Curieuse Island and its giant tortoises
Off the north coast of Praslin, Curieuse is a small 2.9 km² granite island of red earth where the coco de mer grows. A leper colony from 1829 to 1965, it is now home to more than 300 Aldabra giant tortoises.
Key facts
Before you go.
- Starting point
- Anse Volbert on Praslin, where the water taxis leavePraslin (Wikivoyage)
- GPS coordinates
- -4.28333, 55.72361Curieuse Island (Wikipedia)
Good to know
Three things to remember.
A walkway crosses the mangrove swamp in the south of the island.
Curieuse Island (Wikipedia)The ruins of the leprosarium remain, as does the former physician’s house at Anse St. Joseph, now an educational centre and museum.
Curieuse Island (Wikipedia)The island and its waters form Curieuse Marine National Park, created in 1979.
Curieuse Island (Wikipedia)
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Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
- Curieuse Island (Wikipedia)
Curieuse Island is a small granitic island 1.13 sq mi (2.9 km2) in the Seychelles close to the north coast of the island of Praslin. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique coco de mer palms […] In 1829, Curieuse was first used as a leper colony, and it functioned in this capacity until 1965. […] Today, ruins of the leprosarium remain, as well as the former physician's residence at Anse St. Joseph (now an educational center and museum). […] In 1979, Curieuse and surrounding waters were declared the Curieuse Marine National Park […] Today, it is the home of more than 300 Aldabra giant tortoise […] On the southern part of the island is a mangrove swamp that is traversed by a walkway for park visitors. (coordinates -4.28333333, 55.72361111)
- Praslin (Wikivoyage)
Curieuse is accessible by water taxi from Anse Volbert.
Opening hours, prices and access conditions change: check them with the official source before you go. Viafro publishes no price without a source and a date.