Aldabra, Seychelles
A full day began before dawn with a landing on Settlement Beach in search of breeding green turtles. Our luck was in, although the same could not be said for the particular female turtle we encountered. In theory, turtles should arrive on the beach and complete the nesting process during the hours of darkness. In practice, on this occasion a relatively low tide which made our landing difficult had perhaps also presented difficulties to this turtle. She was unable to complete her nesting attempt before dawn and returned to the sea without laying. Most likely she will return tonight for another try, and hopefully arrive onshore earlier.
The day continued with a chance to explore the ocean around Aldabra by snorkeling or by glass-bottomed Zodiac and finished with a Zodiac cruise through a small section of the enormous lagoon – some seventeen miles long and five miles wide. In the mangroves and on the champignon rocks we encountered many of the seabird species that breed at Aldabra. Most notable were the abundant frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. Less prominent were black-naped terns and both red-tailed and white-tailed tropicbirds.
At the end of a busy two days in the Aldabra group we departed on a course for Zanzibar, filled with a wide range of impressions of this beautiful place. Perhaps the most lasting impression is that we have been fortunate to visit one of the rare places on the planet where nature is being given the opportunity to thrive.
A full day began before dawn with a landing on Settlement Beach in search of breeding green turtles. Our luck was in, although the same could not be said for the particular female turtle we encountered. In theory, turtles should arrive on the beach and complete the nesting process during the hours of darkness. In practice, on this occasion a relatively low tide which made our landing difficult had perhaps also presented difficulties to this turtle. She was unable to complete her nesting attempt before dawn and returned to the sea without laying. Most likely she will return tonight for another try, and hopefully arrive onshore earlier.
The day continued with a chance to explore the ocean around Aldabra by snorkeling or by glass-bottomed Zodiac and finished with a Zodiac cruise through a small section of the enormous lagoon – some seventeen miles long and five miles wide. In the mangroves and on the champignon rocks we encountered many of the seabird species that breed at Aldabra. Most notable were the abundant frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. Less prominent were black-naped terns and both red-tailed and white-tailed tropicbirds.
At the end of a busy two days in the Aldabra group we departed on a course for Zanzibar, filled with a wide range of impressions of this beautiful place. Perhaps the most lasting impression is that we have been fortunate to visit one of the rare places on the planet where nature is being given the opportunity to thrive.
