Bird Island, Seychelles

A low-lying coralline island at the northern edge of the Seychelles outer islands, Bird Island is the nesting ground for an estimated 1.5 million sooty terns that arrive each season in one of the Indian Ocean's most spectacular seabird colonies. The island also hosts a population of giant Aldabra tortoises and serves as a nesting beach for hawksbill turtles. Access is exclusively by light aircraft from Mahé, limiting visitor numbers and preserving the island's isolated character.