Featuring pristine, white beaches, an abundance of birds and fishes and the famous ‘Astove Wall’, Astove Island is located in Astove Atoll 1,041 km southwest of Mahé Island. It is a raised coral island with a lagoon in the centre, with only one exit via a winding passage in the south called Gueule Bras Channel. The lagoon includes some sandbanks and smaller islands inside it.
The name Astove is said to be derived from the Portuguese 'As Doze Island', meaning the twelve islands. By official record the island lay uninhabited until the year 1760 when the Portuguese frigate ‘La Dom Royal’ ran aground on Astove Island. It is said that the ship carried a profitable treasure as well as slaves. All aboard made it to the island, but the captain and crew soon left for Mozambique. They never returned for the slaves, who formed a community and survived off of the plantations of the island and fruits of the sea until they were all evacuated some time later.
After seeing many people come and go, the island was eventually abandoned in the 1970's where it lay untouched until, in 2014, it was declared a nature reserve; over time a fishing resort and lodge has been built on the island.