The Seychelles
Scattered like pearls across the Indian Ocean off the East African coast, the 115 islands of the Seychelles are what castaway dreams are made of.
On Mahé, the main island of the archipelago, you can dig for gold using a 300-year-old cryptogram left behind by the one-eyed pirate Olivier Levasseur.
Praslin, the second largest of the islands, is a veritable Garden of Eden. Wander into the Vallée de Mai, a prehistoric lush jungle, home to the coco de mer, a sky-scraping palm tree with fruit shaped like a woman’s buttocks. Snorkel in sparkling waters or visit Anse Georgette, a vision of blonde sand drenched in rainforest.
Cinnamon groves of the roadless Silhouette scent the air of the third-largest and most densely vegetated island. Shaggy fruit bats and countless other endemic creatures live in the forests that cloak its steep granite slopes.
On La Digue where cars are outlawed, ride an ox cart past sensuous sculptured granite rocks to one of 18 beaches — Anse Source d’Argent being the best-known. Or cycle past overgrown graveyards and vanilla vines to Petite Anse, a deserted beach.
Frégate Island was named it after the frégate birds that nest in the takamaka trees on the cliffs. It is also home to the endangered Aldabra giant tortoise.
Why not combine two or three islands as you tap into the freewheeling Creole culture of the Seychellois people?
