Bird, Seychelles’ most northerly island is 100km or a 30-minute flight
north of Mahé. Bird is situated 28 miles distant from Denis Island and
on the edge of the Seychelles bank, where the ocean drops off to more than 2000
metres. During the period of the southeast trade winds (May-September), Bird
is colonised by a million sooty terns that each lay their eggs on their own
exclusive square foot of territory.
Home to ‘Esmeralda’, the world’s heaviest land tortoise,
this island is also an important nesting site for turtles year-round.
Twenty-four comfortable bungalows, excellent beaches, a reputation for good
cuisine and a convivial atmosphere complement great opportunities for snorkelling,
deep-sea fishing, and nature watching.
History and Culture
Bird Island, once known as Ile aux Vaches because of the dugongs or sea cows
that thrived there, lies directly in the path of seafarers approaching Seychelles
from a northerly direction.
As such, it can be expected that early Arab seafarers visited her shores on
their voyages of exploration that took them down the east coast of Africa.
The island comes under history's spotlight in 1891 when a boatload of Seychellois
bound for Bird for the harvesting of birds eggs, encountered a storm and were
driven to the shores of Arabia. It took them a year, during which many of them
died, before they were able to finally return home.
In the early 1970's, Bird turned to tourism, which thrives until today with
the Bird Island Lodge sharing this magnificent coral isle with over 1 million
sooty terns between April and September.
With several conservation programmes in place, Bird stands at the forefront
of eco-tourism in Seychelles.
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