What to do in the Seychelles: Aride Plantation Lodge

We continue our series on What to do in the Seychelles while on Holiday with an update on Aride Island.

What exciting news - Aride plantation lodge is to be turned into a visitor museum for all to enjoy in the Seychelles Islands.

So you may ask what is the Aride Island and why is it so well known?

Aride island Seychelles

Aride Island is a VERY Special Seychelles Nature Reserve, with the longest running conservation programme in Seychelles and famed for its huge breeding seabird populations. It also is the only natural home of Wright's Gardenia, has one of the most dense populations of reptiles in the world, hosts nesting hawksbill turtles and a rich marinme ecosystem. Aride is probably the most natural and least touched of all the islands of Seychelles. Its spectacular wildlife makes it one of the world’s most important nature reserves in the Seychelles Islands.

Over one hundred years ago it was a very different story; the forests had been cut down to make way for coconut and other plantation crops and also to harvest birds’ eggs and meat, which had been a major source of income for the island since the 1800s. 

The island was then sold in January 1973 to Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (now the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) after their President, Christopher Cadbury, (yes the chocolate man) visited Aride and realised that it was a site of global importance to seabird populations. He provided the funds to the organisation to ensure its future protection as a nature reserve. 

In 1975 it became a Special Nature Reserve under Seychelles law and was protected by a warden and his team, who began the removal of the coconuts and replanting with endemic trees. This paved the way for the conservation work currently being carried out by the Island Conservation Society, who took over management of the island in 2004, then ownership in 2007.

To commemorate the island’s history the Island Conservation Society are converting the plantation’s old lodge house into a visitor museum. It is one of the last surviving traditional plantation houses in Seychelles and as such an interesting and important part of the heritage of the whole country. It was originally built in the early 20th century in the traditional style for the plantation owner. The joints show both French and English influence in the carpentry and also show the ability of the local carpenters to apply ship construction techniques to house building. Due to the fact that the main structure of building has not suffered major alterations, the special air cooling system is still intact, which gives an architectural and historic importance to the house. The building was also originally thatched with palm leaves.

Apart from the plantation house and museum, Aride island is a spectacular place to visit for all the nature of the island and should be a must see place while on holiday in the Seychelles. You will be able to see the best the Seychelles nature has to offer in endemic Seychelles birds, lizards and trees. 

Photo from Seychelles Nation

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