Curieuse Marine National Park
A short boat ride from Praslin to an island where giant tortoises roam free. Red-earth hills, a mangrove boardwalk and an old plantation house make Curieuse one of the best day trips in the Seychelles.
The island of free tortoises
Curieuse is a small island just off the north coast of Praslin, protected as a marine national park, and its great draw is the herd of giant Aldabra tortoises that wander it freely. Rather than penned in an enclosure, they graze across open ground and along the paths, and meeting these gentle giants at close range in the wild is the memory most visitors carry home. The island runs a breeding programme that has helped bring their numbers back.
The landscape itself is unusual for the Seychelles. Curieuse has a reddish, iron-rich soil and was once ravaged by fire, which gives it an open, distinctive character quite unlike the lush green of its neighbours, dotted with the strange bare-trunked coco de mer and takamaka trees.
Mangroves, the Doctor’s House and the sea
A raised boardwalk leads across a mangrove wetland between the two ends of the island, a rare habitat in the Seychelles and a quiet, atmospheric walk. At Anse St Jose stands the old Doctor’s House, a restored colonial building from the days when the island served as a leprosarium, now a small museum that tells that history.
Curieuse is almost always visited as a boat day trip from Praslin, very often combined with snorkelling at the St Pierre islet and a fresh Creole barbecue lunch on the beach. That mix of tortoises, mangroves, history and reef makes for one of the most complete and rewarding days out in the islands.
Know before you go
| Where | Island off the north coast of Praslin, a short boat ride away |
| Status | Marine national park with a giant tortoise programme |
| See | Free-roaming giant tortoises, mangrove boardwalk, the Doctor’s House |
| Access | By boat on a day trip, usually from Praslin |
| Entry | A national park fee, often included in tour prices |
| Time to allow | A full day, commonly combined with St Pierre snorkelling |
| Bring | Sun protection, water, reef-safe sunscreen, walking sandals |
What visitors say
★ 4.9 · 56 Google reviews★★★★★Nice trip from Praslin. Do not expect too much from the trip, they drive to Curieuse island and then wait you with BBQ on the other side, and some snorkeling. It is OK like this for us, because you can enjoy on your own …
Tomas Janik · via Google
★★★★★The island is home to around 200 Aldabra giant tortoises that roam freely, making every visit feel like a wildlife encounter in paradise. Seeing them up close, especially the 127-year-old elder among them, is something t…
Ihar Beliauski · via Google
★★★★★There is a good chance that you will be brought to this island with a tour operator. Don’t pay more than €70 pp, that’s a great price for what you get. Usually this includes a boat trip, entrance fee, BBQ and at the en…
Pedro El Toros · via Google
★★★★★Went for a lovely walk. I recommend wearing shoes. There are lots of tortoises, crabs etc. The mangrove forest is beautiful.
Patricia · via Google
Curieuse is a boat day trip, and the best ones fold in tortoises, the mangrove walk, snorkelling at St Pierre and a Creole barbecue. Stay on Praslin to catch the morning boats with ease.
Traveller favouriteCurieuse, St Pierre & Anse Lafarine day tripfrom €78 per groupBook this tripTours via Viator, stays via Booking.com. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Nearby Anse Volbert (Côte d’Or) · Vallée de Mai · Anse Lazio
Book the trip that includes a St Pierre snorkelling stop and a barbecue lunch. The combination of free-roaming tortoises, the mangrove boardwalk and the reef makes this the most complete day trip from Praslin.
