North Island

Travel diaries and conservation stories from North Island — exploring South Africa’s Eastern Cape, wildlife, local culture and coastal adventures.

Seychelles Travel Diaries
Seychelles

To North Island! (Seychelles Travel Diary #2)

    I caught a bumpy ferry ride to North Island with fellow, sleep-deprived South African, Des’ree after a 30 minute delay. While waiting at the pongy harbour, she began telling me about her experiences in the Seychelles. Des’ree is a travelling chef who has been coming and going to the islands

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    Seychelles Travel Diaries
    Seychelles

    Life on North Island (Seychelles Travel Diary #3)

      The North Island environmental managers, Tarryn and CJ, are awesome and have been on the island together, happily married, for 2 years. My first bit of insight was seeing the Rat Room, where every incoming item is checked for stowaway rodents. Rats ruled the island for 200 years until they

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      Seychelles Travel Diaries
      Seychelles

      North Island Conservation (Seychelles Travel Diary #4)

        North Island conservation is envisioned in the Noah’s Ark Project – a plan initiated in the last decade to restore the island to its former glory and give the indigenous flora and fauna a chance to repopulate and rejuvenate. This involves removing coconut palms, planting indigenous flora (which in turn,

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        Seychelles Travel Diaries
        Seychelles

        Food and Trivia (Seychelles Travel Diary #5)

          SOME SEYCHELLES TRIVA There are 155 islands that comprise the Seychelles but just two islands where the bulk of goods and humans are sent – Praslin and La Digue, both famous for their beauty and the legendary coco de mer (a sort of double coconut that looks like a bum).

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          Seychelles Travel Diaries
          Seychelles

          Highlights and Lowlights (Seychelles Travel Diary #6)

            Guests on the private North Island pay up to 6,000 Euros per night… No joke. They fly in and out via helicopter, so there is a general vibe that staff should not be heard nor seen unless requested. So a real lowlight became apparent on the third day of my

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            Seychelles Travel Diaries
            Seychelles

            Farewell North Island (Seychelles Travel Diary #7)

              I enjoyed a bum-raising ferry ride back to Mahé and had a good giggle when “The Tide Is High” by Blondie played. Refusing to take another premium-priced taxi ride, a local told me that I could foot it to my Airbnb in 30 minutes. I thought it would be a

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