North Island

North Island was worked as a coconut plantation for a century and left degraded, and since the late 1990s the owners have run a rehabilitation programme, removing rats and introduced plants and replanting native forest, into which endemic birds and tortoises have been reintroduced. It operates as a single very expensive lodge, which is how the restoration is funded. Four beaches ring the island and granite boulders frame most of them.

What you actually see

• The restoration - native forest replanted over a century of coconut plantation.
• The reintroductions - endemic birds and tortoises returned to the cleared island.
• The four beaches - the bays around the island framed by granite boulders.
• The single lodge - the operation that funds the rehabilitation work.

When to go

April to May and October to November are the calmest. Access is year round by helicopter. Sea conditions affect boat transfers.

Honest expectations

There is no way to visit except by staying, at some of the highest rates in the region. Day access is not permitted. The island is small and two days covers it.

Nearby

Silhouette Island is southwest, and Mahé is southeast.