Curieuse Island (Seychelles)

...BRIEF HISTORY

Curieuse is a tiny island, only 1 square mile in area, and is a member of the Inner Island Group of the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles. It is situated about 1Km north of the popular holiday destination of Praslin, and was named after "La Curieuse" the ship carrying the party that discovered the island in 1768. Curieuse was originally covered in the mystical and unique coco de mer palms, a source of legend ...
...sands. From 1833 to 1965, Curieuse was a colony for lepers imported from Mauritius. Today, as an uninhabited National Park it is home to many land and sea birds, and hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises.


HOW TO GET THERE

The only way to visit Curieuse is by boat, either privately or on an organised tour, which are run frequently from many of the hotels on the neighbouring larger island of Praslin. I went on a ... more

A BRIEF HISTORY

Curieuse is a tiny island, only 1 square mile in area, and is a member of the Inner Island Group of the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles. It is situated about 1Km north of the popular holiday destination of Praslin, and was named after "La Curieuse" the ship carrying the party that discovered the island in 1768. Curieuse was originally covered in the mystical and unique coco de mer palms, a source of legend and folklore in Seychelles, but during an attempt to harvest them in 1771 the island was set alight and they were tragically destroyed. Today the small island is a lush, verdant mix of takamaka trees, palms and mangroves, fringed with several beaches of fine golden sands. From 1833 to 1965, Curieuse was a colony for lepers imported from Mauritius. Today, as an uninhabited National Park it is home to many land and sea birds, and hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises.

HOW TO GET THERE

The only way to visit Curieuse is by boat, either privately or on an organised tour, which are run frequently from many of the hotels on the neighbouring larger island of Praslin. I went on a three island day trip run from my small Praslin hotel, Beach Villas in Grande Anse, which cost just over £70, including all landing fees and refreshments. The trip included snorkelling at St. Pierre Islet, a stunning cluster of granite rocks atopped with palm trees in the Curieuse Marine Park, which sports a fantastic variety of tropical fish, a walking tour on the bird reserve island of Cousin (I have reviewed this wonderful island separately), and a substantial barbecue lunch and visit to Curieuse. This may seem an expensive day out, but it was also a truly memorable experience.

WHAT TO SEE ON CURIEUSE

Most boats land at the small sheltered beach at Anse Papaie, which has a collection of the typical Seychelles granite boulders, shallow turquoise waters and golden sands. The beach is surrounded by a cleared area which supports two of the very few constructions on the island, namely the office and nursery area of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise Conservation Project. These tortoises, Geochelone gigantean, are one of the largest remaining species of tortoise in the world, with the males averaging 120cm in length and 250Kg in weight, and they can live to over 100 years of age. Once common on several Indian Ocean Islands, the dramatic decline of these mammoth tortoises lead to them being declared endangered in the late 1800s, one of the first species to ever have been designated as such. In an attempt to protect these special creatures from the same fate of extinction as many of their cousins, in 1978 95 individuals were brought from the Aldabra Atoll in the outer reaches of Seychelles to Curieuse to preserve their numbers in a natural, wild environment, and to provide an opportunity to study the unique species. Sadly, due to poor management practices, which failed to prevent the abuse of tortoises and their nest areas by marauding tourists, the polluting of their environment by discarded litter, poaching and predation by rats, half of the introduced tortoises passed away and reproduction levels were poor. Now with improved monitoring and regulation of visitors, the programme has proved extremely successful, with aims to breed tortoises for reintroduction to some of the islands from which they have been lost.

All visitors receive an interesting and informative talk by one of the SCMRT-MPA wardens, available in English, French and Kreol (but generally a blend of all three), in the nursery section. New hatchlings are collected from the wild and bought here to be raised in pens for the first five years of their lives, to reduce the heavy losses to the large indigenous crabs, to which the tiny baby tortoises are easy prey. When they have reached a decent enough size to defend themselves, the tortoises are released to roam the island and some are transported elsewhere. After the talk, baby tortoises are gently passed round for the visitors to examine.

The results of the project's endeavours can be met all over the island. Many adult tortoises hang around the nursery area, and lumber over to meet the visitors disembarking from their boats in hope of a tidbit. They are highly tame, which although being a pleasant way to get to know the huge reptiles, slightly gives the place the feel more of a petting zoo than a conservation reserve. While it is acceptable to feed the tortoises fruits picked up from the ground, the wardens are given no choice but to frequently berate the endless number of moronic tourists who insist on riding or standing on the backs of these docile creatures. This causes them a pain similar to a great weight being placed on a human fingernail, only the tortoises don't tend to express that they are being severely hurt.

Although most people come to Curieuse to see the tortoises, it is an island suited to the general nature lover and explorer. There is something for everyone here, whether it is walking, shell hunting on the beaches, gecko spotting on the boulders, or watching rare species of birds nesting in the trees.

For walking, there is a footpath and boardwalk leading around the island. This is reputed to take around 45 minutes to complete, but a downside of an organised tour is that this time is simply not available to wander, although I did complete the section through the mangroves, where huge Cardisoma and fiddler crabs lurk, shooting back into their holes when I got too close. The path then passes by the Turtle Pond at Baie Laraie, where captive turtles were once kept prior to slaughter for export.

For visitors with adequate time, the path leads to the fine beach and interesting museum at Anse St. Jose. From 1833-1965, Curieuse was an official leper colony, and the ruined leprosarium can be visited along with the Old Doctor's House, a classic example of Creole architecture with a spacious veranda, which has been declared a national monument. It is open daily for visits from 9-5, and although my tour did not include this, we did pass it by sea on leaving the island.

FACILITIES

The only buildings on Curieuse are under the charge of SCMRT-MPA (National Marine Parks Board) , and there are no overnight accommodations or refreshments available. The SCMRT-MPA office serves as a tiny souvenir shop, with leaflets about the island and a few bookmarks and posters for sale, and is also the location at which landing fees should be paid if applicable. Credit cards are accepted, and like most tourist interests in Seychelles, the fees must be paid in US dollars of Euros. As the visitor can chose which currency to be charged in, it is worth keeping an eye on the exchange rates to ensure the best deal.

There are several barbecue stands and long tables under a lapa, for the tour operators to prepare the meal, typically freshly caught Seychellois style fish, rice and chilli sauce, with mango salad, and fresh fruit to follow. A BBQ on an uninhabited tropical island sounds an ideal scenario, but due to the fact that most daytrips to the small islands dotted around Praslin call into Curieuse for lunch, it was not the uninterrupted idyll it could have been. When I was there, along with my group of ten, were two other large parties, all crammed onto benches in one spot. The food was superb, but the feel was far too claustrophobic and commercial for my liking.

There are a pair of flush toilets by the luncheon area.

As very little shelter is available it is advisable to take a waterproof and sun protection to cater for all weather possibilities, and stout shoes for walking.

FINAL OPINION

While Curieuse is an attractive island, it is merely one semi-precious stone in a assortment of Indian Ocean jewels. Sure enough, it is a pleasant place to visit, but no one factor makes it outstanding - the beaches, plant varieties, bird species and even the tortoise experience can all be surpassed by other nearby islands. In fact the preservation of tortoises has proved so successful, to the point they have become as unusual a sight in the Seychelles as a pigeon in Trafalgar Square. Yet, on most of the other islands, the visitor does not get the chance to interact with them or witness their activities in their natural habitat. However, for combining a range of interests - historical, natural and physical - and especially for families, Curieuse is ideal, whether for a short stop for a couple of hours as I did, or a personal visit for a whole day in which time the entire island and all of its attractions could easily be explored.

While Curieuse may not stick in the mind as one of the more spectacular Seychelles islands, it is certainly very worth a visit.

© 2005 V.L. Collyer 

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