While travelling to Seychelles, you will have chance to enjoy some of the world's most delicious cuisines that is actually a fusion of flavours from African, French, Chinese, Indian and English cooking. For a long time, spices have been combined to create an unique...
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Frégate Island is in the easternmost of the granitic Inner Islands of the Seychelles, east of Mahé. It has an area of 2.07 square kilometres. It was named by explorer Lazare Picault after the abundance of frigate birds on the island. The island is an hour by ferry or 20 minutes by helicopter from Mahé.
A German industrialist leased Frégate, and started comprehensive restoration measures. In 1998, the island’s only resort opened, which now belongs to the Oetker Collection, undoubtedly one of the finest hotel chains in the world.
A modernisation programme in 2014 improved its sustainability infrastructure with a water bottling plant and state of the art energy generators, and also the renovation of 16 villas. The 200 years of intensive agricultural practices during the plantation era almost completely cleared the native woodland. So, the conservation team are restoring the natural habitat and have replanted over 10,000 indigenous trees including the very rare Wrights Gardenia, as well as the Indian Mulberry.
Seychelles magpie robin which was on the way to extinction was resurrected by the conservation team. Its population increased from 14 in 1980 to 120 in 2016.
The beaches are also the nesting habitat for two species of sea turtle: the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle and the endangered Green Turtle. Over 2,200 Aldabra giant tortoises are the island.
Fregate Island was closed from the beginning of 2022 for 2 years in order to carry out some critical conservation and upgrading work. The 18 villas in the island are being redesigned to be slightly larger and to be made out of glass, stone and light wood. Partial use of solar energy will minimize fossil fuel energy consumption. A new road system and upgraded building infrastructure will ensure the island operates even more sustainably.
The Conservation & Sustainability department will continue to oversee all aspects of the island’s environment from habitat management, landscaping, bio security, pesticide use and scientific research as well as studies and projects in cooperation with different NGO’s.
The highest point on the island is called Mount Signal which reaches a peak of 125 metres. The Riviére Bambous flows from approximately 300 metres north-east of the mountain where it flows down past the Gros Bois Noire and Plaine Magnan areas of the northern inner island and then acutely northeast until it reaches the Indian Ocean
Seven beautiful beaches provide plenty of opportunities for sun worshiping. Enjoy a stretch of sand all to yourself by simply flipping the “beach occupied” sign at the entrance to the clifftop path.
Anse Victorin beach in the island was voted “The World’s Best Beach” by The Times. Beaches on the north coast include the award-winning Anse Victorin beach, Anse Maquereau and then Anse Bambous. On the western point there are La Cour, the Grand Anse, Petit Grande Anse and the small beach Anse Felix. On the southeastern coast there are the small beaches of Anse Coup de Poing and Anse Parc.
There are two large communal palm-fringed infinity pools. Each villa has its own private infinity pool and Jacuzzi, reached via a wooden staircase.
The island can be privatised for up to 79 guests. There are 2 restaurants, a spa, a yacht club, a library, a Catholic chapel and museum. Transport is by golf buggy, bicycle or foot. Facilities are extensive, including a dive centre, deep sea fishing boat, surfing, kayaking, and a host of other water sports options.
Creole and African cuisine is served up in the main Fregate House restaurant, while barbecues with live entertainment are held regularly in the colonial-style Plantation House. Pirates bar beneath the thatched roof provides a variety of drinks and cocktails.
Special facilities include Marina with yachting club, PADI diving center, scuba diving and certification, fishing equipment, water ski, boat charters as well as massages and treatments at the Rock Spa are available for a fee. The spa treatments might include a lemon and cinnamon immune-boosting scrub, a hydrating coconut and avocado body mask or a soothing scalp massage with hibiscus and holy basil.
Each villa comes with its own golf cart to help you navigate the island. Each night, your vehicle is charged, packed with fresh towels and water bottles, and parked facing the ocean, so all you have to do is hop in. Butler service comes standard here. Your helping hand will be as attentive or elusive as you wish.
About 80 percent of the produce used at the Seychelles hotel is organically grown on the island.
Grand Anse Beach is on La Digue Island which is the third most populous island of the Seychelles. It’s located approximately 54 kilometers northeast of the main island of Mahe. Along with Mahe and Praslin, La Digue is one of the “three main islands”. These are the islands that most tourists visit during their trip to the Seychelles. La Digue island is about half an hour drive from the airport.La Digue island has some of the best examples of unique, weathered granite boulder formations that help make its beaches so beautiful.
Grand Anse Beach is spread over 3 km in length and is situated 5 km to the South of St George’s. The beach is a spectacular stretch of silver sand, framed by granite rocks and watched over by waving palm trees. Grand Anse happens to be one of the largest settlements on Praslin island. It is home to some of the wonderful places to see in Praslin including restaurants, cafes and bars.
Grand Anse on La Digue island is perhaps the most underrated beach on the island. It is perhaps underrated because its waters are too deep and the currents too strong to swim. There is no offshore coral reef in the beach, so the beach is not protected from the open ocean. The water can be rather choppy, especially during the south-east trade winds, and the currents here are strong enough to carry you out to sea. Some surfers love this beach. But snorkelling and scuba diving is naturally ruled out.
The beach is much less crowded than some of La Digue’s other best beaches but no less beautiful, making it a more peaceful, serene experience for the Seychelles holidaymaker. Most times you’ll have a section of the beach all to yourself.
The beach offers exceptional beauty, gorgeous golden-white sand, gorgeous scenery, and beautiful, clear water, and enough facilities to allow visitors to enjoy a whole day here if they want to.
There is a small car park nearby, but it is rarely used by cars, because it is also possible to walk or use a bike to reach the beach. Mostly bikes are parked there.
The beach also has a bar, a restaurant and WCs, so visitors can easily spend a whole day if they like. However the beach lacks shade, except for a massive casuarina tree, and therefore the beach is not ideal for families, or at least not for children to play under the sun for extended periods.
The best time to visit this beach is April – May and October – November. These are the best times to visit as you will have a pleasant time during this time. Also, this is the season when not many people will visit the beach so you can spend your time in peace.
There are no hotels directly by the beach. But a short distance from the beach there are a couple of luxury hotels and a dozen of budget apartments.
In Grand Anse, Seychelles operators offer many tours including Sagittarius Taxi Boat Excursions, Anse Georgette, Petite Anse Kerlan, New Indigo Seychelles, Geoli Charters, Anse Lazio, Anse Citron Beach, AGT – Fishing & Boat Charter, Curieuse Island, and One Love Boat Charter Seychelles.
There are many restaurant in Grand Anse, Seychelles including Le Duc de Praslin, Cafe des Arts, Bonbon Plume, Pirogue Restaurant & Bar, Les Lauriers, La Goulue, PK’s @ Pasquiere Restaurant & Gastropub, Coco Rouge Take Away and Cafe, Dhevatara Dining, and Le Relax Beach Resort.
The Domaine de Val des Prés, the craft village, which is located at St Roch Au Cap, 16 km from Victoria. It shows a traditional Creole Village house as a means of promoting the Seychellois Cultural Heritage. The house is centred around the Maison de Planteur, or the house of a plantation owner. The house in Domaine de Val des Près estate Plantation was built around 1870. The gigantic timber house which once belonged to the Bailey family was sold to the government in 1972 for R1,133,348.33.
The plantation house stands on what was once known as the St Roch Estate where coconuts and cinnamon were grown. A cinnamon distillery made essential oil for the export market. It epitomized the typical plantation house that was once common in the tropical islands of the French and British colonies.
The house depicts the various activities that may be found in a traditional estate owners house. Its outside peripherals such as traditional kitchen, servant’s quarter and other amenities pertinent to the colonial era of the 18th – 19th century, showcases traditional Seychellois life in the early days of the history of Seychelles.
Over 10% of visitors to Seychelles visit this estate.
In 1926, Dr John Thomas Bradley (1872-1942) who was then chief medical officer of health in Seychelles gave the house to his daughter Dolly who in 1920 had married Douglas Bailey (1899-1974), who was employed by the Eastern Telegraph Company. He was a wealthy Anglican and fervent supporter of the Anglican Church in Seychelles. He was also a nominated member of the Legislative Council for 28 years. In the 1950s, Douglas Bailey bought the other plantation house, now known as the Creole Institute at Saint Joseph Estate at Au Cap.
This is the last authentic traditional creole homestead in Seychelles. It stands on what was once known as the St Roch Estate. Comprising many acres of land where coconuts and cinnamon were grown. A cinnamon distillery made essential oil for the export market.
The Domaine de Val des Près was inaugurated in October 1988 by former President James Michel who was then Minister. The opening coincided with the 3rd Creole Festival which depicts the Creole people’s way of life, culture, music and gastronomy.
The government of the United States of America agreed to finance the project to create a craft village as a tourist educational and cultural centre. The construction work started in 1985, and it took 4 years to complete. The project included 12 new craft kiosks to host the most important local craft and a restaurant that serves traditional dishes. The new buildings were designed in a style that matches well with the architecture of the Plantation House.
Pottery, paintings, model boats, and clothing are some of the exhibits in the craft kiosks. The jewel of the village is the Grann Kaz, a beauty showcasing craftsmanship and carpentry with its wooden carved balustrades – a reminiscence of the grand blanc era. In the main house, visitors can see traditional furniture including a Pollack gramophone and an old John Brimsmeade piano.
The Plantation house was renovated while retaining all the traditional aspects of the colonial plantation houses such as the pitched roof, the dormer windows and garrets, the wide verandah that encompasses the entire quadrilateral structure of the building, and of course the obligatory masonry plinths on which it rests.
A covered walkway at the back of the house leads to the traditional kitchen. In the kitchen there are the wood stove, the kokosye (the half of coco de mer nut for washing rice before cooking), the lavann (a flat basket of woven pandanus for winnowing the rice), the kapatia (a basket of woven coconut fronds in which fruits and vegetables were kept), and marmit (cooking pot made of cast iron). Anything and everything was cooked in the marmit.
There is a replica of the servant’s dwelling house, which was named lakaz Rosa “Rosa’s house”, built of timber on squat stone pillars. The wooden walls are entirely covered with pages of newspapers and magazines. The dwelling has three compartments: The small living room with the photograph of the Royal family of Windsor, the bedroom and the kitchen.
Some of the antiques that once furnished the sitting room have been preserved; a couple of chairs of artisanal wickerwork, a console table with cabriole legs, an old bureau and an escritoire.
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral or Cathedral of Victoria, is a religious building of the Catholic Church located in the town of Victoria, on the island of Mahé, capital of Seychelles. It is near the Clock Tower and the Anglican Cathedral. The church was built in 1874 in French colonial style. It was constructed on the site of the first church built in 1851 by Father Leon of Avengers. It serves as the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Seychelles and also the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Port Victoria which was established in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII.
The Cathedral is one of the most amazing architectures, with intricate carvings and delicate tapestries, on the Mahe island. It is massive, relaxing and very peaceful. You can spend quality time there in mass, prayers and meditations. Though it is near the main road, the noise will not affect your concentration. The cathedral also holds the tomb of the first Seychellois Bishop, Felix Paul, who passed away on 21st November 2001. The tomb is not visible but its location is marked by a special plaque. In 1993-94 the cathedral was completely renovated, except for the external walls. Massive columns, arches and beautiful stained-glass windows have survived to this day, even though the cathedral was regularly reconstructed, and updated. The interior was completely redesigned – new benches were added, the altar was slightly changed, the vaults were strengthened, the stained-glass windows were restored since some of them were cracked. The last renovation was completed in 1995 when Seychellois sculptor, Egbert Marday fashioned the tabernacle and the carved doors.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception can accommodate 700 people, making it ideal for both locals and visitors. More than half the population of Seychelles are Catholics.
The white building with its stone staircase at the main entrance is the single most outstanding feature of the cathedral. There are white stone pillars on either side of the door with stained glass windows. At the back, is the bell tower which was built in 1898. As you step inside the cathedral, you have to climb four stone steps to access the rows of pews which lead to the altar. The pews are made of wood, and there are coloured stone flags all along the aisle. The altar is always beautifully decorated with flowers adding on to the church’s peaceful ambience.
La Domus is a magnificent two-story house adjoining the Cathedral, occupied by three priests. Many of the other rooms are used as administrative offices. The house is distinguished by its magnificent granite exterior. The house constructed from granite rocks even contains an aqueduct that supplies it with water from a nearby artesian well.
It is a five minutes walk from Victoria bus station. From the bus station, turn right onto Palm Street heading west and continue straight onto Olivier Mardan Street. The Cathedral is clearly visible on the right side of the street.
Hundreds of Catholics come to the service every Sunday. The cathedral is also open to tourists. Our Lady of Immaculate Conception is located in Victoria, Seychelles with the gps coordinates of 1° 00′ 0.0″ N and 1° 00′ 0.0″ E.
The cathedral was vandalised on 10 June 2022 by persons unknown yet. All the statues and prayer stations of the cross in the cathedral have been destroyed and a fire was set to benches and crucifixes. Priceless artifacts that have been in the church for many years were broken.
Father David Alcindor of the Roman Catholic Diocese told that once the debris is cleaned a purification and reparation ritual would be held and after that the normal services will be resumed.
The President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, who strongly condemned and denounced the acts of vandalism, offered a reward of SCR 100,000 ($7,600) for anyone who can provide information to help the arrest and punishment of the culprits.
The police investigating the incident said that there were no security cameras in the church but they were checking the cameras from other nearby buildings.
Today, there are about 2500 botanical gardens in the world. These gardens play a central role in the ex situ conservation and exploration of global plant biodiversity. People living in densely populated areas go to botanical gardens to get some fresh air and relax in a soothing atmosphere.
The Victoria Botanical Gardens (also called Mont Fleuri Botanical Gardens Seychelles) was established in 1901 by Mr. Paul Evenor Rivalz Dupont (Director of Agricultural Services and Naturalist of Seychelles). Today the Ministry of Environment is responsible for the Botanical Gardens and has its headquarters in it.
The Victoria Botanical Gardens was set up as an experimental garden for crop species during colonial times. However, the functions changed over time and today the garden is used as a park where visitors could enjoy a century of its existence. The Biodiversity Centre on the other hand has been set up with the aim to conserve and propagate the local flora. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover the myriad of plants present in the different ecosystems of the Seychelles.
The main objective of the gardens is to contribute towards the national efforts in environmental education, plant conservation, landscape management, passive recreation and ecotourism.
The Botanical Gardens can be reached on foot or by car from downtown Victoria; the walk will take roughly 30 minutes. You can visit the botanical gardens every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; admission costs 100 SCR (just more than $8 USD). For more information, check out the Seychelles Tourism Board’s website.
Stretching out along 5 acres of Mont Fleuri, the botanical gardens offer visitors a look at Seychellois wildlife. Cannonball Tree is another extremely treasured and unique tree in the gardens. This tree has some of the most beautiful flowers, it gives out a pungent odour and when the fruits drop to the ground they make a loud noise which is similar to that of a cannonball. Durian, Vanilla, Clove, Nutmeg, Guava, Rambutan, Lychee, Starfruit and many other plants are found here. Flowers that are commonly found in the Botanical Gardens are Heliconias, Rose, Frangipani, Ylang- Ylang and Hibiscus.
Coco de mer alley greets you as you enter the gardens. Coco de mer palm produced the world’s biggest nut. In 1956 Duke of Edinburgh planted the most fruitful Coco de mer palm in the Botanical Gardens.
Giant Aldabra Tortoise are found everywhere and other varieties of turtles are part of the Terrapins Pond Enclosure. From fruit-eating blue pigeons to the nectar-sipping Sunbird to Seychelles Bulbul, you will view here. You may also find the Malagasy Turtle Dove, Indian Myna Bird, and more.
The garden also showcases a collection of terrapins locally known as ‘torti soupap’. These dull-coloured turtles are believed to have been introduced from the African continent and Madagascar. These small creatures are known to camouflage themselves in such a way that it will be difficult to distinguish them from other features in the pond, especially the stones.
Among the endemic birds found in the garden are the fruit-eating Blue Pigeon, locally known as the pizon olande, the nectar-sipping Sunbird or kolibri, and the Seychelles Bulbul or merl.
There are more than 150 species of plants and trees in the garden. These include native plants as well as plants collected by the founder of the garden which has historical significance. Over 60% of the Seychelles endemic flowering plants from the granitic island are grown. A further 20% are in trial in the propagation house.
Visitor services at a botanical garden might include tours, educational displays, art exhibitions, book rooms, open-air theatrical and musical performances, and other entertainment. Botanical gardens also contribute to research programmes in plant taxonomy or some other aspect of botanical science. Special courses are organised for school children. There are educational signs in the garden. Tour guides are available to educate the visitors on all aspects of the garden.
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