Coco Island

Auf einen Blick

• Inselgruppe: Inner Islands

• Inseltyp: Granite Island

• Fläche: 23,85 km²

• Entfernung zu Mahé: 52 km

• Geologie: granite

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The ultimate snorkeling paradise and vibrant postcard motif

If you board a tour boat on La Digue or Praslin and tell the skipper you want the best snorkeling experience of your life, he will almost certainly steer the bow towards Félicité and then drop anchor just before reaching it. Right here, in the middle of the deep blue ocean, lies Coco Island.

This island is so incredibly tiny and picturesque that it looks like a set designer created the perfect tropical cliché. Coco Island is uninhabited, dominated by spectacular granite boulders, and is the shining centerpiece of the Île Cocos Marine National Park .

A masterpiece of granite and swaying palm trees

Even the journey to Coco Island takes your breath away. There are no hotels, no roads, and practically no land to walk on.

• The quintessential Seychelles cliché: The island essentially consists of gigantic granite blocks, smoothed by wind and waves, from the center of which rises a small, bright green tuft of coconut palms. It's exactly the image you see on hundreds of Seychelles postcards or in commercials.

• A tiny beach: At low tide, a tiny, pristine white sandy beach is revealed between the rocks. You can go onto the island (for a marine park fee) to take fantastic photos of the rock formations, but the real action takes place elsewhere.

The real treasure: A top-class open-air aquarium

The marine national park around Coco Island (which also includes the tiny neighboring islets Île La Fouche and Îlot Plate) is one of the best and most popular snorkeling spots in the inner Seychelles.

• Crystal-clear water: Because the island is located further out, the water here is often incredibly clear. Visibility is fantastic, and the sun bathes the reef in a shimmering light.

• Swimming with the giants: The reef is incredibly teeming with fish. As soon as you jump overboard, you're surrounded by huge schools of colorful surgeonfish, batfish, and parrotfish. But the absolute highlight is the hawksbill turtles and majestic eagle rays, which glide by completely unfazed by the snorkelers. With a bit of luck, a peaceful whitetip reef shark might even cross your path!

The perfect getaway: The golden combination

A trip to Coco Island is an absolute classic for island hoppers and is extremely easy to organize.

• The magical trio: Almost all boat tours from La Digue or Praslin offer Coco Island not individually, but in the brilliant combination with Félicité and the Sister Islands. You first snorkel at the incredible Coco reef, then swim with the turtles off Félicité, and enjoy a barbecue lunch on the idyllic beach of Grande Soeur.

• A little tip: Because the spot is so beautiful, it can get a bit crowded around midday when many tour boats arrive at once. If you book a private boat tour, ask the skipper to anchor at Coco Island first thing in the morning; then you'll practically have the reef to yourself!

The verdict: Coco Island may be tiny, but it's an absolute giant when it comes to the underwater world. There are few places in the Seychelles where you can snorkel so reliably and in such a fantastic setting with sea turtles and colorful schools of fish. An absolute must on every Seychelles bucket list!