Just off Mahé, in the Ste Anne Marine National Park, sits an island barely big enough to walk across in twenty minutes — and yet it holds the title of the world's smallest national park. Moyenne Island measures roughly 0.4km long and 0.3km wide, its highest point rising just 61 metres above the water. From the sea, it looks like a single green hill dropped into the Indian Ocean.

How Moyenne became a national park

Moyenne's story is unusual for a Seychelles island: rather than being developed for tourism, it was deliberately left wild. According to published accounts, a British newspaper editor bought the island in the 1960s and spent decades planting tens of thousands of trees, turning bare land into the dense forest that covers it today. Before his death, he arranged for the island to be protected as a national park rather than sold for development — which is why, unlike most of its neighbours in the Ste Anne Marine Park, Moyenne has no hotels or private villas on it.

Arriving on the island

There's no jetty on Moyenne, so landing here is part of the experience: boats anchor just offshore and visitors wade the last few metres through shallow water onto the beach. From there, a walking trail climbs gently through the forest to the island's high point, with the tree canopy closing in almost immediately once you're off the sand.

To protect the island, visitor numbers are deliberately kept low year-round — even in peak season, Moyenne rarely feels crowded, which is part of what makes it feel different from a typical day-trip stop.

Visiting Moyenne as part of a Seychelles holiday

Moyenne isn't a destination on its own — it's usually visited as a half-day excursion combined with the other Ste Anne Marine Park islands, launching from Mahé. It's a good fit if you want one slower, nature-focused day worked into an otherwise beach-and-resort itinerary.

If you're planning a trip to the Seychelles, take a look at Quintrip's Seychelles holiday packages — Mahé-based stays put you within easy reach of Ste Anne Marine Park and Moyenne.

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