Christmas Island National Park

Christmas Island National Park, which covers the majority of this remote Indian Ocean island, protects a wonderfully lush and biologically rich wilderness of dense tropical rainforest, towering trees, hidden grottoes and dramatic sea cliffs. Isolated for millions of years, the island has evolved a wealth of unique wildlife: not only its famous red crabs and the giant, powerful robber crabs, the world's largest land invertebrate, but also rare endemic birds such as the golden bosun and the Christmas Island frigatebird, which nest in great seabird colonies on the cliffs. Waterfalls, freshwater springs, coral reefs and jungle trails complete a pristine natural paradise. For nature lovers, this green, teeming island is a genuinely special and unspoiled corner of the world.

History

In the early 1970s concern grew over what phosphate mining was doing to the island's plants and animals, especially to the habitat of Abbott's booby, which seemed close to extinction. A government committee looked into it in 1974 and recommended setting land aside, and Christmas Island National Park was established on 21 February 1980 in the south-west corner of the island; it was extended in 1986 and 1989 to take in most of the rainforest and now covers about 85 square kilometres, 63 percent of the island (Wikipedia, Christmas Island National Park).

The landscape

• The rainforest - the lush jungle covering most of the island.
• The robber crabs - the giant land crabs of the forest.
• The seabird colonies - the frigatebirds and rare endemic birds.
• The cliffs and reefs - the dramatic coast and coral reefs.

When to go

April to October, the drier season, brings the most settled weather for hiking, diving and wildlife watching, avoiding the wettest months; the famous crab migration, however, comes with the wet season around October to December. The tropical climate is warm year-round.

Practical notes

Christmas Island is remote, reached by limited flights, and much of its rainforest wilderness is rugged and best explored on trails with care, so it suits nature lovers rather than resort seekers. As a lush national park teeming with unique wildlife, from giant robber crabs to rare seabirds, amid rainforest, cliffs and reefs, though, Christmas Island is a genuinely special and unspoiled paradise.

Nearby

Flying Fish Cove, the blowholes and the island's beaches lie within it.

Key facts