Not everyone wants to enjoy their retirement in a modern metropolis. A journalist set out to turn an island into a biotope for animals and humans. Decades later, the place is still the smallest national park in the world.
Who bought the island? The British journalist Brendan Grimshaw vacationed in 1962 in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. At that time, he was working as a writer for a newspaper in East Africa, but during his trip, he realized that he wanted to be closer to nature and embark on a new path in life (via bbc).
He searched for purchasable land in the Seychelles and found a small piece of land measuring about 9.9 hectares on the last day of his vacation, which he eventually bought in 1962 for 8,000 British pounds.
In 2009, Grimshaw described the purchase in the documentary “A Grain of Sand” as follows: “It was completely different, it was a special feeling. This is the place I had been looking for,” (via YouTube).
This piece of land has been restored by him for decades and turned into an attraction for native animals and tourists. In total, he is said to have planted 16,000 trees with the help of a local. Additionally, Grimshaw wanted to ensure that the area would remain preserved even after his death.
The place remains preserved for nature
Why is the island an anti-wealth sanctuary? Not only did the former author transform the area into a tropical paradise that hosts many species of animals, but he allegedly also turned down various sales offers of up to 50 million US dollars during his lifetime according to the news site BBC.
Furthermore, the nature lover is said to have taken additional precautions and set up a trust structure to protect his creation from wealthy investors after his passing. In 2009, the island was designated the smallest national park in the world.
By the way: Rockstar is also building a national park in GTA 6, and initial information shows what the map of the upcoming game might look like.
What does it look like today? Even in 2026, the island is still a national park and can be visited by tourists. There is now a restaurant and a museum dedicated to Grimshaw. Otherwise, the rest of the park remains as preserved as the author had restored it many years ago.
Moyenne Island is currently owned by the Moyenne Foundation, a private, non-profit association responsible for the park’s condition (via seychelles).
Additionally, the piece of land is home to about 40 different species of tropical plants and inhabited by Aldabra giant tortoises. But even in the world of video games, turtles are known for their hard shells. An Elden Ring gamer shows how it gave him an advantage: Player now lives in Elden Ring as a turtle because life in the Lands Between became too hard for him
