About North Island
"World's Leading Luxury Private Island Resort 2022"
About North Island
Located amongst the inner granitic islands of Seychelles, North Island is the most private island and a fertile paradise - the perfect setting for our Noah's Ark conservation and island rehabilitation programme. The natural beauty of North Island will touch and inspire you at the deepest level.
Spending time with our Environmental Team or simply exploring the island at your own pace will allow you to appreciate the results of the effort that has gone into rehabilitating this natural idyll.
The setting and natural beauty of Seychelles has inspired our island conservation practices and philosophies, and has also influenced the design of our guest spaces. Learn more about Seychelles and North Island, the diverse ecosystem, as well as our media recognition and curated content.
History
Ile du Nord was the first Seychelles island on which a recorded landing was made by seafarers. An expedition in 1609 by Captain Sharpeigh and the crew of the English East India Company vessel Ascension reported that the island had a large population of giant land tortoises. Along with all other Seychelles islands, North Island was still uninhabited at that time.
From 1826 until the 1970s, North Island was owned by the Beaufond family from Réunion. During this time the island was a plantation for growing fruits and spices, as well as producing guano, fish oil and copra. After the copra market collapsed, the plantation was sold in the 1970s, and North Island fell into disuse. Feral animals and alien plant species out - competed the indigenous fauna and flora with distressing consequences.
A new chapter in the history of North Island began in 1997 when North Island was purchased with a view to creating not just the world's leading private island hideaway, but also of turning back the clock: undoing the damage wrought by man, and creating a sanctuary for indigenous Seychellois wildlife. A unique opportunity existed to rehabilitate, preserve and study the island's ecosystems.