Alphonse, 22/04/03, Day 3
 Excursion to the unhabitated island of St. Francois.
Deserted island adventure in the Indian Ocean

(Please click on a picture to enlarge it)

hermit crab hermit crab

This early morning, I join a group and several guides, going to the nearby island of St Francois. This will be probably one of the best excursion that I will take during the entire vacation. Although very close to Alphonse (just 30 minutes of fast boat), the environment is very different, with a lot of different wildlife and plants. The above hermit crabs can be found everywhere on this atoll (also in the forest), but I didn't see a single one of them on Alphonse. They are very nice and can go completely out from their shell, used like a mobile home.

 

Mangrove trees
Mangrove forest We soon start to cross a mangrove forest.

 

Crab Crab
Crab Crabs of different sizes and colors live between the woods.

 

Mangroves

Wearing confortable and appropriate coral-proof shoes, we start to cross the lagoon.

 

Low tide
Flocks of birds The tide is currently low and banks of sand emerge here and there. The bird life is reach and interesting.

 

Baby shark Giant crab

On the lft, a baby shark swimming in very low water. On the right, a giant crab. The picture was taken from a distance of about 20 meters using a 135mm lens, they are very big, I think like a small or medium-sized dog, unfortunately we run away as soon as I've tried to get closer.

 

Deserted island adventure St Francois island
The hiking continues along the beach around the island. The water is green-bluish and is very clean and transparent.

 

St Francois atoll
After a long walk, a snack and a short relax, it is the time to head back to Alphonse. As the tide is very low, the boat cannot come close to the beach to fetch us, so we have to walk for about 10 minutes toward the reef in order to reach deeper waters.

 

St Francois atoll St Francois island
Low tide Indian Ocean Looking around while walking to the reef. In the lower-left picture, the other members of the group are walking toward the boat, faintly visible in the center of the picture.

 

Unhabitated island Unhabitated island

Under a very intense midday sun, we head back to Alphonse. The color of the water is enhanced by a clear sky and a bright light. On the left picture: St. Francois from the distance. On the right: approaching Alphonse.

 

Geko

Once back in my bungalow on Alphonse, I observe a nice green geko walking furtively on the floor of my room. Good! With a friend like this, I will not need the insect repellent anymore!

 

Beautiful sunset

Observing the sky, I understand that the sunset will be probably very nice today. So I climb my bike and take a short trip to the west coast where I swim a bit while waiting for the proper time. The colors was indeed spectacular, with the sky and the sea filled by magical and surreal hues of blues, yellows, oranges and reds.

 

Seychelles sunset
The night is arriving and I have to cross the palm forest before it is totally dark, so I quickly leave this beautiful corner of Alphonse Island and head back to my bungalow.

 

 

SEYCHELLES PICTURES
Alphonse island

ALPHONSE - An incredible wonder, part of the Amirantes group, about 400 Km southwest of Mahe'. Characterized by a huge lagoon and surrounded by sandy flats, it can also be used as a base for sightseeing and fly flishing trips to the nearby paradise of St. Francois, the kingdom of the mangroves and giant crabs.

ALPHONSE DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4
La Digue island

LA DIGUE - A granitic island where the time seems frozen at the past century. Can be entirely visited by bike and with its many opportunities for hiking and trekking, offers a lot of activities for either adventurous travellers and for who prefers to relax on a beach doing swimming and snorkeling.

LA DIGUE DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4
Paslin Island

PRASLIN - Another granitic island, home of the world's only population of Coco De Mer tree, is also characterized by many white-sand beaches and can be used as a convenient base for several daytrips to the nearby islands.

PRASLIN DAY 1 | DAY 2
Bird Island

BIRD - A lovely paradise for bird watching and birding tours, hiking, swimming and snorkeling. Home of Esmerlada, a tortoise about 200 years old, this coralline island also hosts a colony of Sooty Terns coming here annually to feed and to grow their chicks. A large beach of pure-white sand surrounds the entire island for a circumference of about 5 kilometers.

BIRD DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4
Minolta Dynax 5

MORE INFO ABOUT MY VACATION TO SEYCHELLES

This section contains information about the trip to Seychelles and theme pictures.

SEYCHELLES INFO | SEYCHELLES WILDLIFE | SEYCHELLES VEGETATION | SEYCHELLES TRANSPORT | SEYCHELLES BEST PICTURES


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