The Seychelles’ 100 or so islands are scattered in the western Indian Ocean 1,000 miles from anywhere. All these granitic and coral islands that make up the glorious Seychelles offer their own individual piece of magic - stunning white sand beaches, beautiful coral reefs, superb diving, big-game fishing and lots more.
The granitic islands of the Seychelles archipelago cluster around the main island of Mahé, home to the capital Victoria and the international airport, and its neighbouring islands of Praslin and La Digue. Together, these Inner Islands contain the majority of Seychelles' tourism facilities as well as its most stunning beaches, while a further 74 or so form the low-lying coral atolls and reef islands of the Outer Islands. The Outer Islands are those situated beyond the Seychelles plateau, and two of these, Alphonse and Desroches offer fantastic opportunities for sailing, fishing and diving.
Mahé is the largest island in the Seychelles and offers lovely beaches and lush tropical greenery in the mountainous interior. With a backdrop of towering 1000m granite peaks, Mahé is an extraordinary treasure trove of flora that has evolved over centuries of splendid isolation. Rare endemic plants found nowhere else in the world adorn Mahé’s mist forests in mountain strongholds, such as the Jellyfish Tree, the carnivorous Seychelles Pitcher Plant and the Seychelles Vanilla Orchid.
Praslin, only a 15-minute flight away from Mahé, is home to pretty coves and beaches, lush coconut groves and the famous Vallée de Mai, one of Seychelles’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is where the legendary Coco de Mer - the world's heaviest nut - grows high on ancient palms in a primeval forest. The Vallée is host to six species of palm to be found only in Seychelles. The island also features truly wonderful beaches such as Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, both featuring in the top-10 list of world’s best beaches in recent years.
La Digue is an island where time stands still and time-honoured traditions such as travelling by ox-cart and bicycle are still the main mode of transport. The friendly atmosphere of this intimate island with its unhurried pace of life, traditional architecture and breathtaking beaches, such as Anse Source d’Argent, is not to be missed. La Digue is also home to the Seychelles' black paradise flycatcher, one of the rarest birds on earth.
Of course, then there are other islands, such as, Bird, renowned for its sooty terns, Denis home to varied vegetation and populations of sea and land birds and Silhouette, with its verdant, mountainous profile.