Nightingale Island

Nightingale is the smallest of the three main Tristan islands, uninhabited and covered in tussock grass, and the density of seabirds on it is what people remember: great shearwaters nest in burrows in numbers running into the millions, rockhopper penguins come ashore, and two land birds found nowhere else, the Nightingale finch and the Wilkins's bunting, live in the tussock. Tristan families keep huts on it for fishing trips.

What you actually see

• The shearwater burrows - great shearwaters nesting in the tussock in vast numbers.
• The rockhopper penguins - the colonies coming ashore on the rocks.
• The endemic finches - two land birds found only on this island group.
• The island huts - the shelters Tristan families keep for fishing trips.

When to go

October to March is the southern summer and the landing window. Swell prevents landing much of the time. Seabirds are on the island through the breeding months.

Honest expectations

Landing depends entirely on swell and is often impossible. Permission from the island council is required. Walking through tussock collapses shearwater burrows, so routes are controlled.

Nearby

Inaccessible Island is west, and Tristan is northeast.