Aldabra Atoll: World's Largest Giant Tortoise Colony
Aldabra — 1,200 km southwest of Victoria — is a UNESCO World Heritage coral atoll home to 150,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population, plus manta rays and rare seabirds
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Aldabra Atoll Research Station
The Seychelles Foundation operates a small research station on Aldabra — visits are allowed on board expeditions with strict quotas to protect the ecosystem
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Giant tortoise spectacle
150,000 Aldabra giant tortoises make this the world's most significant tortoise population — roaming the coastal scrub in groups, grazing on grasses and purslane
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Frigatebird colony
Two species of frigate birds nest on Aldabra's mangrove islands — the male's bright red neck pouch, which inflates like a balloon during courtship, is among nature's most dramatic displays
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Aldabra Lagoon Snorkeling
The huge lagoon surrounded by the atoll has completely untouched reefs — napoleon wrasse, green turtles, reef sharks and manta rays in water of extraordinary clarity
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Flightless Rail of Aldabra
The Aldabra White-throated Rail is the world's last flightless bird in the Indian Ocean — a small brown bird that waddles fearlessly among the turtles
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Night Sky at Aldabra
500 km from any city, Aldabra has some of the darkest skies on earth — sleeping on a liveaboard under the Milky Way with waves on the reef the only sound