Farquhar Atoll Seychelles
1
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Emerald Waterways (1 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
More than 700 km southwest of Mahé, almost halfway to Madagascar. It is one of the most remote points in the Seychelles and only small expedition ships call here.
By Zodiac, with a wet landing. The ship anchors outside the reef and the expedition team picks a beach or a lagoon cruise depending on swell and tide. The programme is decided on the day.
White sand dunes rising some ten metres above wind-bent coconut palms, which is unexpected at this latitude. From the crest the view takes in the whole lagoon, its turquoise shallows and the white line of the reef beyond.
Almost nobody. A small Islands Development Company staff, managed from Mahé, is the only permanent human presence. There is no village, no road and no shop.
Green and hawksbill turtles nesting on the beaches, noisy colonies of sooty terns and fairy terns, and the coconut crab, the largest land crustacean in the world, in the shade of the palm groves.
Yes, when conditions allow. The lagoon flats hold parrotfish, stingrays and giant clams, while the passes attract trevally and harmless reef sharks. These are among the richest waters in the Seychelles.
It flattened the vegetation and the station buildings in April 2016, but the atoll came back. Ten years on, the palm groves have regrown, seabirds are nesting again and the turtles never stopped coming ashore. Guides use it to explain how a reef recovers when left alone.
Shoes you can wade in, a hat, sunglasses, light long sleeves and serious sun protection. There is no shade outside the palm groves and nothing to buy on the island.
It suits teenagers and adults better. Wet landings, no facilities at all and total dependence on the weather call for self-reliance. Young children tire of it quickly, as there is no organized beach.
Yes, and they change from call to call depending on which birds are nesting. Listen to the shipboard briefing: approach distances, closed areas, and all waste carried back to the ship without exception.
