Amirante Islands Seychelles — Remote Atolls, Diving & Outer Islands Guide
Jun 8, 2026
The Amirante Islands are a group of coral islands and atolls in the western Indian Ocean, part of the Outer Islands of Seychelles, lying roughly 230 to 250 km southwest of Mahé. They form part of the Republic of Seychelles. The group is almost entirely uninhabited, with only a few islands holding small settlements or research stations. The largest and only easily accessible island is Desroches, which has a resort and regular flights from Mahé. The Amirantes are known for their coral reefs, rich marine life, and large seabird populations rather than for mass beach tourism.
What the Amirante Islands Are
The Amirante Islands are a group of low-lying coral islands and atolls that form part of the Outer Islands of Seychelles. Unlike the country's main tourist islands, they are formed from coral rather than granite.
Coral islands and atolls rise only a few meters above sea level and are built on reef platforms, which is why the Amirantes are flat and low compared with the mountainous granite islands.
The Amirantes are part of the Outer Islands of Seychelles, the remote coral islands far from the main population centers. They are part of the Republic of Seychelles.
The Amirantes differ from the Inner Islands, such as Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, which are granitic, inhabited, and developed for tourism. The Amirantes are coral-based, largely uninhabited, and have very limited infrastructure.
The group as a whole is almost uninhabited. A small number of islands have a resort, an airstrip, or a research presence, while most have no permanent population.
Where the Amirante Islands Are Located
The Amirante Islands are located in the western Indian Ocean, roughly 230 to 250 km southwest of Mahé, the main island of Seychelles. This distance places them well outside the range of the country's inter-island ferries.
The Amirantes sit within the Outer Islands of Seychelles, a belt of coral islands that begins around 250 km south of Mahé and includes several separate groups.
Neighboring Outer Island groups include the Alphonse Group to the south, as well as the more distant Farquhar Group and Aldabra Group. The Amirantes are one of the closest Outer Island groups to Mahé.
The islands are described as "outer" because of their remoteness from the granitic Inner Islands. Their distance and lack of scheduled transport are the main reasons they remain largely undeveloped.
Islands in the Amirantes Group
The Amirantes group includes about ten main islands and atolls. They range from a single resort island to private islands and uninhabited seabird nesting sites.
The islands of the group are Desroches, African Banks, Rémire, D'Arros, St. Joseph Atoll, Poivre, Étoile, Boudeuse, Marie Louise, and Desnoeufs. The sections below cover the most significant ones, followed by the smaller islands.
Desroches — Main and Most Accessible Island
Desroches is the largest and only easily accessible island in the Amirantes, with a resort and regular flights from Mahé. It serves as the hub of the group.
The island is about 3.2 km² in size, with a long coastline of fine white sand.
Desroches is home to a luxury resort, making it the only island in the group set up for overnight tourism.
Desroches is reached by a short flight from Mahé, served several times per week, making it the easiest of the Amirantes islands to visit.
Desroches is known for diving, because it sits on an atoll ring with underwater tunnels, ravines, and drop-offs. The best diving conditions run from November to May.
D'Arros and St. Joseph Atoll — Private Islands
D'Arros and the neighboring St. Joseph Atoll are private islands with restricted access. They are not open to general tourism.
D'Arros has a small airstrip and is associated with a conservation and research center. St. Joseph Atoll is a ring of small islets surrounding a lagoon.
Both are important seabird habitats, home to wedge-tailed shearwaters and other species, and are the focus of marine research and conservation work.
Rémire and the Smaller Islands
Rémire, also known as Eagle Island, is the northernmost inhabited island in the Amirantes, covering about 0.27 km² and home to a small settlement and an airstrip. The remaining islands are mostly uninhabited and serve primarily as seabird nesting sites.
- Poivre is an atoll southwest of Desroches, historically used for coconut and vanilla cultivation, with a reef platform of more than 20 km².
- African Banks are low, shrub-lined sandbanks that serve as a refuge for large numbers of seabirds.
- Étoile and Boudeuse are tiny, nearly bare islands that serve as nesting grounds for sooty terns.
- Marie Louise and Desnoeufs are low-lying islands historically used for guano collection; Desnoeufs is at times used by researchers studying breeding seabirds.
History and Name of the Amirantes
The name Amirantes comes from the Portuguese "Ilhas do Almirante," meaning "Islands of the Admiral," a reference to the explorer Vasco da Gama. He sighted the islands in 1502 during his second voyage to India.
The Amirantes were known to Persian Gulf traders before European contact, but they were never permanently settled on any significant scale.
In later centuries, individual islands were leased to private companies and used for coconut and copra production, tern egg collection, and guano extraction. These activities have largely ended.
Today, most of the islands are managed for conservation, leased privately, or visited only for limited tourism on Desroches. The historical plantation economy is no longer significant.
Wildlife, Reefs, and Diving
The Amirantes are known for coral reefs, seabirds, and diving rather than for developed beach tourism. Their marine environment is the main reason they attract visitors.
The coral reefs around the islands support a wide range of reef fish, including clownfish, lionfish, parrotfish, and boxfish, as well as sea anemones.
The islands are major seabird habitats, with nesting populations of sooty terns, white terns, and other species across the smaller, uninhabited islands.
Sea turtles nest on some of the islands, including Desroches, where they come ashore to lay eggs on the sandy beaches.
Diving is the primary activity, centered on the atoll ring around Desroches, where tunnels, ravines, and drop-offs create varied dive sites. The best conditions occur between November and May.
Can You Visit the Amirante Islands
You can visit the Amirantes, but practical access is limited mainly to Desroches, because the group is almost entirely uninhabited and most islands are private, protected, or closed to general tourism.
Desroches is the main point of access, with a resort and regular flights from Mahé, and it is the only island in the group set up for overnight stays.
Private islands such as D'Arros and St. Joseph are restricted to owners, guests, and researchers, and cannot be visited on a standard trip.
The uninhabited and protected islands, including seabird nesting sites, have limited or no public access to preserve their wildlife.
Reaching the more remote islands of the group generally requires either a flight to Desroches or an extended boat trip, since the Amirantes lie far beyond the range of scheduled inter-island ferries.
How to Get to the Amirantes - Yacht Priority
The main way to reach the Amirantes is a short flight from Mahé to Desroches, served several times per week. There is no ferry or road connection to the group because of its distance from the main islands.
Inter-island ferries in Seychelles connect only the Inner Islands of Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, and do not extend to the Outer Islands.
Islands other than Desroches are reached only by private air or boat transport, and access depends on each island's ownership and protection status.
Because the islands are spread across open water, a boat-based itinerary is one way to reach several Outer Islands in a single trip. A charter operator such as CharterClick arranges extended sailing trips from Mahé that can include stops in the Amirantes, where access is permitted, which is one of the few ways to combine several Outer Islands in a single journey.
Best Time to Visit the Amirantes
The best time to visit the Amirantes is from November to May, when the sea is generally calmer and underwater visibility is highest. This window is also the recommended period for diving around Desroches.
Calm-sea months improve visibility on the reefs and make open-water crossings to the islands more comfortable.
The windier part of the year brings rougher seas, which can reduce underwater visibility and make boat travel to the remote islands more difficult.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Amirante Islands?
The Amirante Islands are a group of coral islands and atolls in the western Indian Ocean that form part of the Outer Islands of Seychelles. They are low-lying, coral-based, and almost entirely uninhabited.
Where are the Amirante Islands?
The Amirantes are in the western Indian Ocean, about 230 to 250 km southwest of Mahé. They lie within the Outer Islands of Seychelles, far beyond the main granitic islands.
How many islands are in the Amirantes group?
The group includes about ten main islands and atolls, including Desroches, Rémire, D'Arros, St. Joseph, Poivre, African Banks, Étoile, Boudeuse, Marie Louise, and Desnoeufs.
Can tourists visit the Amirantes?
Tourists can visit the Amirantes, but practical access is limited mainly to Desroches, which has a resort and flights from Mahé. Most other islands are private, protected, or closed to general tourism.
Which is the main island of the Amirantes?
Desroches is the main island of the Amirantes. It is the largest, the only one with a resort, and the only one served by regular flights from Mahé.
How do you get to the Amirantes?
The main way to reach the Amirantes is a short flight from Mahé to Desroches. There is no ferry service, and other islands are reached only by private air or boat transport.
Are the Amirantes coral or granite islands?
The Amirantes are coral islands and atolls, unlike the granitic Inner Islands such as Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue. This is why they are low-lying and flat rather than mountainous.
Amirantes at a Glance
- Type: coral islands and atolls
- Region: Outer Islands, Republic of Seychelles
- Location: western Indian Ocean, about 230–250 km southwest of Mahé
- Main islands: around ten, including Desroches, Rémire, D'Arros, St. Joseph, and Poivre
- Population: almost entirely uninhabited
- Main accessible island: Desroches, with a resort and flights from Mahé
- Known for: coral reefs, diving, and seabird colonies