Nature and Relaxation in the Indian Ocean
Hello, we are Andrea and Elena from Ravenna.
We visited the Seychelles in March 2024. Our stay lasted ten days, with five on La Digue and five on Mahé, in two excellently managed self-catering properties. We would like to commend their efficient and helpful staff. La Digue is ideal for anyone wishing to enjoy the spectacle of unspoilt, luxuriant tropical nature while observing the local flora and fauna. On Mahé, visitors can better appreciate the diverse heritage of its fascinating history and varied culture, woven together from colonial influences. The islanders’ calm, unhurried way of life inspires tourism on a human scale, immediately easing the frantic pace of Western life that travellers bring with them and leading them towards a more spacious, relaxed sense of time and place. On La Digue, you get around exclusively by bicycle, while on Mahé you can try driving on the left in a hire car.
The cuisine is reminiscent of Indian food, and we soon concluded that it was convenient to pick up takeaway meals as needed from the many takeaways dotted along the roads. Near these establishments, there are often small supermarkets where you can always find plantain, sweet potato and cassava crisps for a snack, as well as all the household essentials. Each beach has a small kiosk where you can enjoy fresh fruit smoothies, coconut water and sometimes grilled fish. Some stalls sell nougat, a sweet made with coconut, banana and vanilla that we recommend trying.
The beaches are incredible: before you unfold the most intense shades of blue from the sea and sky, constantly crossed by flocks of pure white clouds with soft, billowing shapes. Behind you rises the green of the lush rainforest. Beneath your feet, the soft white sand gently yields with every step. Framing it all are the imposing granite boulders, which lend the scenery its distinctive character, making it unique and instantly recognisable, even in photographs.
Some beaches have a rich reef that is ideal for snorkelling; others, characterised by high waves and strong currents, are better suited to relaxing in the sun or strolling along the shore; still others, with their clear, calm waters, seem made for spending hours in the sea, gently rocked by the waves.
The water temperature, like the air temperature, remains around 28°C; brief but heavy showers refresh the vegetation each day. In addition to colourful birds and fish, there are plenty of opportunities to see giant tortoises and flying foxes in their natural habitat.
Anyone staying on Mahé should be sure to visit the picturesque Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, where you can stock up on exotic fruit and local spices.
