Things to do in British Indian Ocean Territory

25 things to do in British Indian Ocean Territory

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Dive the Great Chagos Bank coral wall

  Descend along the dramatic outer wall of the world’s largest atoll, where untouched coral gardens host sharks, turtles and swirling schools of jacks and fusiliers.

  Great Chagos Bank

• Snorkel with manta rays at Egmont Atoll

  Drift through crystal-clear channels as majestic manta rays swoop past, often accompanied by eagle rays and curious reef sharks.

  Egmont Atoll

• Explore the shipwreck off Île du Coin

  Snorkel over the scattered remains of a 19th-century timber sailing vessel barely breaking the surface inside the tranquil Peros Banhos lagoon.

  Île du Coin, Peros Banhos

• Birdwatch on Nelson Island’s seabird colonies

  Witness thousands of red-footed boobies, frigatebirds and sooty terns nesting in cacophonous abundance on this remote, jungle-fringed island.

  Nelson Island

• Kayak through the mangroves of Île du Coin

  Paddle silent channels beneath a tunnel of green mangroves, where juvenile fish dart and herons stalk the shallows.

  Île du Coin, Peros Banhos

• Stargaze from the beach of Boddam Island

  With no artificial light for hundreds of miles, the Milky Way blazes overhead and the Southern Cross hangs low on the horizon.

  Île Boddam, Salomon Atoll

• Wade through Peros Banhos’ glassy lagoon

  Walk waist-deep across miles of mirror-smooth, knee-warm water inside this immense atoll lagoon, surrounded only by endless sky.

  Peros Banhos Atoll

• Snorkel the pristine coral gardens of Blenheim Reef

  Float over a kaleidoscope of table corals and staghorns rising from a submerged atoll rim, with nearly every colour of reef fish imaginable.

  Blenheim Reef

• Witness green turtle nesting on Eagle Island

  Under a full moon, watch ancient mariners haul themselves up the beach to dig nests and lay eggs on this protected sanctuary.

  Eagle Island

• Stand-up paddleboard across Salomon Atoll

  Glide over mirror-calm, electric-blue water, chasing shadows of stingrays and small sharks across the sandy lagoon floor.

  Salomon Atoll

• Sail a catamaran through the Chagos Archipelago

  Harness the steady trade winds to island-hop between uninhabited atolls, anchoring in deserted lagoons each night.

  Between Peros Banhos and Salomon

• Explore the coral pinnacles of Speakers Bank

  Dive or snorkel isolated seamounts rising from deep water, draped in soft corals and patrolled by barracuda and tuna.

  Speakers Bank

• Kayak to the sand cay of Middle Brother

  Paddle to a tiny sliver of blinding-white sand that vanishes at high tide, a true castaway experience in the Three Brothers group.

  Middle Brother (Three Brothers)

• Walk the abandoned copra village on Île Boddam

  Stroll among crumbling stone houses, rusted railway tracks and aging coconut palms that once formed a thriving Chagossian community.

  Île Boddam, Salomon Atoll

• Visit the ruined chapel on Île du Coin

  The roofless stone chapel, draped in vines, stands as a silent witness to the island’s former inhabitants and their displacement.

  Île du Coin, Peros Banhos

• Spot spinner dolphins off Peros Banhos

  Scan the channel entrances for boisterous pods of spinner dolphins leaping and twirling at the bow of your boat.

  Peros Banhos Atoll

• Experience bioluminescent plankton in Salomon lagoon

  Scoop a hand through the water on a moonless night and watch thousands of tiny blue-green sparkles ignite around your fingers.

  Salomon Atoll lagoon

• Beachcomb for giant clam shells on Danger Island

  Stroll the isolated sands of this crescent-shaped islet, where fossilised giant clam shells and weathered coral bones wash ashore.

  Danger Island

• Aerial photography flight over the atolls

  Take a low-level flight above the drowned mountains of the archipelago, capturing surreal patterns of reef, sand and deep blue.

  Over central BIOT

• Snorkel with hawksbill turtles at the Aquarium

  At this sheltered lagoon patch near Salomon, decades-old hawksbills glide gently over brain and boulder corals, completely unfazed by snorkelers.

  Salomon Atoll

• Dive the outer wall of Salomon Atoll

  Drop into the deep blue along vertical walls covered in gorgonian fans, where grey reef sharks and giant trevally patrol the edge.

  Salomon Atoll

• Camp overnight on uninhabited Île Poule

  Pitch a hammock between two coconut palms on a tiny, unnamed beach and fall asleep to the sound of lapping waves.

  Île Poule, Peros Banhos

• Search for coconut crabs on Takamaka Island

  After sunset, spotlight these enormous, rust-coloured land crabs as they climb palm trees and forage along the forest floor.

  Île Takamaka, Salomon Atoll

• Explore the mangrove labyrinth of Three Brothers

  Navigate a maze of winding tidal creeks through dense mangrove forest, alive with juvenile sharks, rays and nesting seabirds.

  Three Brothers Islands

• Drift snorkel the Salomon Atoll pass

  Let the current carry you through the deep cut between ocean and lagoon, spotting eagle rays and maybe a passing manta.

  Salomon Atoll pass