ISLAND CONSERVATION SOCIETY -Times are changing on Aride |24 March 2008
The island is now open to visitors Sunday to Thursday inclusive right through the year. Aride is one of the best examples of a tropical island nature reserve in Seychelles and the island staff are now pleased to be able to open the shores to visitors for more days in the week than they have ever done before. Although Friday and Saturdays are our closed days, which are to recharge the batteries and carry out maintenance, the staff would encourage visitors to phone beforehand and if possible Aride will then try and accommodate a visit.
There are free moorings available on the south side of the island, the reserve opens at 10 a.m., when the island’s boat will come out to meet you and take you to the shore. For all visits there are local guides on hand to help you discover the delights of Aride and to lead you around the trails and viewpoints. There are walks around the plateau and up the hill and for those that want more of a relaxing time, there is a sand fly free beach. Aride Island is a very special place for wildlife and it is alive with lizards, birds, crabs and other marine life, such as sea turtles. The island is probably the only place where you can get eye to eye with frigate birds, as it holds one of the main roosts of over 4,000 birds which use the northern rocks of the island as a refuge.
Aride sits just north of the shores of Praslin and the boat trip out can also be full of exciting opportunities to see local wildlife, including bottle-nosed dolphins, flying fish and beautiful views of gliding wedge tail and Audubon shearwaters, which fly just above the water’s surface. As you approach the island the density of wildlife becomes apparent as fairy terns can be seen flying over head together with the noisy sooty terns which group together and circle in large numbers, the frigate birds masters of the sky are always soaring above, it is without doubt a wildlife spectacle second to none in Seychelles.
Being that little bit further way from the main islands of Praslin and Mahe may seem off putting when the sea looks a little rough, but the trip is well worth it and we would encourage people in any doubt to give the warden a call to check on conditions at the island. Even in the South east monsoon, the sea between Aride and Praslin can be like a millpond and then there is more to see and hear, with over 750,000 pairs of breeding sea birds using the island at this time. To check on sea conditions or make an appointment for times different from normal opening hours please call the warden on 719778.
Sally Mills