Seychelles - Lonely Planet

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Seychelles
POP 91,500 /
% 248
Includes 
Mahé...........................286
Victoria........................286
Beau Vallon &
The North Coast......... 295
East Coast................... 301
West Coast..................304
Praslin.........................308
La Digue.......................317
Other Inner Islands..... 327
Outer Islands.............. 329
Best Places to
Eat
Why Go?
Close your eyes. And just imagine. You’re lazing on a
talcum-powder beach lapped by topaz waters and backed
by lush hills and big glacis boulders. Brochure material?
No, just routine in the Seychelles. With such a dreamlike
setting, the Seychelles is unsurprisingly a choice place for
newlyweds. But for those looking for more than a suntan
or romance, this archipelago offers a number of highenergy distractions. There are jungle and coastal walks, boat
excursions, and diving and snorkelling to keep you buzzing.
Ecotourism is big – there are marine parks and natural reserves filled with endemic species that are easy to approach.
The Seychelles is more affordable than you think. On top of
ultra-luxurious options, the country has plenty of selfcatering facilities and family-run guesthouses that offer local colour. So if you are suffering from visions of tropical
paradise, here is your medicine.
¨¨La Grande Maison (p303)
¨¨Loutier Coco (p326)
¨¨Café des Arts (p317)
¨¨Les Lauriers (p316)
¨¨Anse Soleil Café (p307)
Best Places to
Sleep
¨¨Château de Feuilles
(p314)
¨¨Bird Island Lodge (p329)
¨¨Maia Luxury Resort & Spa
(p306)
¨¨Chalets d’Anse Forban
(p301)
¨¨Anse Takamaka View
(p305)
When to Go
¨¨From December to March, the trade winds bring warmer,
wetter air streams from the northwest. From June to
September the southeast trades usher in cooler, drier
weather but the winds whip up the waves and you’ll want to
find protected beaches. The turnaround periods (April to
May and October to November), which are normally calm and
windless, are ideal. Temperatures range between 24°C and
32°C throughout the year.
¨¨Rainfall varies considerably from island to island and from
year to year. Mahé and Silhouette, the most mountainous
islands, get the highest rainfall.
¨¨Accommodation can be hard to find during the peak
seasons from December to January and July to August. The
Seychelles lies outside the cyclone zone.
0
e
#0
400 km
200 miles
6
4
44
4
6
44
4
6
6
28 5
Denis
2
Bird Island #
Island
Inner Islands
1
See Main Map 1 Praslin
Mahé
AMIRANTES
GROUP
Desroches
Île
Alphonse Island
Platte
Island
6
#
O U T E R
I S L A N D S
ALDABRA GROUP
Aldabra
Atoll Cosmolédo
Atoll
Assomption
Astove
Island
Island
Coëtivy
Island
ALPHONSE
GROUP
FARQUHAR GROUP
St Pierre Providence
Island Atoll
Farquhar
Atoll
INDIAN
OCEAN
Aride
Island
66
6
66
6
Curieuse Marine
National Park Curieuse
I
North
Island
4
44
44
4
\
#
Silhouette
Shark Bank p
#
Dive Site
Baie Ternay Marine
National Park
N
E
R
5
Grand #
# Round 1
\
#
\
Baie Island La Passe Marianne
Cousine Anse
7 Anse Cocos
#
Island
ValléeSte Anne La Digue
de Mai
I
Las
Mamelles
La Passe
44
44
44
4
44
44
44
44
44
44
4
S
L
A
Brissare
Brissare Rocks
Rocks
p
# Dive Site
Îlot p
##
1 Diving & Snorkelling
Dive
Ste Anne Marine
Site
N D
S
Îlot
Frégate
Cerf Island
Seychelles
Morne Seychellois #
– International
National Park
Airport
Mahé
4
#
INDIAN
OCEAN
e
# 00
Seychelles Highlights
1 Mahé (p286) Diving and
snorkelling among the north
coast’s dense marine life.
2 Bird Island (p329)
Living out that stranded-on-adesert-island fantasy on this
secluded outcrop.
3 Anse Lazio (p308)
Splashing around in the ginclear waters of this beautiful
beach.
Frégate
Island
Île aux
Récifs
National Park
Beau \
VICTORIA Ste Anne
#
Island
Vallon _
#
666
Port Launay Marine
National Park
Grande
Se yc h e lle s H i g hli g ht s
N
Petite
Soeur Soeur
8 Island
3 #
Anse Lazio #
Île
Anse
Felicité
9
#
#
\
Cousin Praslin\
Volbert Cocos Island
#
Island
4 Morne Seychellois
National Park (p300) Looking
for the smallest frog on earth
while exploring forested
mountains.
5 Vallée de Mai (p308)
Hearing yourself say ‘Oh, these
coconuts are so sexy!’.
6 Alphonse Island (p329)
Living out your deserted island
fantasy on this coral islet.
20 km
10 miles
7 Anse Cocos (p321)
Spending hours lazing on the
near-perfect beach.
8 Curieuse Island (p316)
Scratching the leathery neck
of a giant tortoise.
9 Anse Volbert (p308)
Enjoying the stretch of white
sand and turquoise waters.