Travel Guide Île Au Cerf

Turtles, bats, lizards, birds... and dogs in freedom more or less under supervision, but not the slightest deer on this island of Le Cerf, which takes its name from the frigate Le Cerf, which anchored in front of the future capital in 1756, Captain Corneille Nicolas Morphey, head of the French expedition, having officially taken possession of the Seychelles on November1st. This symbolic stone of possession remains from that historic day and is kept in the National Museum of History. Spreading out 5 km from Victoria over a length of about 1.7 km and a width of 800 m, within the national marine park, this green island is crossed by three streams that tumble down from its heights (108 m at the top). With an abundance of vegetation and supplied with water and electricity by underwater cables for the last twenty years, it is inhabited by about sixty people, including a dozen children, the de La Fontaine and Calais families still representing a third of the population. These families have perpetuated two names that have been attached to the island for over a century While walking around the island, one can always chat with some of its inhabitants, most of whom complain about the invading Mahélois who, on Sundays at noon, disembark from their private boats to have a picnic, thus breaking the ambient quietude Buried in the greenery for some and close to the beach for most, the houses are certainly not all inhabited, but rare are those abandoned, many of them being in fact second homes. On the edge of the beach, it is a delightful place that you come across after crossing the island by the only path that allows you to go from the main village to the more nonchalant one on the other side. Here and there, on the coastline, rise more solitary houses, including the one, planted on rocks and all in wood, of South African architects, very close to the transparent property and perfect for snorkeling: a real aquarium! In the distance, the beautiful church of Cascade stands out above the old road of the east coast. This island, which can be explored at low tide (if you are willing to crawl in the rocks and get a little wet), is not lacking in interest, even if it is unfortunate that it offers only one real path. From Victoria, count between 10 and 15 minutes by boat