Are you planning to go on a holiday anytime soon? For sure, you will be overwhelmed with the multiplicity of the destinations you can visit, each with a promise of an experience you will never forget. Among others, however, one of the best would be Seychelles, which...
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Moyenne Island
Moyenne Island
Moyenne Island is a small 24 acre island in the Ste Anne Marine National Park off the north coast of Mahé, Seychelles. Since the 1970s it has been a flora and fauna reserve. In the 1960s, a former newspaper editor, Brendon Grimshaw purchased it for about 10,000 dollars. Until his death in July 2012. He was the only inhabitant of the island.
He along with his friend, Rene Antoine Lafortune, a Seychellois, operated the island as a nature reserve, charging visitors €12 to come ashore, roam the island, dine at the “Jolly Roger” restaurant and relax on the beach.
Grimshaw and his friend did an enormous amount of work to develop the island to be incredibly beautiful. They planted sixteen thousand trees, built 4.8 kilometres of nature paths, and brought and bred Aldabra giant tortoises. They also brought in 2000 birds.
Grimshaw was the quintessential islander and a devoted lover of nature who poured his love for Moyenne into the island for nearly half a century. He even refused an offer of $50 million for the island, saying that he did not want the island to become a holiday destination for millionaires, but rather a national park for everyone to enjoy.
His friend Lafortune passed away in 2007.
Finally, in June 2008, after years of struggle to protect his island from privatization, Grimshaw’s Moyenne Island was declared a National Park in Seychelles.
In 1996, Grimshaw wrote a book about himself and the island, entitled A Grain of Sand.In 2009, a documentary film was produced about Grimshaw and the island, called A Grain of Sand.It is now known as the Moyenne Island National Park and forms part of the Ste. Anne Marine National Park just north of the capital Victoria. It has more species per square foot than any other part of the world.
There is a restaurant on the beach which is a haven for tourists.
Silhouette Island
Seychelles Dives
Silhouette Island lies 20 km northwest of Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest granite island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20.1 sq.km. The main settlement is La Passe, where the Hilton Hotel is located. The name Silhouette was given in 1771 after the French minister of finances under Louis XV, Étienne de Silhouette. The French were, from this point on, closely intertwined with the history of the island, especially the Dauban family, who gradually acquired the whole island, clearing the forest to cultivate cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, and especially coconuts. During this time they employed up to 1000 workers on the plantation. The mausoleum of the Dauban family is found amidst the plantation. They were wealthy and powerful.
Many of the villagers have left the island and so most of the population is made up of conservationists and hotel staff numbering about 200.
The planter’s old house in La Passe was renovated, and the stylish colonial mansion now serves as one of the seven restaurants of the island’s villa hotels, offering Creole cuisine to island guests.
In 1983, the island was purchased by the state from a French Group which owned it at that time, and now it belongs to the Seychelles Island Development Company. Following this a small hotel was constructed. and this was later replaced by the larger Labriz Resort which was then bought by the Hilton hotel group.
The interior region of Silhouette is a national park, with hundreds of endemic birds, reptiles, and plants. In one of the island’s own breeding stations, two species of turtle which were once considered extinct were re-discovered in 1995, researched, and released.
Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort and Spa was built in La Passe in 2006, and offers a total of 100 rooms to guests. The island has no roads or cars, but with just a few footpaths and electric carts belonging to the Hilton Seychelles.
Silhouette offers many attractive walking trails with the starting point always in La Passe. Grand Barbe, is a four-hour trek and the path is mostly in the shade of the dense forest, so the temperature is never too hot during the day. The gorgeous Anse Mondon is another attractive destination that is a two hour hike from La Passe.
Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve
Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve
The Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve which opened in 2013 is not yet widely-known, yet it is well-worth visiting when you are in Praslin. With an area of 122 hectares, Fond Ferdinand is more than six times larger than Vallée de Mai, and is even richer in terms of endemic plant and animal species, including roughly as many Coco de Mer palms as the Vallée de Mai.
The entrance fee here is much cheaper than at the Vallée de Mai, and a personal guide is always included. As there are no more tours after 13.00, visitors should arrive in the morning.
This reserve is more than six times larger than Vallée de Mai, and is even richer in terms of endemic plant and animal species, including roughly as many Coco de Mer palms as the Vallée de Mai. It will take two or three hours to get to the viewpoint through the winding path along the valley. From the viewpoint you can enjoy a beautiful view of Praslin island itself, as well as the other inner islands of the Seychelles. In one direction you can see Curieuse, Sister Island, Coco Island, Round Island, Felicité, and La Digue, while in the other direction you can spot Frégate, Mahé, and Silhouette. If the weather is clear, you may even be able to spot Denis Island on the horizon.
Aride Island Nature Reserve
Aride Island Nature Reserve
Aride Island Nature Reserve
A visit to Aride Island in Seychelles will show what the islands were like 250 years ago before human settlement. Aride is the northernmost island of the granitic Seychelles. It covers roughly 68 ha, is 1.6 km long and 0.6 km wide. Aride hosts one of the most important seabird populations in the Indian Ocean with more breeding species than any other island in Seychelles. The island is managed as a nature reserve by Island Conservation Society of Seychelles. The only human inhabitants in the island are the reserve’s staff, including the Island Manager, Conservation Officer and rangers.
The guided two-kilometre tour starts at the house of the former island owner and takes about two hours.
The island is covered by lush vegetation consisting of coconut palms as well as broadleaf trees, guavas, bananas, oranges, papayas, aubergines, ginger, turmeric, and chillies. The highly fragrant Wright’s gardenia is an endemic plant species which grows up to 6 m high and is decorated with red and white calyx. Because of their small, lemon-shaped fruits the locals gave them the name “bwa sitron”.
Island Conservation Society acquired the lease of the island in 2004, when the freehold was passed from Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts to Island Conservation Society UK. Island Conservation Society is a Seychelles NGO operating conservation centres throughout the islands.
Aride holds more seabird species than any other Seychelles island. The island has ten breeding species. Two of the bird species were formerly considered critically endangered by IUCN and conservation work on Aride has helped to secure their future. Reptiles include one of the highest population densities of lizards in the world. In every hectare there are over 2,700 Seychelles Skinks (lizards) and 1,100 Wright’s Skinks, plus five other lizard species, a snake, a terrapin and a giant tortoise.
Poaching leads to declining populations of most seabirds in Seychelles. Poaching comes during the Sooty Tern egg season, from late May to July, when boats visit mainly from Praslin to collect eggs and adult birds. Shearwaters are also a target; sacks of birds are often taken, their wings snapped off. The poaching of octopus and harvesting of sea cucumbers from within the reserve boundary is also problematic.
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon bay is the most famous and popular beach in Mahé,Seychelles. The beach is popular amongst tourists and locals because of its beautiful scenery, extensive activity options, impressive surrounding infrastructure, and widespread appeal.
There are many accommodations near the beach. There is plenty of public parking next to the beach, and the frequent bus service stops on the road beside the beach, allowing easy-access by car, taxi, or bus.
There is an endless choice of different activities at Beau Vallon in the Seychelles. The beautiful sand and shallow, clear water are well-suited to relaxing on the beach days under the sun.
The fantastic underwater scenery is suitable for snorkelling or scuba diving. The widespread bay lends itself well to try out some surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, or jet skiing without disturbing others.
The numerous excursions and rental options here mean that the only limit is your time. There is often a lifeguard on duty, which contributes to the safe environment of the beach, and is a sign of the popularity of Beau Vallon.
Beau Vallon is also suitable for an evening visit to enjoy the views of a beautiful sunset over the water, as well as the local restaurants and bars, including a nightclub, that can be found next to the beach. With such a variety of different things to do, Beau Vallon is so well-known by tourists and locals alike, and this beach is one of the few ‘must-see’ locations for any Seychelles holidaymaker.
The elegant Boat House restaurant located near Beau Vallon beach, serves up a daily buffet with over 20 traditional Creole dishes. From different curries to breadfruit chips or delicious fish dishes, here, guests can find something to fit their personal tastes without any problem.
Baobab Pizzeria, Mahé, serving Creole and Italian dishes as well as La Plage Restaurant, Mahé, serving creole and international cuisine are also found near the beach.
Tropical Hideaway Apartment is just a few minutes’ walk from the beach of Beau Vallon, is an apartment block consisting of 6 holiday units as well as shops, restaurants, an ATM, a pharmacy, and more.
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