Looking for paradise? You’ve found it. The Seychelles are a tropical utopia, the stuff that a thousand honeymoon pictures are made of, with white-sand beaches backed by lush palm forests and lapped at by warm, azure waters. This is a place to slow down and soak up the sun – but get off that lounger and you’ll also find plenty to do. So, where to start?
Here is our guide to the top 10 things to see and do in the Seychelles.
Explore La Digue
The Seychelles archipelago is made up of more than 100 islands, and La Digue is one of its brochure-ready best. Bathe on white sands beneath eerie granite rock formations at Anse Source d’Argent and try to spot the extremely rare black paradise flycatcher at Veuve Reserve.
Underwater love
The clear waters of the Seychelles are perfect for scuba diving. Shark Bank is widely considered the best diving spot, with a granite plateau sheltering a dazzling array of marine life, from huge grey stingrays and gaping Napoleon fish to pulsating shoals of bright tropical fish and even the odd whale shark – the biggest fish in the sea.
Stay in style
Step into the pages of a honeymoon brochure at the Hilton Seychelles Labriz, where you’ll find the Seychelles’ largest Presidential Villa, with a spacious private sundeck overlooking the Indian Ocean, a living room with its own bar, and the largest private swimming pool in the archipelago. There’s also 24-hour butler service, so you almost won’t have to lift a finger.
Find forbidden fruit
See the stuff of legend on Praslin, one of only two islands in the world where you will find the Coco de Mer palm tree. Visit Vallée de Mai nature reserve to marvel at this rare tree with its odd-shaped nuts, the largest seed in the plant kingdom and once said to be the original “forbidden fruit”.
Get high
Encompassing some 20% of the main island of Mahé’s land area, Morne Seychellois national park is home to thick coastal mangroves and woodland, as well as the country’s highest peak, the Morne Seychellois at 905m. Strap on your hiking boots and take to the trails, leaving civilisation far behind.
To market
Get up close and personal with the local culture at the bustling Victoria market, in the island’s capital. Buy fresh fruits to make a picnic, stock up on local spices and herbs to take home and shop for souvenirs – sarongs are a good bet. Saturday is the liveliest day to visit.
Walking with giants
The Aldabra giant tortoise, averaging some 120cm in length, was once thought to be extinct, but today you can see this huge animal “back from the dead” at the Aldabra Atoll. This is the world’s largest raised coral atoll and a Unesco world heritage site; it also sees thousands of migratory birds flocking through its skies.
Feast fresh
You’ll eat well in the Seychelles, where almost everything on your plate is super fresh – often directly from a fishing boat or kitchen garden practically within sight. Thanks to its fusion of different influences, Seychellois cuisine is unique: a delicious combination of African, French, Chinese, Indian and English that rarely goes easy on the chillies.
Go fish
The fish in the Seychelles aren’t just for looking at, you can go big-game fishing here too, even if you’re a complete novice. Just offshore the ocean floor plummets by thousands of metres so these are rich grounds for deep sea and bottom fishing and you could catch tuna, snapper, grouper and even marlin.
A spot of culture
Ok, so the Seychelles don’t have a long history, but it is an attractive one. Find out how people used to live here at the early 20th-century Eustache Sarde’s house, which features a timber veranda, ornamental balustrades and a natural ventilation system. And check out the three-winged Bicentennial Monument, built in 1978 to commemorate 200 years since the founding of Victoria – and the three continents (Africa, Europe, and Asia) from which the first settlers came.
