Chagos Archipelago

Destination Guide · British Indian Ocean Territory

There is a particular category of sailing destination where the difficulty of getting there is inseparable from what makes it worth going. Chagos is that destination. The British Indian Ocean Territory consists of 55 islands and atolls spread across the central Indian Ocean, roughly equidistant from Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, with no permanent civilian population, no tourist infrastructure of any kind, no shops, no fuel, no water, no internet, and no assistance if something goes seriously wrong. The nearest anything is hundreds of nautical miles in any direction. What it offers in exchange for all of that absence is reef ecology that has had almost no sustained human pressure in decades, lagoon water of a clarity that sailors who have been there describe consistently as the best they have ever seen, and the particular quality of silence and remoteness that has become genuinely rare in a world where every anchorage seems to have a resort somewhere on its shore.

There is also a serious complication that must be addressed before any planning begins: as of 2025, the political status of the Chagos Islands is in active transition, and what that means for private yacht access is uncertain in a way that makes definitive statements impossible. This guide will describe what the destination offers and what the situation has been historically, but the specific permit requirements at the time of your Indian Ocean leg must be verified through current sources before you commit to the detour.

What Chagos Is

The Chagos Archipelago is the largest coral atoll system in the Indian Ocean. The islands form a broad arc of reef systems, the largest of which is Diego Garcia — a horseshoe-shaped atoll roughly 24 kilometres long, host to one of the most significant US/UK joint military bases in the world. The history of Diego Garcia's military use is inseparable from the history of the islands' civilian population: the Chagossians, the indigenous inhabitants of the archipelago, were forcibly removed by the British government between 1968 and 1973 to make way for the base. This is a contested and painful history with ongoing legal and political dimensions that matter for understanding why the sovereignty of the territory has been disputed.

The northern atolls — principally Salomon Atoll and Peros Banhos, roughly 150 kilometres north of Diego Garcia — have no military presence and have historically been the atolls accessible to visiting yachts with permits. These are the destinations that sailors describe with the kind of language usually reserved for things that cannot be adequately described. The civilian population was removed from these atolls along with the rest of the Chagossians; what remains are the ruins of the settlement, the coconut palms they planted, and the reef systems that have been recovering from the effects of human activity for fifty years.

The Permit Situation: What You Need to Know

Historically, private yachts wishing to visit Chagos required a permit from the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration in London. The application process involved submitting vessel documentation, crew details, and planned itinerary well in advance; permits were granted for a defined period and limited the atolls you could visit. Diego Garcia was excluded absolutely — not the administrative headquarters where permits were filed, but the military base itself, which has a 3-nautical-mile restricted zone enforced by the military. The permit fees were modest.

In 2024, the United Kingdom and Mauritius reached a framework agreement in which the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while maintaining the Diego Garcia lease for a period of decades. The transition process, as of 2025, has introduced genuine uncertainty about administrative arrangements for private yacht access — the BIOT Administration that previously managed permits may be in transition, and Mauritius has not yet established replacement procedures. The practical situation is: check Noonsite, the Seven Seas Cruising Association Bulletin Board, and direct contact with whichever authority is currently managing the territory before making Chagos a firm part of your itinerary. Do this research at least six months before your Indian Ocean leg.

What is not in question is Diego Garcia itself. The restricted zone around the US/UK military base is enforced actively and without flexibility. Boats that stray within 3 nautical miles of Diego Garcia are contacted by the military and instructed to leave immediately. There are no exceptions, no grey areas, and no possibility of fuel, water, or assistance. Plot Diego Garcia clearly as a no-go zone on your charts and stay well clear.

Salomon Atoll: What Sailors Go For

Salomon Atoll, when accessible under whatever permit arrangements apply at the time of your visit, is consistently described by sailors who have anchored there as one of the finest anchorages they have ever found. The lagoon is well-sheltered, the holding is good in the sand, and the water clarity is such that at anchor in 5 metres you can read the detail of the sand and coral below you as clearly as if you were in a swimming pool. The reef systems on the atoll rim are intact in the way that reefs in heavily visited areas are not: coral coverage is dense, the fish population is what it was before commercial fishing pressure, and snorkelling off the back of the boat produces encounters with species and densities that are now rare everywhere else.

The ruins of the former settlement are navigable on foot — the coconut plantation survives and the giant tortoises that were introduced to the atoll (not native, but long-established) move through the undergrowth. The bird life is extraordinary: red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and species that have no reason to be wary of humans because they have encountered so few. Provisioning from the atoll is what the reef and lagoon provide — the fishing is good and the shellfish population is significant — but you cannot rely on it as a food source in any planned sense. Everything you need for your stay must be on the boat when you arrive.

Peros Banhos: Even More Remote

Peros Banhos lies approximately 80 kilometres northwest of Salomon and is larger in area with a shallower, more complex lagoon. Where Salomon gets the majority of the limited yacht traffic that reaches Chagos, Peros Banhos is quieter — sometimes visited by a single boat at a time, sometimes not visited at all in a given season. The bird life at Peros Banhos is considered even more spectacular than at Salomon: masked boobies, red-footed boobies, and the sheer density of seabirds on an atoll that has not been systematically disturbed produces the kind of wildlife experience that ornithologists travel specifically to find.

The lagoon entrance at Peros Banhos requires careful navigation. As with all Chagos atolls, the charts are based on surveys of varying age and should not be treated as authoritative for coral head positions. Arrive in good light, with the sun high enough to read the water colour, and take it slowly. The pass into the lagoon is wide enough to be manageable but the coral inside requires attention.

Provisioning: The Non-Negotiable Preparation

Chagos has no provisioning of any kind. There is no shop, no fuel dock, no water source that can be reliably accessed, no way to receive anything that was not on the boat when you arrived. A watermaker is effectively mandatory — collecting rainwater is possible but not reliably sufficient. Fuel calculations must account for the passage to Chagos (typically from Sri Lanka or the Maldives), the time at anchor, and the passage onward (typically to the Maldives or directly to Oman or East Africa), with a meaningful reserve margin. The standard advice is to carry four to six weeks of provisions, which typically means arriving at Chagos with well-stocked lockers and leaving with much of it consumed.

Medical and mechanical self-sufficiency is not optional at this distance from assistance. The nearest SAR capability is hundreds of miles away. Standard offshore medical kit, spare parts for critical systems, and the confidence to manage problems at sea without assistance are prerequisites for this passage, not enhancements.

The Passage to Chagos

Most boats approach Chagos from Sri Lanka (roughly 1,100 nautical miles, ENE to WSW across the Indian Ocean) or from the Maldives (roughly 500 nautical miles south). The passage from Sri Lanka is a straightforward offshore passage in NE Monsoon conditions — wind on the beam, settled seas, good sailing weather. The Maldives to Chagos passage is shorter but requires navigating out of the atoll system before the open ocean begins. From Chagos, boats typically continue to the Maldives (northbound, returning to the circumnavigation route), to Rodrigues and Reunion (southbound toward the Cape), or westward toward East Africa.

The detour adds meaningful miles to the Indian Ocean leg — typically 1,000 to 1,500 extra nautical miles depending on your route. Circumnavigators who make the stop consistently report that it was worth every one of them. Those who skip it, and who learn afterward from other sailors what it was, sometimes describe it as the most significant thing they left off their circumnavigation. If the permit situation resolves in a way that allows access, and if your schedule has any flexibility at all, it is worth serious consideration.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current permit status for visiting Chagos by yacht? As of 2025, the political status is in active transition: the UK and Mauritius reached a 2024 framework agreement transferring Chagos sovereignty to Mauritius while maintaining the Diego Garcia military lease. The BIOT Administration that previously managed yacht permits may be in transition, and Mauritius has not established replacement procedures. Verify current requirements through Noonsite, the SSCA Bulletin Board, and direct authority contact at least six months before your Indian Ocean leg.

What makes Salomon Atoll the most sought-after anchorage in the archipelago? Salomon Atoll's lagoon is well-sheltered with good holding in sand, and the water clarity is such that at anchor in 5 metres you can read the sand and coral below as clearly as in a swimming pool. Reef systems on the atoll rim are intact in the way heavily visited reefs are not — coral coverage is dense, fish populations are what they were before commercial fishing pressure, and snorkeling produces encounters with species and densities that are now rare everywhere else.

What provisioning does a vessel need to carry for a Chagos stop? Chagos has absolutely no shore infrastructure — no shop, no fuel dock, no reliable water source, no way to receive anything not on the boat when you arrived. A watermaker is effectively mandatory. Fuel calculations must cover the passage in (from Sri Lanka or Maldives, roughly 500–1,100nm), time at anchor, and onward passage with a meaningful reserve. The standard advice is four to six weeks of provisions carried entirely aboard.

What is the Diego Garcia restricted zone and how strictly is it enforced? Diego Garcia is a US/UK joint military base with an absolutely enforced 3-nautical-mile restricted zone. Boats that stray within 3 miles are contacted by the military and instructed to leave immediately. There are no exceptions, no grey areas, and no possibility of fuel, water, or assistance. Plot Diego Garcia clearly as a no-go zone and stay well clear. The civilian permit system never covered Diego Garcia and the military zone has not changed under any pending political arrangements.

How does the Chagos detour affect a circumnavigation route? The Chagos stop adds 1,000–1,500 extra nautical miles to the Indian Ocean leg depending on the route — typically approached from Sri Lanka (1,100nm) or the Maldives (500nm), then continuing to the Maldives, Rodrigues and Reunion, or East Africa. Circumnavigators who make the stop consistently report it was worth every extra mile. Those who skip it and learn afterward from other sailors what it was sometimes describe it as the most significant stop they left off their circumnavigation.