The Seychelles travel guide

Step into the Seychelles and you’ll be forgiven for thinking that this tropical island archipelago is just about the beach. Obviously, the crisp white sands of Inner Islands such as La Digue, Praslin, and St Pierre, are indeed stunning; however, explore the remote Outer Islands and it’s an untamed and wilder side to nature that showcases the Seychelles at its sustainable best.
Crack the Creole or nature nut of the Seychelles and you’ll discover there’s much more to island life than a soft white sand beach, although that’s still a great place to start.
Inner Islands, like Curieuse, Aride, Felicite, Cousin and the Sisters, are easily accessible from the main island of Mahé, and it’s these gorgeous granite creations that often feature on sailing cruises, with secret coves and lush mangrove forests offering onshore adventures alongside barbecues at sunset. Under the ocean lies the final piece of the tropical jigsaw. A mask and snorkel are all that’s required to peer into a profusion of colour as butterfly and parrot fish flit above clam covered coral, and sea turtles swim effortlessly by while their land-lubbing cousins crawl over sand like slowly shifting boulders.

The Seychelles is...

an independent island nation infused with the cultural threads of Africa, Asia, and Creole.

The Seychelles isn’t…

going to let mass tourism rewrite its sustainable success story.

Things to do in Seychelles...

Island hop. Small ships in the Seychelles are not only for those Martini moments, there’s much more to it than that. This sort of craft, be it a wooden hulled sailing ship or motorised alternative, provides an opportunity to explore with an environmental conscious with trips from Mahé taking you to some intrinsically beautiful islands where colonies of sooty terns engulf granite edifices and cumbersome tortoises crawl over soft white sand. Fish like a local. An early start gets you out of bed with the sun and as you stretch and pad outdoors the laughing cries of fishermen hauling nets into brightly daubed wooden fishing boats make the first coffee of the day taste all the sweeter. Prepare the bait, set sail and ably assist the experts catching the dish of the day prior to returning home in order to gut, sell and, eventually, cook and eat what you’ve caught. Conservation projects. North Island is an absolutely stunning sanctuary for wildlife and there are several conservation and research projects to help keep it that way. Monitoring turtles, terrapins and tortoises is just a tiny part of the tasks allotted to volunteers with good fitness levels just as much an attribute as the ability to listen, learn and adapt to working six days a week on the honeymoon setting of choice for their HRH’s Wills and Kate.

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Things not to do in the Seychelles…

Citing Creole (Seselwa) as one of the Seychelles’ three official languages, the others being English and French, shows just how seriously local people take their East African roots. Find out more about the musical journey of Sega, listen to a supernatural story (gris gris) on a veranda while supping cinnamon tea, or shine up your sandals for a Sunday church service; whatever you do, don’t settle for the Seychelles without the Creole.
Forget to relax. Although it can be tempting to cram in as much as possible, sometimes it’s just as important to sit down and breathe deeply just to experience real relaxation without the eclectic itinerary. One way to alleviate the activity levels is to book into a boutique spa where yoga, homeopathy and natural relaxation services pamper you into submission and let you recline at leisure and ruminate on just what it means to be truly at ease with all of your senses.
Forget your binoculars. Bird watching locations really don’t get much more exotic than the Seychelles and if you can tell a shearwater from a cormorant or brown booby from a blue pigeon, then you’re well on your way to feather festooned fun in the sun. Cousin Island, Vallee de Mai Reserve and Bird Island, obviously, offer just a few of the stunning locations that are bustling with birdlife.
Written by Chris Owen
Photo credits: [Page banner: Rafal Gadomski] [Is/isnt: Jean-Marie Hullot] [Things to do: So Seychelles]