North Island is the 9th largest among the 115 islands which altogether make the archipelago of Seychelles. The island is famous for its exclusive natural beauty along with the wildlife that flourishes here. The island truly justifies the word 'heaven' with its tropical ambience and scenic beauty. Flying is the best mode for travelling to this exclusive island with eleven private beachside villas.
Situated at a distance of 27 kilometres from the island of Mahe, you can reach the idyllic private resort by taking a 20-minute helicopter ride through beautiful seascapes. North Island has often been the preferred getaway choice for celebrities from all over the world lending further exclusivity to the two square kilometres of tranquil and picturesque location in the Indian Ocean. Although famous among globetrotters and nature lovers, it is also the favourite choice of celebrities for their Honeymoon.
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Things to Do at North Island
North Island, is the perfect luxury holiday gateway for couples. No matter if you've stepped on this land for recreation or exhilaration, adventure or recuperation, this island has everything to offer.
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
Source Experiencing the aquatic life in the Indian ocean, lets you see the coral reefs with a dolphins eye view. You'll get to witness the coral biodiversity of the North Island. The sea off the coast of the island and the nearby Silhouette Islands offers some breathtaking undersea views.
To enjoy them, there are several experienced diving centres at North Islands even offering Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certifications for the interested parties. The coral reefs near the islands are part of the world’s largest system – even snorkelling will provide you with a fish-eye view of the unique and unforgettable underwater scenery.
Sea Kayaking
The seas around the North Islands are also perfectly enjoyable while travelling on it – while paddling on a kayak. The gentle currents offer the opportunity to circumnavigate the island while marvelling at the unveiling undersea coral reef ecosystems in all its colourful glory. It is quite possible to view mantas, stingrays or dolphins swimming in the crystal clear waters under your boat.
Scuba Diving
Source You will get a full PADI certification and tuition at the Dive Centres of North Island. These centres also provide the facilities of outdoor and indoor changing areas and showers.
They have state of the art scuba equipment, and the divemasters will guide you through everything - taking you to the best diving spot so that you can have truly memorable and remarkable diving experience.
Guided Walks on the Island
Source Take a walk with guides up to Spa Hill and get enchanted by the picturesque views of North Island. These guides will narrate the history and culture of this island - you might even get to know a few secrets of this place. The nation is already known for being a place of hidden treasures. The walk through the tropical trail is not only relaxing but therapeutic as well.
Cycling Tours
Source If you are someone who looks for chances to spend some alone time, you can explore the North Island at your own speed. The villas at the island provide bike services. Thus, you can grab a bicycle and can explore the place and who knows that you may find a tortoise resting. You may even get to see the local flora and fauna while exploring the area at your own pace. There are paths which are exclusively nurtured for cycling, canopied with the tropical ambience.
A Full-Day Excursion
Source No doubt, once you are at North Island, you will never want to leave this place. You can take a full day excursion tour to explore the more of the island, its surrounding places, flora and fauna. These tours are guided and equipped boat tours which take you close to the island's culture, scenery and the atmosphere.
The ultimate private destination, North Island attracts visitors from every corner of the world. The island welcomes with its azure seas, and luminous white beaches drenched in the tropical ambience of Takamaka trees and coconut palms. The North Island has already earned a name in the glam and entertainment world.
Boat Safaris
Chartered boat services are readily available in the North Islands which can take you to nearby islands like Silhouette, Mahe, La Digue, Praslin, and the Outer Islands. There are beautiful bird sanctuaries to see on the islands of Cousin, Cousine, and Aride where you may travel by boat from the island.
You can visit the official website of North Island and enquire for further details. Website: www.north-island.com
Several celebrities have enjoyed their holidays here including Salma Hayek, Liz Hurley, Pierce Brosnan, JK Rowling, Jennifer Aniston etc. On their 10th wedding anniversary, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham came here to celebrate. It goes nothing without saying that North Island is a piece of heaven on the earth.
Geography of North Island
Part of the Seychelles Archipelago, North Island is one of the forty-two islands from the Inner Islands of the republic. The island is granitic in nature with four beautiful beaches along the coastline. It measures about two kilometres from the north to south and one kilometre from east to west. The comparatively small surface area of the island further enhances its exclusive nature.
Source The highest point on the island is one of the three granite outcroppings in the northern part named Grand Paloss and is around 590 feet from the sea level. Its nearest island is the Silhouette Island situated at a distance of six kilometres. Mahe, another popular tourist destination in Seychelles, is twenty-seven kilometres from North Islands.
The four beautiful white-sand beaches are named East Beach, where the private villas are situated, the Western Beach, also called Grande Anse, is the setting for the famous Sunset Bar. The other two beaches are aptly named as Honeymoon Cove and Dive Beach, which is also known as Petit Anse.
Source As we move from the northern to the southern parts, the granite outcroppings give way to lush green vegetation, courtesy of the island's plantation past. The interior of the island contains a small marshy area visible during the many walks taken by tourists during their stay.
Restoration of North Island
North Island is a prime example of natural habitat restoration, a result of tireless work during the last decade by the locals and ecological scientists. This included the removal of invasive animal and plant species which was destroying the natural habitat and gradual re-introduction of native plant and animal population.
The restoration project was named Noah’s Ark and its positive results are already reflecting on the island. There is an abundance of the stunning Coco-de-Mer palm trees and certain other endemic plant species like Canthium, Cremna, Scavola and various Ficus trees. There is also a giant tortoise habitat monitoring station on the island to protect the animal’s ecosystem and breeding grounds.
In 2005, North Island was declared as free of rats and is continually striving to maintain this status. The island is the largest in the world without the presence of black tree rats (Rattus Rattus).
Many species of indigenous endangered birds like the Seychelles warbler, black parrot and the magpie robin, one of the rarest birds in the world, is being encouraged to regenerate in the North Islands as part of its ecological restoration project.
To this end, the locals are especially careful of maintaining the natural ecosystem and harmony while providing top-level hospitality to the visiting tourists on which the island’s economy and livelihood is mainly dependent.
The breathtaking seaside beauty, clean natural environment and the exclusive nature of the ecological retreat in the North Island have attracted the rich and famous from all over the world. David Beckham and his wife Victoria have spent their tenth wedding anniversary here, Pierce Brosnan, Elizabeth Hurley, Salma Hayek are some of the other global stars to have enjoyed their holidays in this beautiful island paradise.
All the food ingredients used at the villas are produced, reared or freshly caught from the sea further adding to the ecological experience at the island. Moreover, recycling of wastes in an environmentally friendly way, using energy and water sensibly, limiting construction and noise levels so as nature remains undisturbed are some other factors contributing towards maintaining the eco-friendly nature of this exclusive resort.
History of North Island
North Islands is claimed to be the location of first recorded landfall by human settlers in 1609. The s, hip named ‘Ascension’ owned by the East India Shipping Company of England and captained by Mr Sharpeigh had landed here as part of their Indian Ocean expedition and reported seeing a lot of giant land tortoises.
The island was under private ownership from 1826 to 1970, after which it was sold and eventually stood neglected. Originally used as a plantation site for local spices, fruits, guano (bat droppings), copra and fish oil among others, North Island turned into a wild area with an uncontrolled population growth of animals like rats, pigs, cows and cats. Birds like Indian Mynah flourished here and there was an abundance of aggressively-growing weeds all over the island.
The credit for rehabilitation of North Island can be attributed to Mr Marius Maier, who had been given the island by his father. He took up the cause of returning local flora and fauna to the island including giant tortoises and the local attractions, Coco-De-Mer palm tree, and Takamaka plant.
He and the locals together removed unwanted plant and animal infestation from the area and re-established the natural beauty of the North Island by the end of the 1990s. Acknowledging the immense potential of the island for ecological tourism, a South African tourism company purchased the island in 2003 and set up eleven exclusive villas there. The resulting business has further developed the island and increased its resident population.
How To Reach North Island, Seychelles
This private hideaway of North Island enriched with tropical beauty is located at a distance of around 30 km from Mahe Island. It takes just 15 minutes to reach here by a helicopter flight which can accommodate around 5 to 6 guests in one time.
