Cousin is one of conservation’s great success stories. In 1968, when the island was a run-down coconut plantation and the Seychelles warbler was reduced to a few dozen birds, it was bought by the organisation now known as BirdLife International. The coconuts were cleared, the native woodland allowed to return, and the warbler recovered so well that birds have since been moved to other islands to found new populations.
Declared a Special Reserve in 1975, the 29-hectare island, two kilometres west of Praslin, is now managed by Nature Seychelles. It hosts more than 300,000 nesting seabirds of several species, endemic land birds such as the Seychelles magpie-robin, fody, sunbird and blue pigeon, endemic skinks and geckos, and it is an important nesting beach for hawksbill turtles. A dozen or so giant tortoises live here too.
What to see and do: Cousin Island Special Reserve
Take the warden-guided walk
Visits follow a guided route led by the reserve’s staff, who explain the island’s history and point out nesting birds, often at arm’s length: fairy terns balancing a single egg on a bare branch, white-tailed tropicbirds tucked under bushes, noddies by the thousand in season. Stick to the path and follow the warden’s instructions.
Look for the endemic land birds
Among the trees, watch and listen for the Seychelles warbler, magpie-robin, fody and sunbird. The wardens know where to find them.
Combine it with Curieuse
Some boat trips from Praslin visit Cousin in the morning and continue to Curieuse and St Pierre in the afternoon — a superb nature day. See the tours page.
How to get to Cousin Island Special Reserve
- Cousin is visited by boat from Praslin, usually on an organised trip. To protect the landing beach, visitors are normally transferred ashore in the reserve’s own boats — expect to get your feet wet.
- Visiting days and hours are restricted (historically weekday mornings) and there is an entrance fee, which some tours include. Check the current arrangements before you go.
Insider tips
- Wear clothes and shoes that can get wet for the landing.
- Bring binoculars and a camera with a zoom — though many birds are remarkably close.
- Seabird numbers vary by season; the big noddy colonies are present during the south-east monsoon, roughly May to September.
- Do not take food ashore and do not touch the birds or nests.
Best tours & tickets for Cousin Island Special Reserve
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Cousin Island Special Reserve:
Three-island day trip from €140 Island Adventure Cousin, Curieuse & St Pierre with BBQ Bliss
Three islands in one day: the seabirds and endemic land birds of Cousin, a protected reserve, then Curieuse for the tortoises and lunch, and a snorkel at St Pierre. Cousin is normally open to visitors only on certain days and at certain times, so the departure days of this trip are limited — check the listing.
- Cousin Island bird reserve
- Curieuse’s giant tortoises
- Snorkelling at St Pierre and a beach BBQ
Catamaran day cruise from €224 Tour of Cousin, Curieuse and St Pierre Islands on Catamaran
A more comfortable, more expensive way to see the same three islands, aboard a catamaran. Only a handful of reviews so far, but it is one of the few options that can work for visitors based on Mahé or La Digue rather than Praslin.
- Three islands on one sailing day
- Cousin’s bird reserve and Curieuse’s tortoises
- Lunch on board or ashore
Full-day boat trip from €79 Praslin: Curieuse & St. Pierre Full-Day Boat Trip with Lunch
The most-reviewed Curieuse trip on GetYourGuide, with close to 1,900 reviews. The classic day: snorkel off the granite islet of St Pierre, land at the ranger station to meet the tortoises, walk through the mangroves to a quiet beach, then eat a barbecue lunch and swim before the boat takes you back to Praslin.
- Giant tortoises and the mangrove walk on Curieuse
- Snorkelling at St Pierre, gear included
- Barbecue lunch on the beach
