CC BY-SA 4.0, Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, Wikimedia CommonsWildlife· Curieuse· Seychelles
Curieuse giant tortoise nursery
4° 17.0′ S · 55° 43.9′ E
Hundreds of free-roaming Aldabra giant tortoises — males around 120 cm long and up to 250 kg — descend from animals moved here from Aldabra in 1978–1982; hatchlings are raised in the nursery at Baie Laraie until about five years old, then released.
Practical
Most tortoises hang around the rangers' station and Anse Papaie, and they come down the beach as dinghies land (Moorings). Do not feed or ride them; let the rangers show you the nursery pens. Wikipedia counted more than 300 in 2015; Wikivoyage says over 500. Coordinate from the geotag of the Commons tortoise photo taken by the marine park offices in Laraie Bay.
Best for
Close encounters with giant tortoises
Season
Year-round; open 8am–5pm
Nearby
- Curieuse Ranger Station and park feesRight here
- Coco Curieuse Boutique (Baie Laraie)0.1 NM away
- Curieuse Nesting Sea Turtle Trail0.1 NM away
- Curieuse mangrove boardwalk trail (Baie Laraie to Anse José)0.3 NM away
- Curieuse Marine National Park (Baie Laraie)0.3 NM away
- Curieuse turtle pond / old barrier wall0.4 NM away
- Curieuse marine park rules and restricted zone0.5 NM away
- Anse Badamier trail (Curieuse)0.7 NM away