African Banks is the northernmost landfall of the Amirantes group and consists of two islets, North and South that lie 2km apart, close to the edge of the Amirantes bank. Both islands are flat and barely three metres above sea level and visible from a distance of 14km by the surf that surges across the nearby reef.
Once famous for its seabird eggs, these uninhabited islands are surrounded by fish-rich waters that particularly abound in mackerel, tuna and shark.
If you are a keen birder, this would be a great spot to see Black-Naped and Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies. Green and Hawksbill sea turtles nest there.
It has a derelict automatic lighthouse on the north point. and is occasionally visited by tourists in charter yachts.
