Cosmoledo Atoll ECO CAMP FACT SHEET THE ULTIMATE BLUE SAFARI EXPERIENCE... www.bluesafari.com 28 JUNE 2018 MAHÉ 40 min St Joseph Island D’Arros Island Desroches Island Poivre Island 60 min Cosmoledo Atoll 30 min Located 1 030km south-west of Mahé, Cosmoledo Atoll is situated a stone’s throw away from the world heritage site of Aldabra, which is often referred to as the Galapagos of the Indian Alphonse Island Ocean. Menai and Wizard Islands occupy the eastern and western points of the atoll and were named after the two ships that explored the atoll on the Moresby Expedition in 1822. South Island stands near the main entrance to the inner lagoon, while the second, smaller entrance is just south of Menai. It’s a huge atoll measuring 17km from north to south. The perimeter of the atoll is covered with vast, wadeable sand flats dotted with islands of various shapes and sizes, all of which is the perfect habitat for its fish and wildlife population. Moscow London Frankfurt Ottawa Paris Milan Chicago New York Rome China Washington Los Angeles Dallas Aldabra Atoll Doha 120 min Miami Dubai Hong Kong COSMOLEDO ATOLL Equator Singapore Seychelles Johannesburg Mauritius Assumption 60 min Island Astove Island AT A GLANCE • Located 560 nautical miles south-west of Mahé in the Seychelles, and 18 nautical miles away from Astove Atoll. • Situated only 9º south of the equator. • Cosmoledo comprises of a larger white sand lagoon surrounded by vast sand flats dotted with over 20 islands, islets and cays of various shapes and sizes. • One of the most remote inhabited islands in the Seychelles. • Accommodate between 8 and 16 guests [fishing, diving or leisure] based on room-sharing and availability. • Similar time zone to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. www.bluesafari.com 1 COSMOLEDO ATOLL Remote, Pristine & Untouched... Cosmoledo Atoll is truly a diverse nature lover’s paradise of incomprehensible proportions. The ecosystem is pristine and untouched, with humans having had very GETTING THERE little impact on its environment over the years. The encounters you will see on a daily basis are proof of how remote and preserved this magnificent atoll is. • The Seychelles is a four and a half hour flight Cosmoledo is an important bird area and holds Seychelles’ largest colonies of all three from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha which species of booby that breed in Seychelles. The atoll holds the last viable population all serve as a connecting hub for regular of brown booby, breeding mainly on South Island, with a few on the west of North international flights from Europe, the United Island. It also has the Indian Ocean’s largest population of red-footed booby censused States, Africa and Asia. by the Island Conservation Society as about 15,000 pairs. Hundreds of frigatebirds of • Direct flights to the Seychelles from Paris, both species are to be seen. Cosmoledo also has Seychelles’ largest colony of sooty Bombay, Nairobi, Mauritius, Antananarivo, tern breeding on the northern end of Wizard Island. Second only to Aldabra are the Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Reunion, Col- numbers of breeding red-tailed tropicbird, black-naped tern and crested tern. ombo, Dar-Es-Salaam, Frankfurt and London. The lagoon is an important feeding ground for migratory waders, with crab plover • Cosmoledo Atoll is a three-hour sail [18 and ruddy turnstone most common. There are three endemic races of land bird: the nautical miles] from Astove Atoll; which is a Madagascar white-eye [race menaiensis], the souimanga sunbird [race buchenorum] three-hour flight from Mahé [the main island and a particular form of Madagascar turtle dove. The Madagascar cisticola is also of the Seychelles]. common and there are a few pied crow present. • The group meets an hour before the scheduled departure time at the IDC hangar. After the three-hour flight to Astove Atoll, guests will be met by the Captain of the MV Wizard, the shuttle boat which will transfer you to the Cosmoledo Eco Camp. MV Wizard will then depart on the three-hour sail to Cosmoledo Atoll, situated 18 nautical miles away. The group will spend the days exploring the islands, flats and channels of Cosmoledo Atoll. • On departure day, MV Wizard will shuttle There are areas of tall mangrove, especially on the lagoon side of Menai Island. you back to Astove at dawn, where the IDC Coconuts are common only on Menai, where many were planted. charter flight will collect the group for your Lizards include Bouton’s snake-eyed skink and Madagascar banded lizard, the latter three-hour flight back to Mahé. found nowhere else in Seychelles. The sand-filled shores are also a breeding ground • Scheduled flights depart and return to Mahé for the green and hawksbill turtle, and it is not uncommon to see turtle hatchlings each Thursday and select Mondays. digging their way free from their sandy nests and heading for the sea. The reefs are • Scheduled Flights depart from the IDC Han- spectacular and offer some of the best diving in Seychelles. gar, Pointe Larue, Mahé. The Island Conservation Society has carried out conservation and rehabilitation work • Flight times are subject to change. Please on the atoll, including the eradication of introduced rats and cats on several islands. make sure you confirm your correct flight times with our reservations team. • Guests are expected to arrive in Mahé the day before their trip as any delay on the day of departure will certainly cause the trip to be missed. It’s as important for return flights to be booked the next day after arriving back in Mahé as any delays may cause guests to miss their international flights. • The Blue Safari reservations team will assist with all return flight reservations between Mahé and Astove at the time of booking. www.bluesafari.com 2 THE ATOLL A TYPICAL DAY A Marvel of Nature On an Eco Tourism Adventure Cosmoledo Atoll’s pristine and untouched ecosystem boasts to Cosmoledo Atoll vast, wadeable sand flats, beautiful islands of different DAY 1 shapes and sizes as well as a wonderful lagoon. With very Your charter flight departs Mahé from the IDC hangar, diverts to Alphonse little human pressure on its environment over the years the Island and lands on Astove three hours later. The group is then transferred encounters you’ll experience are proof of how remote and to MV Wizard and the vessel departs for Cosmoledo Eco Camp. preserved this magnificent atoll is. DAY 2–6 THE HISTORY OF Enjoy a leisurely breakfast where your breakfast time is prearranged to COSMOLEDO ATOLL suit your daily schedule. You will spend the days exploring the islands of Cosmoledo Atoll with one of our experienced nature guides. Lunch will be The Atoll was named after a Portuguese navigator who was a choice between a packed lunch or lunch at the Camp. Pre diner drinks part of João da Nova’s crew, and the islands of Menai and will commence at 19h00 and dinner will follow. Wizard were named after ships that explored the atoll during the Morseby Expedition in 1822. In 1878, the atoll was visited DAY 7 by Sergeant Rivers. One or two men inhabited each of the Enjoy a leisurely breakfast where your breakfast time is pre-arranged to islands and in 1901 the exploitation of guano was taking suit your daily schedule. You will spend the days exploring the islands of place on North-East Island. Later years saw the drying of Cosmoledo Atoll with one of our experienced nature guides. Lunch will be mangrove bark for export and the atoll used as a fishing and a choice between a packed lunch or lunch at the Camp. turtle hunting station until 1992 when it was abandoned. There will be time in the evening to pack your gear with snacks and cold refreshments in preparation for departure the following morning. Pre FAUNA & FLORA OF dinner drinks will commence at 19h00 and dinner will follow. COSMOLEDO ATOLL DAY 8 The remote location makes Cosmoledo a place of wild The departure time of MV Wizard and the plan for your departure morning natural splendor. Habitats include sand dunes, expansive will be confirmed with you at dinner the evening before departure day. flats, mangroves, grassland and a dramatically fluctuating You will be transferred to Astove by MV Wizard where you will meet the lagoon. This unique combination creates a hotspot of Astove team who will transfer you to the airport. The charter flight will biodiversity. The Atoll with its scattered islands is home to then depart, and possibly divert to Alphonse, landing at the IDC Hangar in large populations of endemic birds like boobies, terns, and Mahé three hours later, approximately 15h00. It is advised that you book frigate birds. The lagoon and its sandy beaches are favoured your international flights the day after arriving back in Mahe in case of any by large populations of hawksbill and green turtles for delays which may cause you to miss your international flight. nesting and a host of feisty fish species on the flats. GET READY FOR AN ADVENTURE ON AN ISLAND PARADISE SETTING. GUESTS NOW GET TO EXPLORE THE BEAUTY AND NATURAL WONDERS UNIQUE TO THE OUTER ISLANDS OF THE SEYCHELLES. KEY EXPERIENCES AT COSMOLEDO snorkelling I guided nature hikes I reef flats expeditions I scuba diving I guided kayaking bird watching & monitoring I turtle monitoring I fly fishing I blue water fishing www.bluesafari.com 3 COSMOLEDO ATOLL Equipped for the Ultimate Nature Experience Cosmoledo Eco Camp The dining and entertainment area are equipped with all the necessary features to make your stay one of comfort-in-style, including an exceptional dining area and a fully stocked bar.