Most islands are beautiful. They hardly need to prove it. The turquoise water, white sand and palms usually do enough talking on their own. But some islands have a story that makes you want to know more before you have even arrived, and Fregate Island is one of them.
Fregate Island, Seychelles / Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board / Wikimedia Commons
Set 55km east of Mahé in the Seychelles, the private island has spent decades restoring its natural environment alongside its luxury offering. Giant tortoises move through the forest, rare birds have returned to restored habitats and turtles still come ashore to nest on its beaches.
Now, after a period of redevelopment, Fregate is preparing to welcome guests back. The island is currently listed as “coming back soon” on its official website. No firm reopening date has been announced, although international travel reports have indicated a possible late-2026 return.
What makes its return interesting, though, is not simply what is being rebuilt. It’s what has been protected, restored and brought back from the brink.
An island where wildlife comes first
Fregate covers around 200 hectares, with only about 10% developed. Much of the island remains dedicated to conservation, and it is recognised as an Important Bird Area.
It’s Seychelles Magpie Robin population tells the story best. By the late 1970s, only around 40 of these birds were thought to remain. Fregate became one of their last refuges, and decades of habitat restoration and predator control have helped turn their story around.
There was a frightening setback when Norway rats reached the island in 1995. After an initial eradication attempt had to be abandoned, a second operation in 2000 successfully removed the rats. Today, more than 197 Magpie Robins are recorded on Fregate, and birds from the island have helped establish populations elsewhere in the Seychelles.
It’s a remarkable turnaround, but perhaps the most meaningful part is what it means on the ground. A bird that was once close to disappearing can now simply be part of the sound of the forest.
Where giant tortoises roam
More than 3,000 Aldabra giant tortoises now live on Fregate, from an original population of around 150 introduced from Aldabra. Some are fitted with GPS trackers so the conservation team can understand how they move around the island.
For a guest, that might simply mean spotting one slowly making its way through the vegetation. But there is something rather lovely about knowing that the animal wandering past your path is part of a much bigger conservation story.
During the 2025 to 2026 turtle season, Fregate recorded 513 turtle tracks and 229 nests, mostly from Hawksbill turtles, alongside Green turtle nests. Some were relocated because of threats including crab predation and seasonal erosion. Nearby Little Fregate was also surveyed for the first time in late 2025, with a seabird census finding nesting habitat on the uninhabited islet.
Beyond the beach
Fregate’s conservation work extends underwater too.
The island has been involved in coral restoration since 2018, including work with Coralive and experiments using Mineral Accretion Technology. Its “Wheel of Corals” system moves growing coral structures into areas requiring restoration while new structures take their place.
In 2024, monitoring recorded bleaching across around 20% of the reef. Subsequent monitoring found signs of recovery, including new coral growth over restoration structures.
A new chapter for Fregate
The redevelopment is expected to bring 17 villas and estates, alongside updated infrastructure and new guest facilities. Earlier plans also included partial solar energy use, while conservation work was intended to continue throughout construction.
But Fregate’s strongest draw has never really been its interiors, it’s the island itself. Luxury islands are not difficult to find. An island that has spent decades restoring what was almost lost is something else entirely.
When Fregate opens again, it will offer more than privacy and polished villas. It will offer the chance to stay somewhere whose wild side was not created for the guest experience. It was here first.
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