Mahé,
Praslin and La Digue are the three biggest islands
of
the Seychelles, but there are many other smaller islands,
each one a genuine pearl. All these islands offer a
good
standard of accommodation in a totally unspoilt environment,
where visitors will enjoy an unforgettable holiday.
Alphonse This
island, one of the Amirante group, has a huge lagoon surrounded
by a coconut grove. It has only recently been opened to
tourism.
Desroches Desroches
is the model of an island with fine sand and coconut trees.
Desroches, the tourist ambassador for the Amirante Isles,
is 5 km long and 500 metres wide, and has a population
of about forty living in one small village. Its only attraction
is a small shop which opens once a week.
But Desroches is also a paradise for divers who can discover
one of the most beautiful coral gardens of the Indian
Ocean.
Fregate Once the refuge of pirates
driven from the Caribbean, then from Madagascar, Fregate,
an enormous granite rock criss-crossed by paths, conceals
a number of treasures…
Coconut trees, casuarina, papaya, takamaka and mandarien
trees form a sumptuous setting for frigates, coco turtle-doves,
terns and other species flourishing in the midst of a
verdant vegetation.
Fregate is the ideal island for exhausted decision-makers
who need to forget their routine stress for a few days.
And this is where the famous pirate treasure is probably
hidden…
Bird Island This
small island, lying about one hundred kilometres
from
Mahé, is a favourite refuge for ornithologists.
The island owes its name to the thousands of birds which
have turned it into their home.
From May to September, the air resounds with the chirping
and cooing of birds, accompanied by over a million and
a half terns which nest on this island.
Officially, it is known as the "Island of Cows"
because of the numerous sea cows, or dugongs, which used
to be found here in the past. Bird Island can be easily
reached, for it is only a half-hour flight from Mahé on
an Air Seychelles Twin Otter.
Silhouette The impressive mountainous silhouette of the island
looms above the ocean, off the coast of the famous Beauvallon
Bay in Mahé. "Silhouette the Wild" seems
to have been specially created for nature lovers and
walking
enthusiasts. Peace and tranquillity prevail as there
are no proper roads and the only vehicles on the island
are
a couple of agricultural machines. Silhouette is a paradise
for nature lovers who will be delighted to discover the
exotic and rare trees and plants growing here. Silhouette
with its flora comprising more endemic plants per hectare
than any other island in the western Indian Ocean, is
of immense importance as a reservoir of biodiversity.
Scientific studies have identified 6 species of plant
and 274 animals on Silhouette that are found nowhere
else
on earth. Some 130 inhabitants live on Silhouette. In
old times people here used to earn their living from
coffee,
tobacco, cinnamon and avocado plantations. This island
is a haven of peace which should be explored on tiptoes
and with eyes wide open.
All these
dream islands can be reached by an Air Seychelles flight
on a Twin Otter or by helicopter. Flights are chartered
by the hotels, so contact them directly.
This
island, one of the Amirante group, has a huge lagoon surrounded
by a coconut grove. It has only recently been opened to
tourism.
Desroches
is the model of an island with fine sand and coconut trees.
Desroches, the tourist ambassador for the Amirante Isles,
is 5 km long and 500 metres wide, and has a population
of about forty living in one small village. Its only attraction
is a small shop which opens once a week.
