Picture perfect, heavenly, secluded, one and only – the Seychelles is the only true paradise on earth. Here’s why...For millions of years, the Seychelles has been the worlds best kept secret, tucked away in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a thousand miles from anywhere and untouched by humanity.
Formed during the break up of Gondwanaland and torn between Africa (including Madagascar) and India, the Seychelles derived its unique beauty, from its breathtaking granite outcrops and pure white sandy beaches to its clear, azure waters teaming with marine life.
Almost half of the islands in the Seychelles are also coralline in origin, and the world’s largest raised coral atoll, Aldabra, is a gift to mankind. Forgotten for thousands of years, isolated and uninhabited, Seychelles is truly a lost paradise, another world waiting to be found.
With more than 2000 species of tropical and equatorial plants, the archipelago is also a botanical paradise. The enigmatic Coco de Mer, a double nut and the largest seed in the world, is the most revered of them all. They are naturally found in the Vallee de Mai, a World Heritage Site managed by the Seychelles Island Foundation, on the island of Praslin.
A stay at the Silhouette Labriz Hotel gives one the opportunity to explore the pristine and virgin forest of Silhouette. A visit to the tortoise and terrapin conservation centre managed by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles, followed by a nature walk will be an unforgettable experience. Silhouette is destined to be a national park and the Silhouette Island Foundation has been established to support this endeavour.
Praslin Island and its satellite islands, which include Aride, Cousin, Cousine and Curieuse are important bird and turtle sanctuaries. Aride Island, an intact nature reserve under the management of the island Conservation Society, is ‘as virgin as it gets’.
Much of the original costal vegetation seen by the first explorers is still intact and untouched by man. Disturbed only by thousands of birds, many of which are endemic, Aride is a true lighthouse of global conservation. Cousine Island boasts the same conservation pedigree, managed by Nature Seychelles. Curieuse Island is in the middle of a national marine park, managed by the Marine Parks Authority, and boasts large mangrove and coral reef areas.
Seychelles cannot be fully appreciated until one sets foot on a coral island. These are not simply little bits of sand or coral protruding from the ocean, but home to a diverse range of plants and some of the world’s largest colonies of sea birds. A short plane trip to Bird Island shows that these are no ordinary birds – some have travelled for thousands of kilometres, some have found refuge from the ravages of man and some just love the place. Denis Island, nearby, is aspiring to be a model sustainable island. On Denis Island the Green Island Foundation is set to prove the world that man can indeed co-exist with nature in perfect harmony.
For those with sea legs, the Seychelles marine environment is unlimited. Larger than southern Europe, the Seychelles exclusive economic zone extends all the way from the equator to the northern tip of Madagascar. Get in touch with the Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles and get invited to swim or even participate in their whale shark conservation programme (the world’s largest but most docile fish). Hire a yacht to explore and discover the Seychelles at your leisure. The Amirantes group of islands offers some of the best diving sites in the Seychelles. Extensive ecosystem rehabilitation is underway on several of these islands and wildlife is abundant.
