First of all let’s banish the elephant in the room. Seychelles is pronounced like seashells except the sey is pronounced say. This tongue twisting name, one might surmise, is possibly the trickiest thing about this island chain.
Until you find out that the Seychelles is comprised of 115 islands, which will leave decision ditherers positively panicky. There are 41 inner islands, which are the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands in the world, as well as 74 outer islands which are mostly low-lying atolls.
The choice is narrowed down by the fact that you can only bunk down on 16 of these islands; the others are better suited to Robinson Crusoe style day trips.
These islands lie in an enviable geographic position between four to ten degrees south of the equator, which guarantees year round temperatures of 24 to 32 degrees on the thermometer.
Consequently the ecosystem thrives, in part thanks to half of the Seychelles’ land being protected. All this makes for the kind of barefoot holiday that calls for a small suitcase filled only with swimmers and sarong.
Mahe
Unless you sail to the Seychelles, it’s likely you will fly into the gateway island of Mahe, home to the airport and the capital Victoria. Another tongue twister (ma-hay, just quietly), don’t think that choosing this island ends the decision making process.
Mahe has 65 beaches and in theory you should endeavour to see them all. But even if you don’t, know that these are the kind of beaches that are found on computer screensavers on desks in offices around the world. You thought they were fake? Think again.
Translucent sand and transcendent water finds itself embedded between giant granite boulders smoothed to a polish by the Indian Ocean. Ance Intendance is one of the best beaches and comes with the crashing drama of big waves. You’re not permitted to swim here due to these currents, so lie back and soak up the sea spray.
The most developed island is a relative term in the Seychelles – Victoria is the smallest capital in the world. Of the Seychelles population, nine in 10 call Mahe home and yet it is only as big (or as small) as Queensland’s Bundaberg, with 70,000 inhabitants.
It’s enough to create a professional tourism industry for travellers but not enough to have genuinely impacted the fragile ecosystem.
And contrary to the low-lying atolls that more or less define the Seychelles, Mahe has mountains that reach 900 metres in height. Here you will find orchids as well as a Jellyfish Tree endemic to the island’s shores. Visit the botanical gardens and the natural history museum for more information on the only-found-here flora and fauna.
Praslin
This is the second largest island after Mahe and yet it measures only 38 square kilometres, which says a lot about the petite Seychelles. It was once thought to be that sacred utopia, the Garden of Eden. General Gordon of Khartoum pinpointed Praslin as the creationist tapestry where humanity’s fate was decreed.
The closest you are likely to get to a flawless Eden here on earth, Praslin has an ancient forest called Vallee de Mai which is one of only two places in the world (the second is also in the Seychelles) where the twin-sex coco de mer palm thrives naturally.
The male tree produces phallic protrusions while the female spawns a fruit shaped like a lady’s rump, making this tree a remarkable life-imitating replica. The Seychelles black parrot is another rare species that thrives here.
Then there’s Aldabra, another sight linked to myth and legend. Rising out of the ocean like a desert mirage, the second largest coral atoll in the world was first recorded by Arabian sailors in the ninth century.
Praslin also claims one of the world’s most highly acclaimed beaches in Anse Lazio. This sandy stretch, darling of countless Top 10 lists published by all manner of travel publications, is a sight to behold. All the hours you may have spent unknowingly staring at it on your computer wallpaper will be worth it when you see it for real.
A casual Creole restaurant in the sand of Anse Lazio makes for a barefoot breakfast, lunch or dinner.
La Digue
Get here by ferry and get around by oxcart. That’s how blissfully backward La Digue island is. Yesteryear isn’t yesteryear here; the island remains animated with a first settler cemetery and a Creole mansion.
The Seychelles were colonised by the French in the 18th century, only to be handed to the British in the early 19th century. Now independent, its French roots remain through its creole cuisine but the influence of an Indian and Asian population pervades.
National dishes include grilled seafood marinated in chilli, ginger and garlic as well as tropical curries that include papaya and apple.
In terms of endemic wildlife, look out for the Seychelles paradise flycatcher and the Seychelles warbler. There’s also the world’s weightiest land tortoise, slow-paced and easy to spot. On the opposite end of the spectrum there’s the world’s smallest frog whose miniscule size and jaunty style makes it especially difficult to spot in the wild.
Don’t miss the Anse Source d’Argent, one of the most photographed beaches in the Seychelles. You may have seen it before, but as they say, nothing compares to the real thing.
