Forget flat and featureless sandy dimes; the Seychelles archipelago is a beach destination unlike any other: more than 40 of the islands are a dynamic jumble of giant granite boulders and protected forests, fringed by sweeping beaches of sugar-fine sand. Adventure hums in the humid air of the Seychelles and — in addition to world-class scuba diving, snorkelling, sailing and gourmet picnics on private beaches — travellers can trace hiking trails to mountain tops, try surfing, go island-hopping aboard inter-atoll ferries, ride horses through azure shallows, ogle the world’s largest and sexiest coconuts (the coco de mer is shaped like a woman’s buttocks), stroll with dinosaur-sized tortoises and let their tastebuds marinade in the spice-infused Creole cuisine.
Main photo: Anse Source d’Argent (Getty Images)
1. See prehistoric palms at Vallée de Mai
Forming the emerald heart of Praslin island, this Unesco-listed prehistoric palm forest is the only place in the Seychelles where all six species of palm grow together. King among them is the endemic coco de mer palm that seems to have been picked straight from the set of Jurassic Park. Kids will gawk at their man-size leaves and giggle at their bottom-shaped coconuts, which are the largest seeds in the plant kingdom. Remember to keep an eye (and ear) out for tree frogs, tiger chameleons and the black parrot — one of the world’s rarest birds and only found here.
2. Kick back on Anse Source d’Argent
This Instagram superstar has admirers aplenty thanks to its shapely, sea-smoothed granite boulders fringed by coconut-heavy palms, bleach-white sand and translucent shallows offering top-notch snorkelling. Situated inside the grounds of L’Union Estate plantation on La Digue, the beach is probably best for couples rather than families due to the lack of changing facilities and shade. Its superstar status also means it gets busy, so it’s best visited either very early or late in the day, or outside of peak season. Worth packing waterproof shoes for low tide.
3. Picnic on Anse Georgette
Located within the grounds of the five-star Constance Lemuria, Anse Georgette is that rare thing: a completely undeveloped beach. There are no sunloungers, cafés or toilets here — just a short sweep of raw, unraked sand lapped by powerful blue waves that make it one of the best beaches in the Seychelles. The hotel arranges gourmet picnics for guests, but if you’re not staying there’s nothing to stop you bringing your own spread. You just need to call the hotel beforehand to let them know you’d like to visit. Be aware that currents are a bit strong for swimming.
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4. Enjoy sundowners on Anse Lazio
Loved-up couples should bag a bottle of rum and a few mixers and make a beeline for this half-mile-long crescent of white sand on the northern tip of Praslin — it’s the best sunset spot on the island. In fact, the local rum takes its name from the canopy of Takamaka trees that provide natural shade here. The lightshow of pinks, oranges and purples reaches its zenith just after 6pm. Top tip: don’t drink too much, as there are no facilities.
5. Tour a tea factory
Unbelievably, tea was only introduced to the Seychelles in the 1960s; it’s now the most popular drink after water. The local SeyTe factory, in the hills of Morne Blanc in the district of Port Glaud on Mahé, offers visitors 20-minute tours to see how traditional methods of withering, rolling, fermentation, firing, sifting and grading are used. Samples can be sipped and purchased afterwards in the Tea Tavern — the vanilla is an island favourite. It’s only open on select days, so best to book a tour with a local operator.
6. Cook Creole cuisine
A mish-mash of West African and European cultures, Creole cuisine features many lively favours. Join a Seychellois family as they tour Victoria’s morning market, gathering island-grown coconuts and cassava, cinnamon and sweet potatoes. Afterwards, drop by a fisherman’s stall to sniff and select the catch of the day, then it’s back to the family’s house to learn some local recipes, finished off with a spot of dancing to jiggle it all down. This tour is a highly recommended insight into everyday island life.
7. Tour one of the world’s smallest cities
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A capital you really can’t get lost in. Home to just 25,000 people, Victoria is well worth a wander. Rise early and head for the Sir Selwyn-Clarke Market, where you can follow your nose around stalls laden with seafood and tropical fruits, or shop for souvenirs and pareos (sarongs) in the upstairs sections. Also worth a look is the colonial clock tower — which didn’t work for the first 96 years of its life — the rainbow-coloured Hindu Sri Navasakthi Vinayagar Temple and the National Museum of History for a beginner’s guide to Creole culture. If the humidity gets too much, venture into the leaf-shaded Botanical Gardens.
8. Eat at Marie Antoinette
Book a table at the oldest restaurant in the Indian Ocean; with its wood walls and lace tablecloths, this colonial mansion is a real slice of history. Henry Morton Stanley — of “Dr Livingstone, I presume” fame — stayed here in 1872. Today, it dishes up small bowls of Creole favourites such as aubergine fritters, mango salad, sweet and sour tuna steak and — for those brave enough — curried fruit bat. Whatever you go for, be sure to wash it down with a glass of fresh passionfruit juice. Kids will be entertained by the rescued giant tortoises roaming the back garden.
9. Hike the Copolia Trail
Inside Morne Seychellois National Park, this iconic hike takes a manageable 45 minutes each way. Look out for carnivorous pitcher plants and miniature frogs en route, and be sure to take water and wear sturdy walking shoes — it can get slippery. The 500m-high summit opens onto an expanse of granite with superb views of the capital, Victoria, azure seas and neighbouring islands such as Praslin, La Digue and the man-made resort island of Eden.
10. Walk with giant tortoises on Aldabra
With no airstrip, harbour, helipad, hotels or guesthouses, Aldabra is undoubtedly a logistical challenge to reach. Visitors must travel the 1,000km from Mahé on a liveaboard vessel, or charter a flight to Assumption Island and sail from there. Why go? This remote Unesco-listed four-island atoll is on par with the Galapagos as a global biodiversity hotspot, home to red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, Aldabra drongo, the once thought-to-be-extinct giant banded snail and, mostly importantly, the largest population of giant tortoises in the world. Its central lagoon — large enough to swallow Mahé — is also home to seagrass-munching dugong.
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11. Visit the world’s smallest national park
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The Yorkshire-born former Times editor, Brendon Grimshaw, purchased Moyenne for just £8,000 in the 1960s and spent the next few decades as its sole inhabitant, planting 16,000 trees, building miles of nature paths, breeding Aldabra giant tortoises and attracting 2,000 species of bird until it was finally designated the world’s smallest national park — a year after this accidental conservationist’s death in 2012. Today, a warden looks after the island and charges a €10 entrance fee.
12. Takamaka Rum Distillery
The d’Offay brothers, Richard and Bernard, founded Takamaka 20 years ago and it has since become part of the archipelago’s identity. The distillery on the 18th-century La Plaine St Andre estate produces a handful of tipples blended with local spices and fruit extracts, but by far the best are the easy-drinking coconut rum and amber-hued eight-year-old St André aged in American oak barrels. Visitors can enjoy a tour of the distillery and gardens with a tasting on weekdays.
13. Island-hop around Curieuse, Cousin and St Pierre
Within easy reach of Praslin, the islands of Curieuse, Cousin and St Pierre make the ideal island-hopping trio. Explore the ruins of Curieuse island’s dark past; it served as a leper colony until 1965 and the doctor’s house and a few homes remain. A short hop east is the uninhabited St Pierre. Seemingly drawn by a child, this tiny island is comprised solely of a handful of granite rocks and a few palm trees and offers spectacular snorkelling. Finally, Cousin Island’s nature reserve is the most important nesting site in the western Indian Ocean for the endangered hawksbill turtle.
14. Climb Morne Seychellois
Covering 20 per cent of Mahé, Morne Seychellois National Park is home to several endemic species, including the elusive Seychelles Scops-owl, and laced with nature trails. If you’ve tried the Copolia and your hiking boots are hungering for more of a challenge, then try trekking to the summit of the 905m-high Morne Seychellois. It’ll take around five hours to follow the less-maintained path and often requires cutting through thick undergrowth. Sturdy shoes are essential, and take plenty of water.
15. Tee off at a world-renowned golf course
The five-star Constance Lemuria resort on Praslin boasts the only 18-hole course in the archipelago. Golfers in the know love playing a course that’s as challenging as it is beautiful; the views of Anse Georgette beach from the 15th hole are surreal. Worry it’ll be too humid? Fear not, your buggy comes loaded up with bottles of iced water and platters of fresh fruit are usually proffered by the pro staff at the 7th hole. And it’s not just the domain of dads: come nightfall the whole family can have a go at striking neon golf balls that whizz through the star-studded night sky like comets.
16. Aerial archipelago views
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Mountainous emerald interiors haloed by white sand and azure shallows that fade to deep blue; the beauty of the Seychelles is nothing short of outstanding and best seen from the air. Scenic helicopter flights range from 15 to 90 minutes and pass over a combination of the main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue — with the option of a sunset flight if you’re feeling romantic. It’s the ideal way to see the spread of the coral reefs and there’s also a chance of glimpsing manta rays, turtles and sharks cruising through the blue.
17. Dive with sharks and rays
Whether you’re a novice or pro, take the plunge and book a scuba-diving experience in the Seychelles. Liveaboards or day trips are both available and best arranged in April, October or November when the seas are calm and visibility is good. From May to September blooms of plankton blur visibility, but the trade-off is that it brings inquisitive filter-feeding whale sharks to sites such as Channel Rocks. Locations worth trying include Shark Bank for barracuda, stingrays and fan corals, and the deliberately sunk Dredger Wreck for giant grouper. For manta rays you’ll need to travel further afield to Desroches or Aldabra.
18. Ride a horse on the beach
Cantering through the waves of a white-sand beach is a bucket-list activity you can make reality on the Seychelles. Saddle up a dappled Appaloosa horse for a one or two-hour ride along a jungle trail scented with cinnamon and ylang ylang flowers before emerging onto Mahé’s Barbarons beach. No experience is required, beginners will be led, and children aged six and above can also participate. Rides can also be combined with a romantic champagne-filled picnic for couples wanting to celebrate an engagement, birthday or honeymoon.
19. Go surfing
The Seychelles is by no means a surfing mecca; waves can be inconsistent. However, from April to September conditions do allow for some good breaks — the most famous of which are Grand Anse on La Digue and Anse Lazio on Praslin. Beginners are better off at Carana Beach on Mahé, while experienced surfers speak highly of Anse Lascars on Silhouette. Three-hour private or group lessons are offered by iSurf on Mahé’s Baie Lazare. Top tip: the rough wax on the board can be unkind to skin, so it’s well worth wearing a wetsuit or rash vest, however warm the water.
20. Go fishing
The Seychelles falls within some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, with species such as wahoo, dorado, barracuda and tuna regularly ending up on the line. The outer islands, such as Alphonse, Desroches and Cosmoledo, sit on the precipice of the steep continental shelf drop-off and are the best place to seek out trophy giant trevally. Try to time your visit between October-November and February-April to improve your chances.
21. Sail away
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Charter a yacht and follow in the footsteps of the Arab traders that first sailed to the Seychelles more than 1,200 years ago. Some of the archipelago’s 115 islands are hard to reach, but a boat opens up all possibilities. Options range from skipper-led day trips offering snorkelling and picnics, to week-long luxury catamarans and Bond-style speedboats with self-sail choices for those with experience. Time to play out your castaway dreams in style.
Take me there
Inspired to visit Seychelles but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from TUI Holidays and BA Holidays. And if you’re still unsure of where you want to go or what type of holiday to book, get in touch here and one of the Designer Travel experts will be in contact to help you arrange your perfect tailor-made break.
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