Experience the Seychelles
Long Island
Just a few minutes from the port, the atmosphere changes noticeably. The island belongs to the group of inner islands and, as a subsidiary island, is an integral part of the Seychelles' geographical structure.
Auf einen Blick
Inselgruppe: Inner Islands
Inseltyp: Sub-island
Fläche: 0,23 km²
Entfernung zu Mahé: 4 km
Anreise: boat
Bewohnt: ja
Geologie: granite
Besonderheiten: Granite mountains, short hiking trails, bays with rocks
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From island prison to paradisiacal rough diamond
If you take a tour through the beautiful Sainte Anne Marine National Park, just off the coast of Mahé, you'll pass an island whose history is so bizarre it could have come straight out of a movie. Long Island may look like your typical tropical postcard scene at first glance, with swaying coconut palms and dazzling white sand, but it has a secret nickname: the "Alcatraz of the Seychelles".
Today, Long Island is an absolute diamond in the rough, undergoing a transformation, and is a popular destination for boat trips due to its incredible sandbar and turquoise waters.
The incredible story: From quarantine to prison
Few islands in the Indian Ocean have witnessed as many lives as Long Island. Standing on its picturesque beaches today, it's hard to imagine what once transpired here.
Isolated in paradise: In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the island (similar to Curieuse) was used as a quarantine station due to its isolated but easily accessible location, in order to protect the main island of Mahé from infectious diseases brought by arriving sailors.
The island prison: Things got even crazier after that. Until 2006, Long Island actually served as a state prison (among other things, a juvenile detention center). The idea of having to serve your sentence in one of the world's most beautiful nature reserves is completely surreal. Only when it was realized that this piece of land was far too valuable were the prisoners transferred to Mahé.
The Magic Sandbank and an Unfinished Dream
After the prison closed, there were grand plans to transform the island into a mega-luxury resort, complete with the Seychelles' first funicular railway. However, the project stalled, and the island fell into a kind of Sleeping Beauty slumber.
Abandoned ruins: Today, a few unfinished, jungle-overgrown building ruins still bear witness to this project (even though new investors have now taken over). This gives the island a slightly mystical, deserted "lost place" charm that forms a striking contrast to the pristine natural surroundings.
A dream of sand and sea: The undisputed highlight of Long Island is nature itself. Between Long Island and the neighboring tiny Round Island, a spectacular sandbar forms at low tide. The water here shimmers in such an intense, almost neon turquoise that you can hardly believe your eyes.
A paradisiacal stopover for sea lovers
Since there are currently no open hotels on the island, Long Island is purely a tourist destination, enjoyed almost exclusively from the water.
The perfect swimming stop: Many tour operators offering trips to the Marine Park or neighboring Ile Moyenne anchor off Long Island. You can jump directly from the boat into the shallow, warm water surrounding the sandbar.
Snorkeling on the reef: The underwater world around the island also benefits from the protection afforded by the national park. On a snorkeling trip around the coast, you'll often encounter small reef sharks, colorful tropical fish, and rays gliding effortlessly over the sandy seabed.
The bottom line: Long Island isn't an island where you'd spend your two-week annual holiday, but it's a fantastic, historic stop on any trip to Sainte Anne Marine Park. Nowhere else in the Seychelles are the grim past of a prison and the vibrant, carefree beauty of tropical nature so closely juxtaposed!