Seychelles

Overview

The Seychelles (Seychellois Creole: Sesel ) is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar and east of Kenya. It consists of 115 islands, of which the largest are Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue. The capital and largest city is Victoria, located on the island of Mahe.

Seychelles is also home to a unique biodiversity, with many species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. The Aldabra Atoll , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , is the largest raised coral atoll in the world and is home to over 150,000 giant tortoises.

The Seychelles' tourism industry offers a wide range of activities for visitors, including snorkeling, diving, fishing, hiking, and island-hopping. The country is home to several stunning natural attractions, such as the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the iconic coco de mer palm tree. Seychelles also boasts several national parks and marine reserves, such as the Sainte Anne Marine National Park and the Curieuse Marine National Park, which offer opportunities to see a variety of marine life and unique bird species.

In the 1970s, the Seychelles was the place to "see and be seen" among the world's elite, and many famous celebrities of the time holidayed there. While mention of the Seychelles may still evoke an image of a prohibitively expensive private island getaway (and that may be true depending on which islands you visit ), the islands are becoming more and more affordable. Prices however remain high compared to similar beachy, tropical destinations like the Canary Islands , the Philippines , Sri Lanka or Zanzibar .

Places to explore

The Outer Seychelles are corralline and mostly uninhabited. Visitors are rare, and will find themselves traveling either by private yacht or between remote airstrips on small local planes.

Experiences

Water sports : The warm Indian Ocean waters make Seychelles the perfect place for water enthusiasts. Explore on the board of a yacht, power boat, catamaran or sailboat. Windsurfing is also popular and the best time for this activity is usually around May and October, at the start and end of the trade winds.

Scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing are also extremely popular and can be done almost anywhere in Seychelles. Baie Ternay is superb and easily accessible by glass bottom boat tour from Beau Vallon beach – leave yourself an empty day and walk the beach for a 'last minute' booking – great deals can be bargained. Snorkeling (provided you have your own gear – some hotels lend masks, snorkels and fins to guests) is free and there are many great spots: off some of the small beaches at Glacis, past Mouse Island at Anse Royale, along the reef at Port Launay (near Ephelia Resort). Often spotted are a wide array of tropical fish, sea turtles, eagle rays and more!

Land sports : Golf, tennis, squash, badminton, horseback riding, biking and hiking are some of the recreational activities available on the Seychelles Islands. Bike rentals and walking tours are great ways to sightsee and since distances are relatively short and the scenery is beautiful, walking is probably the best way to see the smaller islands (La Digue, Praslin), while walking along the main road can be quite intimidating as the roads are narrow and local cars/busses drive quite quickly. On Mahe it is not advised to ride bicycles, and there are no rental shops within sight. Bird watching is also popular and the islands are home to many of the world's rarest species of animals. The best place to do so is Cousin Island which although only 1 km (0.6 miles) in diameter, is home to more than 300,000 birds, but many unique species can be found on Mahe.

Culture and food

Seychellois cuisine has been greatly influenced by the islands' rich cultures. Creole cooking, varied seafood dishes, coconuts and curries are the most popular. The main product of the country, fish, is cooked in a variety of ways. The red snapper is very tasty and well known to visitors.

Cheapest food: Collect coconuts on the beach and learn how to open them (not the shell, that's easy; they have a thick cover of natural fibres; to open it: hit the coconut very strongly many times on the edges, sooner or later the fibres break up).

Seychelles offers a fantastic nightlife scene that caters to tourists. The active nightlife is mostly located around the larger hotels and in addition to theatres, cinemas and discos, there are numerous fun and trendy restaurants.

Nightlife : Do not miss most popular nightclub "Lovenut" in the centre of Victoria, 100 metres walk from central taxi station. Also entertaining are "Tequila Boom" at (Bel Ombre) and "Katiolio" (near Anse Royale) night clubs. "Katiolio" was one of the first nightclubs to open on Mahe and is open-air beside the ocean.

Planning your route

Air Seychelles also operates once daily or several times per week between Mahe and the islands of Bird, Denis, Fregate, Desroches and Alphonse. Assumption Island and Coetivy can be reached by air charter.

Zil Air provides charter helicopter flights to/from most of the inner and outer Seychelles Islands. It is the only scenic flight operator in the Seychelles. Scenic flights can be booked to cover the main islands of Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and the surrounding smaller islands of (among others) Cousine, Félicité, Grande Seour, Curieuse and Bird Island.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.