Outer Islands & Private Atolls

What you gain

• ↑Alphonse Island fly-fishing: the shallow coral flats around Alphonse and its sister atoll St. François are consistently ranked among the world's top three saltwater fly-fishing destinations — giant trevally (GT), bonefish, milkfish, and triggerfish are all accessible on the flats; the Six Senses resort at Alphonse offers guided fly-fishing packages that regularly produce world-record-class fish
• ↑Absolute solitude: the outer island resorts accommodate 10–20 guests maximum, the beaches stretch for hundreds of metres without another person visible, and the reef systems have never been subject to mass tourism pressure; the underwater biodiversity is among the most pristine of any Indian Ocean archipelago
• ↑Whale shark encounters: the outer bank upwellings around Desroches and the outer atolls attract aggregations of whale sharks year-round (October–March most reliable); snorkelling alongside the world's largest fish in the blue water off an uninhabited atoll is among the finest single wildlife experiences available anywhere

What you sacrifice

• ↓Cost is extraordinary: outer island lodges start at US$1,500–2,000 per person per night and reach above US$3,000 at the finest properties; this is genuinely among the most expensive accommodation on Earth, and the value proposition is entirely predicated on the uniqueness of the location and solitude
• ↓Charter flights to the outer islands cost US$400–800 each way per person and are subject to weather cancellations; the remote atolls have no road, no ferry, and no alternative access if the charter is disrupted