The Seychelles should be one of the most touristy places in the world, but the government has avoided the temptation to over-capitalize on this pristine archipelago, according to a BBC report.

Buildings cannot be taller than a palm tree, camping is prohibited on beaches and there is an abundance of national parks and protected species on the islands located 1,100 miles off the coast of Madagascar.

At Raffles Praslin resort on the northeastern tip of Praslin, the government mandated that every plant removed for the hotel’s construction be replanted back on the property.

The resort’s spa, the largest in the country, uses local ingredients like crushed pearls in its massages and body treatments.

Once a leper colony, a red-soil island is now refuge to more than 500 giant tortoises.

It’s unlikely to find litter, beach vendors, jet skis or banana boats at Anse Lazio, consistently named the best beach in the world by publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Lonely Planet, the report says.

The government stopped plans in the early 2000s to build a five-star resort at Aldabra Atoll, a Unesco World Heritage site located more than 683 miles from the main island of Mahe.

Tourists’ time is limited to a day on each of the four islands in the atoll. They sleep on ships moored off their coasts at night.