Travel to Agalega Islands

A Police aircraft mechanic with mufflers and myself		Mr Andre Liaw from LCI

Travelling by the Dornier can be a rattling experience. The plane is neither pressurized nor air conditioned. It is cold inside and the engine noise is severely felt. Those who know protect themselves against the cold and the noise. On my first voyage, I was armed against neither of these discomforts. But I was really overjoyed to participate in this adventure.

Agalega is renowned for its coconut plantations and the first sight of the island from the air gives the impression of a green jewel lying on the blue velvet of the ocean. As soon as you land on the battered airstrip, you are welcomed by a crowd of people and offered fresh coconut milk to drink while you are asked about the latest news from Mauritius. Agalega may soon become a tourist destination and no doubt the airport will benefit from a substantial uplifting.

Ste Rita village in the south		Vingt Cinq village in the north

The Dornier coastguard aircraft		Boarding the Dornier

The two islands are separated by a 1.5 Km stretch of sand and coral and the inhabitants can either painfully walk across at low tides or wait for high tides to cross from one island to the other by boat. Recently they have devised an ingenious means of transport consisting of a wheeled carriage pulled by a tractor. The road network consists of sand tracks and there are some pick up vans to move around.

Crossing at low tides		The inter-island passenger vehicle

Mr Claude Desroches, Resident Manager in 2004		La Grande Case in the north

The administrative headquarters of Agalega Island, known as "La Grande Case". It is also here that meals are served to the guests. Both islands are equipped with a generator set for the supply of electricity from 10.00 to 11.00 a.m. and from 6.00 to 10.00 p.m. On my first trip, I reached Agalega at eight o'clock in the morning and left on the same day at one o'clock in the afternoon. A visit of only five hours. FIVE MEMORABLE HOURS, as I was really struck by the scenic beauty of the place. I did not get the chance to visit the south island because it was not easy to cross the sand bank then. This was made good on my second visit. The south island is much more appealing, maybe because it is still in its rustic state, while the north island appears to be more modern. Below are some snaps of both islands.

North Island
Living quarters for the guests		Luxurious vegetation on the island

The kindergarden		The primary school
The church in the north		The meteorological station

Mauritius Telecom earth station		Civil Aviation Department earth station

The post office and bank		The Police station

The hospital		The main road

South Island
The Officer in Charge headquarters		The church

The primary school		The retail shop

The main road across Ste Rita village		Housing estates in the south

The two postcards of Agalega that were published by Mr Peter Pindak in co-op with npc@volny.cz

South Island 2004-090

North Island 2004-091

		Read about the adventure of 21 people from 9 different countries who stayed in Agalega during four weeks in May 2001 to cover various Radio Amateur activities. There are several links on the pages and all of them are worthwhile visiting. Thanks to Mart Mobius from Germany who guided me to this site.


March 2004

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Voyage to Agalega

Location of Agalega Island	Agalega is a small island in the Indian Ocean, 697 miles (1122 Kms) almost north of Mauritius. In fact it consists of two islands, the North Island, which is also the main island, and the South Island. There are two villages in the north, namely Vingt Cinq and la Fourche and Ste Rita is the only village in the South. Vingt Cinq village is the most important and most infrastructures are situated here. Agalega is part of Mauritius and only the Outer Islands Development Corporation (OIDC) of Mauritius can organise trips to Agalega. Civilians who go there are mostly public officers, technicians, priests, fishermen, field workers and building contractors. The voyage is either by ship on board the Mauritius Pride or by air on the Dornier aircraft which belongs to the Coast Guard department of the Police force. As a TV technician working for the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), I made the trip on Friday 24th May 2002, together with Mr Andre Liaw of Leal Communication and Informatics (LCI), to check satellite reception for the FIFA World Cup 2002 football matches. I went again on Monday 22nd March 2004 to carry out a survey for the installation of TV and FM transmitters on the island.

The passengers gather early in the morning in the big hangar where the two Dornier aircrafts and the helicopters of the coastguards are kept. All passengers and their luggage are weighed and the aircraft take-off weight must not be exceeded. The three pilots (two in the cockpit and one in the navigation booth) are very strict about this. The time of departure depends on weather conditions but it is usually around five o'clock in the morning. The journey lasts for about three hours and the plane flies at an altitude of ten thousand feet at a speed of about two hundred knots. No snack is served on board so passengers must cater for their own food. They also travel at their own risks and in case of an accident neither the passenger nor his heirs can claim any damage from the Government or whosoever. An indemnity bond must be signed by each passenger prior to departure, both in Mauritius and in Agalega for the return trip.