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Curieuse
Named for the ship whose captain discovered the island in 1768 Curieuse is less than 1 km north of Praslin. Today covered in lush vegetation and huge takamaka trees, it once was covered with coco-de-mer palms. In an attempt to harvest them, the island was set afire in 1771 and virtually all were destroyed.
From 1833 to 1965 Curieuse housed lepers from Mauritius and the doctor's house is now the home of the island's warden. As a National Park, it is home to common land birds and some seabirds. There is a program in place to breed giant tortoises here for reintroduction to the granitic islands.
There are no accommodations. Day trips are organized several times weekly.
Denis
Denis, a private coral island, lies 80 km from Mahe, 30 minutes by air, and offers privacy, peace and relaxation. Its very fertile soil containing huge guano deposits from years of nesting bird colonies produces rich vegetation. Wild roaming tortoises and nesting sea turtles also make their home here.
There is a great variety of indoor and outdoor activity, but Denis is especially known for the excellent diving and, especially, fishing. Island boats offer daily game excursions and world record catches were recorded for dogtooth, bonito and tuna. Marlin, sailfish, barracuda, wahoo, dorado and job also make the game fishing experience exciting.
Densely wooded with palms, the island's lagoon is surrounded by a wealth of coral. The reef drops sharply to depths of 15-30m allowing divers an unparalleled undersea adventure. It is owned by the Seychelles Coconut Estates, which also runs the hotel, the Denis Island Lodge.
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