Kerguelen Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, and one of the districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
About Kerguelen
The Kerguelen Plateau was a lost Madagascar, a tropical miniature continent that cooled, then sank 20 million years ago. Two volcanic areas were active enough to keep their heads above water as archipelagos: Kerguelen, and Heard and McDonald Islands further south. The first sure sighting of the former was in 1772 by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec, who claimed them for France. The main island of Kerguelen soon became a watering hole for whaling vessels, nine of which were wrecked here. The whalers called it Desolation Island and their blubber pots, graves and huts are found at several landing coves. In the late 19th century France reasserted its claim, no other nation sought it, and Kerguelen is now part of a territory calledLes Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF for short
Kerguelen Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 13 sections including: