Things to do in British Indian Ocean Territory

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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