The Seychelles: Granite Boulders, Turquoise Lagoons, and the Coco de Mer

Overview

This video provides an overview of a week-long trip to the Seychelles, focusing on its stunning natural landscapes, unique wildlife, and cultural experiences. It offers practical travel advice on getting to the islands, navigating between Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, and exploring iconic sites such as Anse Source d'Argent and Vallée de Mai.

In this video

• Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue features six-meter-tall pink-grey granite boulders, smoothed over a hundred million years, alongside white sand and clear Indian Ocean waters.
• Direct flights to Mahé from London take ten hours on British Airways, while flights from Dubai take four hours on Emirates, and from Doha take eight hours on Qatar.
• The Seychelles consists of 115 islands, located 1500 kilometers east of Kenya, with Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue being the three main islands, all of granite-rock origin.
• La Digue is car-free; visitors rent a bike at the harbor for eight euros a day and pay a five-euro entry fee to Anse Source d'Argent through L'Union estate.
• Anse Lazio on Praslin, an eight hundred meter crescent beach, is consistently voted one of the world's best and offers free snorkeling with parrotfish, angelfish, and occasional reef sharks fifty meters offshore.
• Vallée de Mai on Praslin, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983, is the only place on Earth where Coco de Mer palms grow, producing the largest seed in the plant kingdom, weighing fifteen to thirty kilograms.
• Curieuse Island, off Praslin, is home to Aldabra giant tortoises that wander freely, some weighing two hundred kilograms and living up to 150 years; a day trip costs sixty euros.
• Creole cuisine includes dishes like coconut-curry octopus, breadfruit chips, grilled bourgeois fish, banane plantain, and bouillon brèdes, often enjoyed with the local SeyBrew lager for three euros.
• Accommodation options range from luxury at Constance Lemuria Praslin for six hundred euros a night with a golf course, to an eighty-euro chambre d'hôtes guesthouse on La Digue, a five-minute walk from the boulder beach.
• No US visa is required for entry to the Seychelles, but visitors are instructed to bring reef-safe sunscreen only.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to the Seychelles?

You can fly into Mahé, Seychelles International Airport. Direct flights are available from London (10 hours), and connecting flights from Dubai (4 hours) or Doha (8 hours) are also an option.

What are the main islands in the Seychelles?

The three main islands in the Seychelles are Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue. These islands are of granite-rock origin, dating back a hundred million years.

What is special about La Digue island?

La Digue is a car-free island where visitors rent bikes to get around. It is famous for Anse Source d'Argent beach, known for its unique pink-grey granite boulders smoothed over millions of years.

Where can you see giant tortoises in the Seychelles?

Aldabra giant tortoises can be seen wandering freely on Curieuse Island, located off Praslin. These impressive creatures can weigh two hundred kilograms and live up to 150 years.

What kind of food is popular in the Seychelles?

Popular Creole cuisine in the Seychelles includes dishes like coconut-curry octopus, breadfruit chips, grilled bourgeois fish, and bouillon brèdes. The local lager, SeyBrew, is also a common choice.