Southern Amami Island

Marvel at Amami’s natural beauty from vantage points that offer unique perspectives of the landscape and seascape. Coral reefs teeming with marine life surround much of the island, and you will observe the underwater wonders from the comfort of a semi-submersible vessel with a glass bottom. You can expect to see schools of brightly colored tropical fish darting in and out of the reefs. You might even spot sea turtles graceful swimming by. From the inland Yuidake lookout on the island’s highest point, you will enjoy a far-reaching view of the sea, the densely forested hills leading to it and well beyond. Many of the ecosystems on Amami are protected, none so strictly as the mangrove forest at Kuroshio-no-Mori. While there, you will learn about how the mangroves benefit the shoreline and provide much-needed habitat for endangered species that include an endemic sweetfish and the Lidth’s jay, an exquisitely plumaged songbird.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Observe Amami’s marine life while cruising in a glass-bottom, semi-submersible boat.
• Admire the panoramic views from the Yuidake observatory, the island’s highest point.
• Look for endemic species at the environmentally protected Kuroshio-no-Mori mangroves.