Cousin lies just off the southwest coast of its close neighbour Praslin, just next to its island neighbour Cousine. It became the first ‘sea and island reserve” in the Indian Ocean and the world’s first internationally owned protected area when it was declared a Nature Reserve by the Seychelles Government in 1969 following its purchase and conversion from the coconut enterprise.

Cousin Island receives about 10,000 visitors a year. Visitor fees and donations obtained sustain the management of the reserve as well as research, conservation and education projects both on and off the reserve.

No accommodation or restaurant facilities are available on the island in order to minimise waste production; bins are not provided to encourage visitors to take their rubbish off the island. Visitors may not have picnics or collect shells or souvenirs from the beaches or the trails. Flush toilets are not used on the island in order to save water and to prevent huge volumes of wastewater from accumulating in the ground.