Aldabra is perhaps THE “iconic” coral atoll - even though many who “know” of it couldn’t begin to place it on a map. Its overall fragility and the vulnerability of its unique flora and fauna have been made famous by the numerous and ongoing fights to prevent it from development and worse – including plans for a large military base (ultimately developed not that far away at Diego Garcia). Despite having had 7 reviews already on this site (mainly by people working/studying there), it is rather difficult to reach. Read on to decide if it is worth the cost and effort!

We were told (Feb 2008) that it receives around 1000+ visitors pa and that the majority arrive (as did we) on Indian Ocean “Cruise Ships” for but a brief stay (It appears that Aldabra’s inadequate income is largely derived from the entrance fees of the far greater number of tourists who visit Vallée de Mai which cross-subsidises it, as both are run by the Seychelles Islands Foundation - SIF). Private yachts can also make the visit but otherwise you would need to make the 2.5 hour 1150km flight in a chartered small plane from Mahé to the nearest airstrip on nearby Assumption Island. Its landscape has been devastated by guano mining and it is currently uninhabited – a graphic illustration of what could have happened to Aldabra if persons as august as Charles Darwin himself (though he never actually visited the atoll) hadn’t made efforts to preserve it from exploitation as early as 1874! From there you need to take a small boat sent out from the Aldabra Research Station for an open sea crossing of c35 kms (though “it is not SIF policy to be involved in the establishment of a boat connection between Aldabra and Assumption”). Anyone arriving by sea from outside the Seychelles should be aware that you MUST carry out immigration formalities at Assumption before visiting Aldabra – even though this means arranging, and paying for, the immigration officials to fly out to uninhabited Assumption! There is some simple accommodation at the Research Station for “land based educational and scientific visits”. However, when we were there, the Station had just smashed its catamaran transport on the reef and our ship had to “rescue” some visitors who were already present and needed to get to an airstrip on a boat they trusted on the open seas!

Aldabra is the world’s second largest atoll but I was surprised to discover that it has only existed in its current manifestation for c125000 years - a mere nothing in geological timescales (Source – “Aldabra – World Heritage Site”. ISBN 1 874041 58 X - a fine book published by the SIF). During the previous 5 million years it had “risen” and disappeared on several occasions. Its coral “cap” sits on a volcanic seamount and its height in relation to the sea has depended on the complex interaction between great variations in mean sea level during glacial and inter-glacial periods, the contraction of the underlying volcanic layer, surface weathering and the conditions for coral formation. It appears currently to be naturally disappearing beneath the sea since this trend predates (though may be exacerbated by) any possible man made “global warming” effects. Indeed one of its most famous features, its enormous central lagoon, has probably only been present c5000 years since the sea broke through as a result of its rise during the current inter-glacial period. At one time the cliffs might have been 300 metres above sea level – now they are just a few metres and in places the accumulated sand is disappearing year by year.

Giant Tortoises are its other famous feature. Their forebears must have floated from Madagascar some 400kms away within the last 125000 years – they are buoyant and can swim. Currently there are c150000 on the atoll, more than 10 times as many as those who live, more famously, on the Galapagos Islands (a different and slightly larger species). Breeding colonies have been set up on other Seychellois islands but only here do they survive in an unbroken line and unassisted by man (though there are some arguments about whether any examples of 2 other "extinct tortoise species" have survived in captivity on the granitic northern islands).

And what do you see if you DO get there on a brief cruise visit? Well – beware, the seas may be too rough for you to see anything other than the low dunes and the surf!! The tide and wind will determine what you can do and when. 2 couples on our ship had failed respectively even to see the island and or to make a landing on previous trips. On our arrival afternoon conditions allowed us a 90 minute zodiac ride into the lagoon following a drift snorkel at its entrance. In its shallow waters you can see turtles, rays and other fish whilst the mangrove forest on its banks and islands contains a myriad of sea birds (Though unfortunately we didn’t see the endemic Rail). You will also see the typical “champignon” (mushroom) rock formations caused by weathered coral (photo – top). It is a fine trip, but doesn’t provide a full sight of the variety of land scenery/fauna.

The next morning brought disappointment. Winds and swell made our planned landing and walk from the Research Centre impossible and we just had to “up anchor”. This left me with a distinct moral dilemma – had I actually “visited” Aldabra! Luckily our “rescue” mission for the stranded visitors enabled us to obtain permission to make a short sea shore landing on the “closed” southern island of Grande Terre at Dune Jean-Louis where the seas were better. As we reached the beach we were met by a shoreline littered with rubbish - certainly not from visitors. Some may have been flotsam and jetsam from ships, but it appears that the majority floats up on the currents from Madagascar - a graphic image of the pollution which is occurring in our seas. How many creatures would be injured/killed by the glass, plastic, netting etc? We did our best to clear some of it but it was clearly a losing battle. The rubbish also provided a clear indication of how “articles” could float to Aldabra from Madagascar and supported the thesis that a few tortoises must have made a similar journey all those years ago - estimates are that, in the right conditions, it takes only 3-7 days.

As we climbed the dunes we were met by the remarkable site of a “Tortoise lawn” – an area of close-cropped vegetation (its plants “evolved” in response to Tortoise grazing habits!) fertilised over the centuries to be “better than the average” soil among the coral rocks, where giant tortoises meet to eat and socialise! A wonderful primeval vision (photo – bottom)! All too soon we had to leave. As we did we wished the tortoises we had seen “good luck” in their next 100 or so years of life (assuming the atoll survives!). Those exact creatures should still be munching on their lawn when we are “pushing up daisies” several continents away. A sobering thought to conclude a short but memorable visit!