Silhouette & Curieuse, Seychelles
As dawn rose over our fifth day in the Seychelles we encountered another side to this large and diverse archipelago. Continuing our journey northward we have left the low lying coral atolls to the south and we are now in the granitic islands. Instead of low lying atolls fringed with Casuarinas and coconut palms we were greeted with a scene of rugged peaks. These islands are a remnant of the break up of Gondwanaland, cast adrift in the Indian Ocean for millions of years. Heavily eroded granite peaks form the backdrop to our exploration of these islands, while granite boulders line the beaches and form underwater structures inhabited by coral and fish.
For our first day in the granitics we made two islands our destination. The morning at Silhouette was spent hiking onshore, learning about giant tortoise conservation in the islands and enjoying close up encounters with these remarkable animals. Several of the endemic birds of the region were found, including excellent views of a confiding male Seychelles kestrel. The afternoon was spent on Curieuse, primarily time on the beach and enjoying the warm waters, while our fine galley crew fixed a barbecue dinner ashore while we enjoyed a stunning tropical sunset.
As dawn rose over our fifth day in the Seychelles we encountered another side to this large and diverse archipelago. Continuing our journey northward we have left the low lying coral atolls to the south and we are now in the granitic islands. Instead of low lying atolls fringed with Casuarinas and coconut palms we were greeted with a scene of rugged peaks. These islands are a remnant of the break up of Gondwanaland, cast adrift in the Indian Ocean for millions of years. Heavily eroded granite peaks form the backdrop to our exploration of these islands, while granite boulders line the beaches and form underwater structures inhabited by coral and fish.
For our first day in the granitics we made two islands our destination. The morning at Silhouette was spent hiking onshore, learning about giant tortoise conservation in the islands and enjoying close up encounters with these remarkable animals. Several of the endemic birds of the region were found, including excellent views of a confiding male Seychelles kestrel. The afternoon was spent on Curieuse, primarily time on the beach and enjoying the warm waters, while our fine galley crew fixed a barbecue dinner ashore while we enjoyed a stunning tropical sunset.
