Giant Tortoises and Coco de Mer on Curieuse Island

Curieuse Island is home to hundreds of giant tortoises, but they are not native to it: the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA) says they were brought from Aldabra and introduced between 1978 and 1982. The island also has the coco de mer palm growing wild, a mangrove boardwalk at Baie Laraie and the ruins of a leper colony at Anse Jose. You see all of it on a boat day from Praslin such as Angel Tours Pty LTD’s Praslin: Curieuse & St. Pierre Full-Day Boat Trip with Lunch, from $111 per adult (checked November 2026), which spends about three hours on the island plus a guided mangrove hike.

The calendar above is Angel Tours Pty LTD’s full day, with 1,929 reviews (checked November 2026).

The giant tortoises

The tortoises on Curieuse are Aldabra giant tortoises, and SPGA counts them in the hundreds. They were introduced between 1978 and 1982, and SPGA keeps a tortoise nursery on the island where young ones are raised until they are five years old and then released. On a boat day you meet them around the landing at Baie Laraie, where Infinity Charter Seychelles and Loyalty Boat Charter both put their visit, and they wander freely between the trees.

A Polish reviewer of Loyalty Boat Charter’s day (November 2025) was disappointed to learn that Curieuse is not the tortoises’ natural home; that is SPGA’s own account too. A reviewer writing in German about Geoli Charters' guided day (May 2026) saw tourists stroking and feeding them. SPGA’s park rules ask visitors to respect all marine life and not to collect plants or animals.

See the tortoises on the full day

The coco de mer

SPGA says Curieuse is the only other place, apart from Praslin, where the coco de mer palm grows naturally, the palm with “the world’s biggest nut”. On Curieuse it grows on the rocky slopes of the central hill, among the sparse, dry forest of red, eroded soil. The Coco Curieuse Boutique at Baie Laraie sells nuts as souvenirs.

If the coco de mer is the reason you came, Praslin has its own forest of it, the Vallee de Mai, and no boat is needed. Vision Voyages DMC's Vallee de Mai and Anse Lazio day goes there with hotel pickup on Praslin, from $72 per person (checked November 2026); entry to the Vallee de Mai and lunch are extra. It does not go to Curieuse.

The mangroves and the boardwalk

The mangrove swamp bordering Baie Laraie holds six of the seven mangrove species known in the Seychelles, in SPGA’s words, and a boardwalk on piles crosses it, so you can walk through even at high tide. On Angel Tours Pty LTD’s day the guided hike is 1.7 km, through the mangroves to a beach where you can swim. Reviewers of several Curieuse days describe the walk as hot and partly rocky, with steep steps in places, so wear shoes you can walk in.

Anse Jose: the leper colony and the Doctor’s House

For almost a hundred years Curieuse was used to quarantine people with leprosy, and the ruins of the leprosarium still stand on the shore at Anse Jose. Beside them is the old Doctor’s House, built in 1873 by Dr William MacGregor, which served as a museum and education centre. SPGA’s Curieuse page says it “is now closed for renovation” (read 13 November 2026).

Some listings still advertise it. Infinity Charter Seychelles' day trip with barbecue has “Visit the Historic Doctor’s House and explore island history” among its highlights; a reviewer of that day wrote on 6 November 2026 that the Doctor’s House was not visited, although the description named it. Expect the ruins and the outside of the house at most.

St. Pierre and the sea around it

St. Pierre is a tiny granite islet about five minutes by boat from Curieuse, inside the same marine park, and most boat days stop there to snorkel. SPGA mentions Wright skinks and sea birds ashore. In a rough sea some boats snorkel elsewhere: Infinity Charter Seychelles moves its snorkelling to Anse Petite Cours during the June to September southeast monsoon.

Who should skip Curieuse

If you want a long beach day with shade and nothing to walk, Curieuse is not it: the days are built around the tortoises, a hike in the heat and the snorkel stop, and some reviewers find the waits between them long. A Danish reviewer of Angel Tours Pty LTD’s day (June 2026) liked everything but suggested less time on the island. For everyone else, the full day keeps the walk, the tortoises and lunch in one price.

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators change prices by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.