Seychelles

The diversity of the Seychelles landscape rushes up to greet you the moment your aircraft begins its descent and promises a long list of things to do.

Seychelles is famous for having some of the best beaches in the world, pristine and uncrowded. Some are framed by age-old granite boulders. Others offer powder-soft sands, turquoise waters and sublime opportunities for swimming, snorkeling or pure relaxation.

There are great opportunities for island-hopping between the 16 islands that currently offer accommodation. These range from sumptuous 5-star resorts to rustic island lodges and cozy beachside bungalows. On your way, you will discover such gems as the legendary Vallée de Mai, home to the legendary Coco-de-Mer.

...The Seychelles Islands are for Nature Lovers

Mahé Capital Island :
Mahe is the first experience most visitors have of the Seychelles. This is where the international flights land on the impressive airport that stretches out across the turquoise water. As it is the largest island in the archipelego, yet just 27 km long by 12 km at its widest point, it has long been the Seychelles economic and political centre, yet has lost none of its beauty and charm.


Mahe is dominated by a mountain range that forms its backbone. The highest peak, Morne Seychellois reaches a height of 905m and provides a perfect backdrop of the capital city Victoria.

In many ways, Mahe is the most spectacular of the islands with its huge mountains and lush tropical vegetation and with over 75 beaches scattered around the island. Despite its great lure for tourists, there are only ever a handful of people on these beaches with their beutiful sand, swaying palms and tropical waters....

Mahe has a wide range of accommodation from self catering to Luxurious hotels.

The discovery of Mahe is done by driving along the coast road to view the panoramic deserted beaches and coves and also through winding mountain roads amidst tropical vegetation for a better glimspe of the traditional creole life-style.

Praslin Island
Praslin Island is a top Seychelles vacation destination, boasting what many claim to be the most idyllic beaches in the world. That's saying quite a bit, but should you take a Praslin vacation, you'll understand why visitors fall in love with the sandy stretches here.

As beautiful and enticing as the beaches are on Praslin Island, you could surely spend your entire Praslin vacation scuba diving, snorkeling, and soaking up the sun. However, no Praslin vacation would be complete without a trek through the famed Vallee de Mai, which is a slice of virgin forest that UNESCO saw fit to deem a World Heritage Site. Together with the main Seychelles island of Mahe, and the Silhoutte Islands, Praslin Island is a hub for Seychelles travel and tourism, and many a Seychelles vacation package includes spending time here. You can bet that it will be time well spent, and like so many before you, you will probably find it difficult to leave.


Some of the nicest beaches :
Anse Lazio: Classified as one of the finest beaches in the world, the beach of Anse Lazio is never crowded but rarely deserted. The crystal-clear blue water, the fine sandy beach bordered by coconut and takamaka trees and the impressive granite boulders, all make of Anse Lazio a must while visiting Praslin.
      
Anse Volbert: Undoubtedly the most popular beach on Praslin, Cote d'Or is also the longest beach of the island. Most of the big and luxurious hotels are situated on this beach, which also caters for a wide variety of water sports activities.
      
Anse Kerlan: Not far from the airport, the beautiful beaches of Anse Kerlan and Petite Anse Kerlan definitely deserve a visit. A walk from Anse Kerlan to Anse Lazio will leave the visitor dumfounded as to how nature has its favourites.

Visit the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve
Certainly one of the top Seychelles tourist attractions, the Valle de Mai Nature Reserve on Praslin Island is one of just two Seychelles World Heritage Sites. The main attractions here are the rare Coco de Mer palm trees and the equally as rare black parrots. A slice of virgin forest, the Valle de Mai Nature Reserve maintains a primaeval feel that is quite impressive. As for the Coco de Mer palms, they are quite curious plants indeed, gaining a reputation for causing more than one person to blush on occasion. That much said, the Coco de Mer is an ancient tree that once near extinction, now thrives in the Valle de Mai jungle. It's quite a remarkable palm, if for nothing else because of the enormous seeds that the female plants produce.

LA DIGUE: Peaceful and Gentle!!!
La Digue the Island of Tranquility

The fourth largest island in the Seychelles (5km by 3km) and lies 43 kilometers from Mahé and 6 ½ km from Praslin.
La Digue is perhaps the most charming of all the Seychelles islands and is least developed and a firm favorite amongst visitors with stunning beaches, oxcarts and bicycles.

La Digue has still got all the fascination of an untouched world and it has a population with approximately 2000 inhabitants, where the rhythm of local life is relaxed and natural and should be lived as such, the beautiful colonial-style houses surrounded by greenery speak of times gone by.


Nid d’Aigle or Eagle’s Nest mountain rises to about 300 meters and covers almost the whole of the inland. The only lowland is on the west where Anse Reunion, La Passe and Union are situated. There is an extremely long beach with Pointe Cap Barbi to the northwest and Pointe Source d’Argent, backed by huge granite rocks appearing either pink or grey according to the rays of the sun

The best way to visit La Digue is to rent bicycles or ox-carts where on the south west and east coast of the island lies Anse Source d’Argent, Grand Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Coco is a film maker’s and photographers’s dream.

The island of La Digue is an invitation to a timeless paradise, where life has remained unchanged for so many years, surely deserves a longer stay
Time seems to stand still on La Digue!


In the Seychelles you can also :

Hang out at the Beach
Of all the Seychelles tourist attractions, it's the Seychelles beaches that take top honors. There is no lack of enviable beaches here, and according to many, the beaches in Seychelles are the most beautiful in the world. That's quite a distinction to carry, and when you see these beaches for the first time, you'll understand just what all the fuss is about. Anse Lazio, on Praslin Island, and Anse Source D'Argent, on La Digue Island, are just two of the Seychelles beaches that deserve honorable mention, but then again, they pretty much all do. Exploring various beaches is surely a fun pursuit, especially if you should find a secluded one where not another soul in the world can be found, save for the native wildlife.

Go Scuba Diving or Snorkeling
If you are looking for fun things to do in Seychelles, why not consider scuba diving? The Seychelles is one of the world's top diving destinations, offering excellent visibility, scores of coral reefs to explore, and plenty of marine life to view. While some months are generally considered to be better than others for Seychelles scuba diving, the sport can truly be enjoyed year round. For those who are not already competent divers, the PADI certified Seychelles dive shops offer classes that can have you in the water in no time. Complete some of the necessary schoolwork back home before you leave on your Seychelles vacation, and have even more time to actually spend diving once you get here. Snorkeling can be enjoyed straight away, requiring very little, to no training at all, and though it might not be the same as diving, it's nonetheless rewarding in its own rite.


We recommend you :

Blue Sea Divers Centre (Certified FFESSM) is ideally located at the very heart of the action right on Beau Vallon beach, near the marine reserve, and enjoys access to the most beautiful dive sites of the island.
www.blueseadivers.com

Octopus Divers, welcome to the only PADI Five Star Diving centre on Praslin anse Volbert, boasting a high level of PADI instruction, specialities instructors, emergency First Response instructors and IDC STAFF Instructor.

Voted as One of the 100 best Diving Centre in the world by UNTERWASSER MAGAZINE, they organise Night time, Long Range, and Double Tank dives every week, using 2 speed boats (300 HP Yamaha) with a capacity of 11 persons.
www.octopusdiver.com

Take a Helicopter Sightseeing Tour
Sometimes used to transfer travelers from one Seychelles island to another, helicopters are also one of the best ways to go about sightseeing in this stunningly beautiful Indian Ocean archipelago. As if these islands weren't attractive enough from the ground, wait until you look down on them from above. The color of the turquoise water plays brilliantly off of the Seychelles beaches, which in turn present a stark contrast to dense, green jungle growth. It's truly something to behold, and as far as things to do in Seychelles are concerned, a helicopter ride has to be among the most exhilarating.


Go Birdwatching
Birdwatching in Seychelles is simply a joy for really anyone that likes to view wildlife. Some of the rarest birds on the planet can be found among the Seychelles islands, including black parrots at the Valle de Mai Reserve on Praslin Island, and Seychelles paradise flycatchers at the Veuve Reserve on the island of La Digue. For those who really enjoy birdwatching, Seychelles birdwatching travel packages are available, some including other African island nations, such as Mauritius and Madagascar. Birdwatching is one of the things to do in Seychelles that can be enjoyed just about anywhere, as birds can be seen all over the place here.

See the Giant Tortoises at the Aldabra Atoll
Though the Aldabra Atoll takes a bit of work to get to, it's well worth the effort. One of just two World Heritage Sites in Seychelles, this collection of raised, coralline islands is home to a resident population of Giant Tortoises, which reportedly number more than 150,000. It's the largest population of Giant Tortoises found anywhere on the planet, and the spectacle of seeing these creatures en masse is truly one of the most cherished Seychelles attractions.

Peruse the Goods at the Sir Selwyn Clarke Market
Aptly located on Market Street, the Sir Selwyn Clarke Market is easily among the best places to do some shopping in Seychelles. A national landmark, this entry among Seychelles tourist attractions was originally erected in the 1840, receiving much-needed renovations in 1999. Most folks will tell you that this is the center of it all in the capital city of Victoria, and whether they are right or not, it's certainly an excellent place to stock up on fresh food stocks, not to mention do a little people watching. You'll also find souvenirs for sale here, as well as various souvenirs and local works of art. If you can, try to get to the Sir Selwyn Clarke Market on Saturday mornings, when it's most lively.

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