Frégate Island

Frégate is a small granite island east of Mahé run as a single private resort, and its conservation record is out of proportion to its size: the Seychelles magpie robin was reduced to a handful of birds surviving here in the 1960s, and the recovery programme built around that population has since returned the species to several islands. Giant tortoises roam free in the hundreds and Anse Victorin is regularly named among the region's best beaches.

What you actually see

• The magpie robin - the species that survived here and was recovered from this population.
• The free-roaming tortoises - giant tortoises in the hundreds across the island.
• Anse Victorin - the beach regularly named among the region's finest.
• The granite boulders - the rock formations characteristic of the inner islands.

When to go

April to May and October to November are the calmest months. Access is by air year round. Turtle nesting runs from October to February.

Honest expectations

The island is a single resort and there is no way to visit without staying, at very high cost. Day visits are not permitted. Access is by helicopter or small aircraft only.

Nearby

Mahé is west, and Sainte Anne Marine National Park is beyond it.