Cousin Island

Cousin is a small island only 34 hectares in size, located around 2km west of the island of Praslin. Since 1968 the whole island has been a nature reserve. From the moment you set foot on the island you can sense the nearly magical nature of your surroundings. The bird reserve is a particularly important feature of Cousin Island. Here you can find many rare birds including the Seychelles warbler, the Seychelles blue pigeon and the Seychelles magpie robin, all endemic to these islands and of course protected species. Cousin is also breeding site for seabirds, with other 300,000 birds visiting this island annually to breed. Even though space on the island is limited, you can find other animals here including lizards and tortoises.

In addition to seeing the exciting wildlife of the island, here on Cousin it is easy to feel at one with nature here. Annually the island only receives around 10,000 visitors, which is a relatively small number in comparison to the other islands of the Seychelles. Here you won’t find any restaurants, lodges or even dustbins on the island, as the island is managed in a way to preserve its original beauty as intact as possible. This is something visitors should be incredibly grateful for, as it has managed to preserve the enormous and very varied birdlife , which people can experience at fist hand during their visit.

Cousin Island really is a must for anybody who really values the natural world, and absolutely one of the best places in the world to visit for keen bird enthusiasts.

Highlights:

• Rich, varied birdlife with many rare species
• Well managed nature reserve, with beautiful surroundings and exciting animals including giant tortoises.