: a stretch of pristine pale golden sand fringed with lofty palm trees and framed by massive granite boulders.
Most visitors for Curieuse Island day trip arrive on an organized boat tour from Praslin, usually coupled with Cousin Island and St Pierre Islet. Tours are arranged through top tour and boat operators in Praslin. Day trips cost around euro, 100/50 for an adult / child including BBQ lunch and drink, entry park tickets and free guide. The best way is to charter your very own private boat from Praslin or you might contact Angel Tours, whose tours receive rave reviews from travellers and is one of the best boat operators in Praslin Seychelles.
Cousin
About 2km south west of Praslin, Cousin Island is run as a nature reserve by Nature Seychelles. Seven species of seabirds nest here, including fairy terns, tropical white-tailed birds and shearwaters. The bird population is estimated to exceed 300, 000 on an island measuring only 29 hectares. It is an amazing experience to walk through a thick forest with birds that seem to nest on each branch. Cousin is also home to five species of endemic land birds, including the Seychelles warbler and the magpie robin, and is an essential nesting ground for hawksbill turtles. Between October and Apr, as much as 100 people crawl ashore to lay their eggs in the island’s fring circlet of sand.
During any time of the year you are bound to see lizards: Cousin boasts one of the highest densities of lizards in the world. Well over a hundred giant tortoises also live on the island, some of that have reached truly huge sizes, measuring more than a metre long. Cousin can only be visited as part of an organized tour from Monday to Friday, generally coupled with Curieuse and St Pierre Islet. Day trips can be arranged through Praslin’stour operators.
St Pierre Islet.
The glassy waters around St Pierre Islet, off Anse Volbert, are fantastic for snorkelling and swimming in Seychelles. Boat trips in St Pierre are organized by private tour and boat operators in Praslin Seychelles and they are generally offered coupled with Curieuse Island Day Trip, Praslin so you can cover Curieuse & St Pierre Day Trip together. You can hire your very own private boat from Praslin, Seychelles.
