Earth’s largest population of giant tortoises When planning our trip, we wanted to include Aldabra, the second UNESCOWorldHeritage Site in the Seychelles. Home to more than 100,000 giant tortoises, Aldabra is the biggest raised coral atoll in the world. Its four large islands and several small ones surround a lagoon so extensive that the 38-square-kilometre island of Mahé could easily fit inside its boundaries. We changed our minds when we learned that Aldabra was located 1,150 kilometres southwest of Mahé. That’s about a 40-hour cruise on a small ship! In addition, potential visitors must obtain permits from the Seychelles Island Foundation, which enforces strict regulations to protect Aldabra’s ecosystem. As a result, most visitors are scientists or passengers on private yachts, small- to medium-sized cruise ships and supply boats for island rangers and staff. Instead, we decided to take a day tour of Curieuse, just a 20-minute boat trip northwest of Praslin. We weren’t disappointed. Between 1978 and 1982, Curieuse National Park became home to 250 giant tortoises moved from Aldabra for a conservation project. The free-roaming tortoises graze on leaves and grasses. A ranger showed us a small, two-month-old Aldabra tortoise in the nursery. As we looked at its tiny scaled legs and domed carapace, it was difficult for us to imagine that it would grow up to 130 kilograms in size. He explained that the tortoises love to be gently stroked on the neck. As he tenderly moved his fingernails along the neck of a massive tortoise, the creature stretched out like a kitten extending its head towards him to encourage more caresses. Then, we swear, it smiled. Based on the number of mating tortoises that we viewed, the park’s breeding program is a success. Their bellowing mmph, mmph mating sounds resonated throughout the three-kilometre-square island. We wondered if the tortoises had eaten the coco-de-mer’s reputed Viagra-like jelly. Other than Praslin, Curieuse is the only island on which the coco-de-mer grows naturally. We were amused to watch a tortoise amble by an outhouse with a coco-de-mer seed and catkin designating his and hers doors. Later, we spotted the coco-de-mer’s fan-shaped fronds as we hiked along a two-kilometre boardwalk trail. Curieuse was a leper colony between 1833 and 1965. Today, park rangers lead free guided tours along the trail to the former doctor’s house, which is now a museum. Our guide pointed out cashew nuts, some of the eight species of mangroves on the island and pink cocoplums. “They are edible, but taste like cotton wool,” he explained. “Birds eat the fruit and spread the seeds.” Curieuse National Park ranger holds two-month-old Aldabra tortoise Cocoplums Aldabra giant tortoise Travel 20 | www.snowbirds.org
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