Honeymoon 7° South of the Equator

Mahé

Our journey began on 18 September 2017. Still tired from our wedding celebrations two days earlier, but more than ready to escape to an island after all the excitement, we set off on our long-awaited honeymoon. For our honeymoon, we had planned an island-hopping itinerary based entirely on the principle of ‘from large to small’: first, we spent a few days on the main island of Mahé before continuing to La Digue and finally relaxing for a few more days on Cerf Island.

When we arrived at the Romance Bungalows on Beau Vallon beach, we were welcomed as honeymooners with a fresh coconut. The sand between our toes during our first evening stroll along the beach and the constant birdsong immediately put us in the holiday mood and marked the beginning of some wonderful days in the Seychelles.

After breakfast on the veranda the following morning (from then on, every accommodation served us a freshly prepared fruit platter each day, as well as eggs cooked in every possible way and toast with jam), we hired a car and set off for Victoria. After walking around the city, passing several sights and browsing the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, we enjoyed a delicious lunch from one of the many food trucks, which we can thoroughly recommend for both taste and value. Feeling refreshed, we continued along Sans Souci Road, a mountain road through the jungle. But be careful: the roads have no crash barriers, so driving here – with the added challenge of keeping to the left – quickly becomes a little adventure. From Mission Lodge, we had a breathtaking view across the island and the sea.

View from the Old Mission Lodge Further along the route is the Seychelles’ only Tea Factory, which visitors can tour and which sells a variety of teas. After an excursion to a small waterfall and Grand Anse, we ended our day at Beau Vallon’s weekly food festival. That evening, the seafront promenade was transformed into a small festival ground with music and food. Everything was available, from mango salad to freshly grilled fish and meat skewers.

Anse Source d'Argent The next day, we explored the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens, where we had the chance to feed tortoises and admire huge trees hosting colonies of fruit bats. There is also a specimen of the famous Coco de Mer here. We also visited the Takamaka Rum Distillery and sampled various types of rum during a small tasting. While taking a break in the restaurant, we discovered our love of palm heart salad. When we returned to the car park, we found that a breadfruit had fallen onto the roof of our car. Well, that is not the sort of hazard you normally think about in Germany…

After checking out the following morning, our transfer collected us and took us to the ferry. At this point, we would also like to say thank you for how smoothly everything went, from booking to the trip itself. Unfortunately, we became seasick during the rather rough crossing that day. As a precaution, we therefore bought some travel sickness tablets as soon as we arrived on La Digue, ready for our next ferry journey. The hotel Etoile Labrine on La Digue, which has beautiful bungalows set in well-maintained gardens, rewarded us for our ordeal with a wonderful dinner: a whole fish prepared Creole-style.

La Digue

The best way to explore La Digue is by bicycle, and the hotel arranged the hire for us. We first cycled to L'Union Estate and then to what is probably the world’s most famous beach, Anse Source d'Argent. Once at the beach, it was time to relax, with freshly prepared fruit juices keeping us cool.

At the southern tip of La Digue A secluded beach on La Digue Following a recommendation from other travellers, we booked a guided walk around the island’s southern tip with a local guide. A guide is absolutely essential for this trip, as you would never find the route on your own and would soon become hopelessly lost. The tour was one of the highlights of our journey. We walked through green fields and along narrow jungle trails, squeezed through tiny gaps between rocks and waded through waist-deep water to reach the island’s most beautiful beaches.

Starting from Grand Anse, we were able to admire beaches including Anse Songe, Fond de l'Anse (Grand Anse),Anse Marron, Anse Bonnet Carré, Anse aux Cèdres, Anse Pierrot and Anse la Source à Jean. Seeing them makes you realise that truly secluded beaches really do exist – beaches that, on that particular day, nobody else had set foot on before us. During a break, our guide prepared a light lunch for us, and we had time to swim and rest. After many strenuous kilometres and yet another reminder that the sun 7° south of the equator is extremely powerful and can easily cause sunburn, we were really looking forward to a cold shower back at the hotel.

Cocktail bar at Anse Source d'ArgentRelaxing at Anse Source d'Argent Over the next few days, we hiked from Grand Anse via Petite Anse to Anse Cocos, the latter of which has a natural pool that is perfect for swimming. We also visited Veuve Reserve, where we spotted the rare Seychelles paradise flycatcher several times, and enjoyed a sunset dinner at a mountain restaurant. Then it was already time for us to move on again.

Sunset on La DigueBeach on La DigueLa Digue

Cerf

Next came the small island of Cerf. There are neither roads nor shops here. Guests are collected from Mahé by the hotel’s own boat. A small jetty, from which we saw many fish and rays in the water at night, leads to Villa de Cerf , which has just four rooms. The sun loungers and pool immediately invited us to relax, and we took the opportunity to read a book again with the sound of the sea behind us. When we went for a walk along the beach in the evening after a fabulous 3-course dinner, we came across lots of crabs scurrying away from the beam of our torch. The fruit bats circling overhead and the sounds of the night provided the perfect ending to the evening.

Grand Anse, La Digue Over the next few days, we borrowed one of the hotel’s kayaks several times and paddled to Ile Cachée and Moyenne Island. Many tortoises live on Moyenne, and visitors can learn about the life of Brendon Grimshaw, who, together with his colleague La Fortune, transformed the island back into a natural paradise after it had been deforested during colonisation. It is now the smallest national park in the world and is also home to the world’s smallest cemetery, with just four graves.

A hidden waterfall Giant tortoise on Moyenne Island There is plenty to discover while hiking across Cerf and snorkelling. In the Sainte Anne Marine National Park , you really do feel like Robinson Crusoe! To round off our trip, we went on a diving excursion from Mahé before it was gradually time to head home again…

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Seychelles. Whenever we bite into a slice of good German rye bread in the evening, we fondly remember our holiday in paradise!