In the Tortoises’ Paradise

After a long, seemingly endless wait at passport control, we finally set off for the first island, which would become my favourite and remain forever in my heart: La Digue, where time seems to have stood still. We are welcomed at Elje Villa by a very kind lady with a freshly blended mango and papaya juice. We settle in and, once again, are amazed by how clean and beautiful our guesthouse is... the African-inspired décor is absolutely stunning!
The lady immediately provides us with 2 bicycles and, although we are tired after the long journey, we set off straight away to explore our island. We have barely had time to stop at a little palm-frond kiosk along the road and sip a delicious fresh fruit juice prepared by a typical local ‘Rasta’ character when I have my first encounter... the one I have been waiting for all my life: a giant tortoise is calmly strolling along the road, completely undisturbed... I have tears in my eyes and still cannot believe it! I have only been here for two hours and I have already met my beloved tortoises!

The following day, we decide to visit L’Union Estate Park, which leads to Anse Source d’Argent, the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles, in my opinion.

We spend a wonderful day snorkelling and encounter countless fish of every possible colour and size... it feels like swimming in an aquarium.

The next day, we set off to explore the long trail leading to Anse Cocos... although we are caught in a brief downpour, we are still astonished by so much beauty.

Three days later, we move on to Praslin and immediately immerse ourselves in local life... we use the buses (hair-raising but punctual!) and explore every corner of the island. We take 2 excursions here: the first is to Curieuse Island, where the giant tortoises live and where we enjoy a fantastic barbecue of fish and barracuda among the mangroves. We then continue to the tiny island of Saint Pierre to go snorkelling among the corals and, once again, countless colourful fish.

Our second excursion takes us back near La Digue, where we left our hearts. We set out to discover Coco and Félicité islands... and here I fulfil another dream: swimming with sea turtles and manta rays.

The water here is even warmer and the corals are far less colourful, but believe me, it is still well worth it... it is a wonderful marine park.

On the fourth day, we experience the thrill of flying to Mahé on a domestic flight for the final part of our holiday: from above, we can see our islands and still feel as though we are dreaming.

We arrive on Mahé, where Mrs Marta welcomes us and takes us to the delightful Villa Dorado guesthouse, directly on Pointe au Sel. From there, it takes us just three minutes by bus to reach Anse Royale, a unique beach with a sea like a swimming pool... surrounded by a magnificent coral reef and an incredible variety of fish, rays and shellfish!

Unfortunately, as it is the Christmas holiday period for the Seychellois as well, we are unable to visit the picturesque and famous market in Victoria... but that is a good excuse to return to this paradise!

I am becoming emotional as I remember my trip... it has only been ten days since I returned... it is impossible to put into words the emotions and feelings these islands gave me...

Thank you to SeyVillas for all the detailed information they gave me before my departure, for organising my trip perfectly, and for Gessica and Valeria’s helpfulness. Without them, it would not have been so magical.