The park consists of a group of low islands and the intervening channels that separate Aby Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean.

[2] The national park was established in 1974 on the initiative of the local communities who wished to protect their historical sites.

[3] The vegetation of the islands is very varied for such a small area; the coastal zone is mostly dominated by mangroves, and the interior is largely tropical forest with a dense understory.

[5] The park is also home to mammals typically inhabiting forest zones, such as duikers and bushpigs, as well as two species that give the park its uniqueness: one of these is the manatee, an aquatic mammal characteristic of the Ivorian lagoons; the other is the colony of straw-coloured fruit bats that roosts on Balouate Island, which the local people believe to be a sign of the presence of their ancestors.

Tourism is the only occupation permitted on the islands, and fishing is the main activity outside the protected area.