About Cerf Island

Cerf Island is the only island in the marine park to have a small local population who commute to Mahé for their daily business. It has a local population of around 100, mostly centered in one bay on the South side of the island, many who make the short commute by boat to Mahé for work.

Well-known residents formerly included the celebrated South African novelist Wilbur Smith, writer, explorer and treasure hunter William "Bill" Travis and yacht designer Phil Southwell. Artists Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar lived for a year on the island in 1998, where they created the cult cartoon Harold's Planet. The island also has a small art gallery, a chapel and a cemetery.

The island lies in the Ste Anne Marine National Park and is surrounded by a coral reef. The geology is grantitic, with a maximum height above sea level of 357 feet (109 m). There are two hotels, a guest lodge, three restaurants, a spa and a beach bar. There are no paved roads or local infrastructure on the island; travel to-and-from the island is by boat and by helicopter which lands at the heli pad at Cerf Island Resort Seychelles.

Due to Cerf Island’s location, in a National Marine Park, the waters around Cerf Island prove a spectacular sight. The deepest point of the Marine Park is 250 metres (820 ft) and the Park offers exceptional marine life, with more than 150 species of reef fish, crabs, sea urchins, starfish, octopus and many more. Cerf Island is home to the fruit bat and giant tortoises. On the north side of the island are superb coral reefs