Daily Archives: July 8, 2017

Go online and search for images of Seychelles and it is incredibly hard not to drool. Why? Imagine the best version of a dreamy tropical holiday that your mind can conjure and Seychelles makes it all a reality.

Yes. It is that amazing. Nature certainly did not hold back when it endowed the island with pleasant gifts!

Just off the coast of Eastern Africa, Seychelles is lapped by the Indian Ocean. It is composed of 115 islands, each with its own unique appeal and charm. Until the late 18th century, Seychelles has been uninhabited but through the years, it has been influenced by the French, British, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arabs. It goes without saying that the culture mix creates an explosive experience for travelers wishing to sink their feet deep into this lovely island.

It is also a luxury hotspot: five-star resorts with white-sand beachfronts, slick restaurants, and posh hotels everywhere. But you do not have to be a millionaire to enjoy it.

For one, our accommodation in Seychelles was provided by Seyvillas; actually, they arranged everything for us - transfers, hotels, even the lovely boat tours and island hopping excursions. It was amazing!

In Mahe, we stayed at the Hanneman Holiday Residence in a nice serviced apartment near the stunning Beau Vallon Bay and only a few minutes ride to the ferry port. Meanwhile, in Praslin, the Le Duc Hotel was our home, a boutique hotel located in the beautiful Curieuse Bay.

But there are many other reasons why Seychelles delights and endlessly enchants. Below are some of the best, and really, these are only the beginning!

1. It is beach-lovers dream.

Having one splendid beach on an island makes it great, but in Seychelles, the list of awesome beaches just seems never ending. It is the biggest attraction of the island and there is one to hit at every turn. Long stretches of sandy beach, clear and crisp waters, and lush palms and boulders to complete the picture.

You are really spoiled for choice here. The best ones include the Beau Vallon, Anse Lazio, Baie Lazare, and Anse Source d'Argent. The most popular is the Beau Vallon. It is family-friendly and has plenty of tourist facilities.

Meanwhile, Anse Lazio is picture-perfect with its lovely waters and thick fringe of palms. It is a great site to go snorkeling, too. For Baie Lazare, it is a small curved bay with a forest as its backdrop - no way it cannot be stunning! Finally, in La Digue, you find Anse Source d'Argent, a small but perfectly-formed beach with few facilities but enchanting pink sand that you should definitely not miss!

2. Underwater is as beautiful as above it!

There are six marine national parks in Seychelles. What more do you need to tell you that this is an awesome place for enjoying underwater beauty and wonders? It is as picturesque as the splendid beaches and you can snorkel and dive the entire day and not get tired of it. It does not hurt that there are gorgeous snorkeling and diving sites everywhere on the island, too!

The array of tropical fish that you will encounter is dizzying. It is hard not to feel like a child as you get excited swimming among the puffer fish, hawksbill turtles, whale sharks, and sting rays. The corals are colorful and electric, too! It is no less than an alluring underwater garden.

Undoubtedly, diving and snorkeling are the most popular activities in the Seychelles. The variety of environments underwater is nice. There are shipwrecks, canyons, granite outcrops, and shallow shelves. The water is warm, it is clear, and life is everywhere!

3. Island hopping takes a new meaning.

As mentioned, there are 115 islands in the Seychelles. For sure, one of these will be the perfect one for you. Explore them via boat tours and excursions and fill your eyes with so much wonder.

There is so much to see it is difficult to decide where to start. Curieuse Island is always a winner - home to hundreds of giant tortoises. They are truly amazing creatures and it is humbling to see them roam free on the island. Also, more turtles can be seen on Cousin Island. It is a protected nature reserve. If you are lucky, you may even find nesting turtles, as well as birds! Sister Island is equally gorgeous. It has beaches on both sides that will fulfill all your beach bum fantasies.

Of course, no island hopping experience is complete without snorkeling. There are many sites for you to enjoy such as Avemaria Island, Felicite Island, and Coco Island. You can have a full day snorkeling and not be done, contact Praslin Boat Tours to arrange the island hopping for you!

4. It is 'The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean' for a reason!

The Seychelles harbors a wealth of wildlife. It is largely protected by various conservation programs because it is home to unique flora and fauna. The Seychelles has over 2,000 species of plants, 1,000 species of fish, and the largest population of Aldabra giant tortoises in the world. It is every bit impressive!

On the smaller island of Praslin, you will find the gorgeous Vallee de Mai. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is a nature reserve where you can see the rare coco de mer palm. It is also a great spot for bird watching where you can find black parrots and blue pigeons, and also some blue geckos. They are unique to the island and live in the forest.

Another spectacular national park is the Morne Seychellois National Park. Located on Mahe Island, it has a lot of trails to indulge your outdoor whims and the coco de mer palm also grows here, as well as the carnivorous pitcher plant! There is a nice viewpoint over Port Victoria, too.

5. Fall in love with the culture.

Seychelles features a mixed heritage, which gives travelers a lot to love. The easiest to fall for is probably the Creole cuisine. Think spicy grilled octopus in a chili and garlic sauce, fresh fish baked in banana leaves, and deliciously thick seafood curries and rice. These are what dreams are made of!

For drinks, there is a local Bavarian-style brew called Seybew. It is a light and refreshing drink ideal for the hot days by the beach! The island also produces its own dark rum called Takamaka, a local favorite that you have to try.

Every year, there is also a vibrant carnival here. It is a big celebration of cultural dances and lots of parades. Music festivals, particularly percussion, reggae, folk, and mainstream pop are also held in April and May. It is always great to come during festival time as the mood is super celebratory and your holiday just takes on another level!

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5 Reasons Why You Should Go to Seychelles and What You Can Do - HuffPost

Two of Felicite islands landscape gardeners wave as they scoot past me in their electric tractor, and I am caught, yet again, intently photographing giant boulders. Im becoming obsessed.

Ive been on this Indian Ocean island hideaway a few days already, but still Im captivated by its ancient rocks. They have the all the drama and character of the iconic stone heads of Easter Island, yet their stark granite humps are untouched by the hand of man, carved over millions of years by the elements into slitted mouths, rounded backs and striated armour. If the world suddenly shook, they would surely awaken, rise and amble off.

These rocks, our waymark as the pilot and I arrive by helicopter from the main island of Mahe, form the unique natural architecture of the islands only occupier, Six Senses Zil Pasyon (Isle of Passion) resort and residences. The British architects constructing the 30-villa resort have sensitively incorporated these monsters, creating a sense of space and privacy, the palm trees, natural vegetation and landscaping softly contrasting with their eternal solidity.

And I am right to be awestruck. For these rocks have a story to tell, which unfolds as I hike to the uplands with South African ecologist Steve Hill. Sporting Crocodile Dundee-style tropic-wear and brimmed hat, Steve knows everything there is to know about Seychellois flora and fauna.

He explains that the rocks stand out so starkly against the lush greenery not only because of their size but because the granite heats up in the equatorial sun to such a degree that plants and lichen cannot live on them. And to understand their origins gives a clue to the uniqueness of the Seychelles archipelago.

These rocks are the exposed remnants of the southern hemisphere supercontinent, Gondwana, predating Pangaea. These are the only oceanic granite islands on the planet, hundreds of millions of years old, in existence when life was merely primordial soup.

Re-establishing the natural ecology of neighbouring Fregate Island, with its population of free-roaming native giant tortoises, was a project Steve had worked on for more than a decade. With that under his belt, he has brought his encyclopaedic knowledge to Felicite.

His work here started a decade ago, but the global economic downturn caused the total redevelopment of the former resort to stall. Steve and his small team of Kenyan landscapers managed to carry on while the future of the island hung in the balance.

Eventually Six Senses took it on, and Steve is a fan of their long-term, softly-softly approach to returning the island to its roots. As he says: The ecology of the island is being painstakingly restored using my local knowledge and the now tried-and-tested methodology to re-establish wildlife habitats on a larger scale.

Six Senses Zil Pasyon, barefoot luxury at its high-design, low-impact best, is now fully open, with the completion earlier this year of its spectacular ocean-view spa constructed within and around, of course, a jaw-dropping giant boulder field.

Rates for a Seychelles private island experience can run into several thousand pounds per night, but Zil Pasyon compares very favourably with the rest (although food and drink are, as usual, reassuringly expensive).

The private residences, 28 in total, are in gradual, phased construction. These, plus the resort comprising two small-scale restaurants, a bar, kids club, landscaped infinity pool, lounge terrace, lawns, boutique, library, adventure centre plus beaches with secret hammocks and oversized lanterns wafting droplets of light from ancient branches will cover fully one-third of the island. The rest is newly established Seychellois habitat, now actively growing.

The next step is to start the long process of re-introducing the endemic birds that have long since vanished from Felicite. The first re-introduction will be the Seychelles paradise flycatcher, to be followed by the Seychelles magpie robin, the Seychelles white-eye, Seychelles fody and Seychelles warbler.

It has been arduous work over many years to remove the alien plant species that dominated the island. On our hike, which Steve regularly joins when his schedule permits it, we ramble to our destination: a tropical glade with giant rocks, lush ferns and soaring palm trees. Bark and dry leaves crunch underfoot. I can smell the humidity. Bees buzz.

If you have been to the Seychelles archipelago, you will know of its famous coco de mer nut. Shaped like buttocks, it is the largest seed in the world and is highly prized. Where most people see it growing is in the UNESCO Vallee de Mai on the larger island of Praslin.

In this remote glade the coco de mer trees grow wild and tall, clusters of pendulous nuts hanging high among the giant leaves of the female palms, the equatorial sunlight casting dramatic shadows down through the fronds.

For nature lovers, another treat lies in store off the beaten track - an exhilarating 40-minute speedboat ride from Felicite to an island few tourists visit, Aride.

Uninhabited, except for six or seven researchers, included in your landing fee is a hike amid the forests with one of the rangers, who will show you plump white-tailed tropic birds nesting on the ground and clouds of frigatebirds roosting on the cliffs.

Steve calls Aride the seabird citadel of the Indian Ocean, hopefully they will one day be joined by many more.

Carrier offers 7 nights for the price 6 in a Hideaway Pool Villa from 4,555 per person on a bed and breakfast basis.

Price includes return flights with Emirates from Heathrow and return transfers via private helicopter.

To find out more call 0161 492 1358 or visit carrier.co.uk. Book by 25 September.

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Six Senses Zil Pasyon: The Seychelles island resort that's reintroducing native wildlife to the surrounding environment - City A.M.

Air Seychelles has taken the decision to suspend its service between Durban and Seychelles, effective July 27, 2017.

The performance of the twice-weekly operation and its contribution to inbound tourism in the Seychelles did not meet company expectations.

Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: We have taken the tough decision to discontinue our Durban route as the volume of inbound traffic has fallen short of our expectations.

Since being launched, the route has relied on travelers connecting to our Mumbai flight on the way to India, while point-to-point traffic demand to the Seychelles has been lower than anticipated.

The competitive nature of the route and volume of alternative options paired with extremely low fares being charged on the Durban to India traffic flow unfortunately mean this is not a viable ongoing commercial operation for Air Seychelles.

Whilst being a hard and unfortunate decision to have to take, Durban will continue to be served in conjunction with our key codeshare partner South African Airways who offer excellent connectivity between Johannesburg and Durban.

Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, said: In the fast-moving aviation industry, a successful airline has to adapt quickly to changing market conditions, especially a boutique airline such as Air Seychelles.

Tourism is the main engine of the Seychelles economy and, unfortunately, the Durban service did not produce the expected results in terms of supporting the growth of the industry.

Our flag carrier will continue to fly to Johannesburg, the biggest city in South Africa, five times a week, to ensure our people, businesses and governments remain well-connected.

Guests booked on flights to and from Durbans King Shaka International Airport beyond July 27, 2017 will be re-protected on Air Seychelles Johannesburg flights, which are operating as per normal schedule.

In addition, business and leisure travelers will still be able to travel easily from Durban to Seychelles via a short stop in Johannesburg, thanks to a codeshare agreement with South African Airways.

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Air Seychelles stops flights between Durban and Seychelles - eTurboNews