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Alphonse
Up until the luxurious Alphonse Island Lodge was opened in 2000, Alphonse was just another of the many coral islands of the Indian Ocean. It supported a copra plantation and not much more. Mariners avoided it because of the treacherous pass through the fringing reef and Canal des Mortes, Dead Man's Channel, just outside that pass.
Located southwest of Desroches and the Amirantes, Alphonse would not remain isolated for long. With the addition of an airstrip and the discovery of some of the best salt water fly fishing in the world; the Lodge soon started attracting anglers and sun worshippers.
Today, Alphonse is the base for two world-class fly-fishing outfitters as well as busy little scuba diving shop. Five day and more fly-fishing expeditions to Alphonse are extremely popular as are the yearly trips on the Indian Ocean Explorer operated by The Urban Angler.
Aride
The most northerly of the granitic islands and 2 hours by boat from Mahe (45 minutes from Praslin), Aride was purchased in 1973 by Christopher Cadbury (Cadbury Chocolates), President of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation.
It is a Special Reserve for seabird breeding and is home to the area's largest sea bird concentration with 10 breeding species. Frigate birds, Red-tailed Tropic birds and the world's largest colonies of Lesser Noddy and Roseate Terns are here, as well as the highest density of lizards anywhere on earth. There are several endemic species of flowers here and Aride is the only home of the magnificent Wright's Gardenia, or bois citron.
There are no accommodations. Day trips are organized several times weekly and start with a nature walk through fully natural areas near the beach. Nature here is fully accustomed to man not causing any problems whatsoever; in fact, Tropicbirds and others will nest right next to the path as the two-legged visitors walk right by. |
