At the ceremony on November 7, Cousine came first among nominees such as Amazon Tur – Brazil; Bouma Natural Heritage Park Taveuni – Fiji; Jock Safari Lodge – South Africa; Kanha National Park – India; Machu Picchu – Peru; and the New Forest – England.

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The award is seen as a great honour for Seychelles as a whole, reflecting the pristine beauty of our environment. In 2007, Cousine was honoured as the Indian Ocean’s leading ecotourism destination in the same awards.

Cousine is an exclusive five-star nature sanctuary covering 25 hectares of land with 100% commitment to conserving the environment. In an effort to balance nature and development, the island offers four luxurious French colonial-style villas with private pools, which are nestled within the lush vegetation and positioned on the beach with spectacular Indian Ocean views.

Cousine’s systematic rehabilitation programme has struck what the owners say is a unique balance between nature and tourism, making it one of the world’s most spectacular nature observatories. The vegetation consists of 95% endemic plants and the remaining 5% is made up of indigenous fruit trees and vegetables.

The island also has established colonies of endemic birds; it is home to seven species of endemic land birds and nine of endemic seabirds. And thousands of migratory birds consider Cousine as their home during six months of the year.

Hawksbill turtles also come ashore to nest and green turtles, rare to Seychelles, nest occasionally throughout the year. Visitors can experience at first hand these phenomenal and life-transforming events.