An Adventurous Journey to Discover Nature

We take the Creole bus (€10 per person, booked through SeyVillas) straight to the harbour, bound for the island of Praslin, which we reach after just over an hour by ferry, also booked through SeyVillas. Impeccable service.

Eager to experience local life to the full, we make our way to our self-catering accommodation (La Modestie Villa). We barely have time to drop off our luggage before heading out in search of a shop to buy some food and other essentials. We find one not far from our guesthouse. One tip: for drinking, we always boiled the tap water, saving ourselves quite a bit of money!! I also have to say a few words about the guesthouse owners: wonderful people who could not have been more helpful!!

After buying a few essentials, we put on our swimwear and head straight to the sea. Our first experience of a Seychelles beach is Grand Anse, the longest and largest beach on Praslin.

The sea looks like a swimming pool… the water is calm and clear, and the sand is so white that the glare from the sun makes it difficult to keep our eyes open. The mangroves and coconut palms are so lush that they create plenty of shade, essential for coping with temperatures above 30°C and humidity of 80%. Here, we cool off and relax, lulled only by the sound of the sea; we are quite literally alone.

We return to this beach several times, even if only for a quick dip before heading back to our self-catering accommodation, and every time we find it completely deserted… the only other living creatures besides us are 2–3 couples of tourists, fish, crabs, birds and lizards.

The following morning, we make our way to the bus stop. Although the buses are a little old, for just 5 rupees per person they take us comfortably to Anse Lazio in around 45 minutes, travelling all the way around the island. The bus ride is enjoyable. All the seats are occupied by locals, but the seat next to the driver soon becomes available, so I sit there while Simone improvises a seat near the gear lever, on top of the engine cover, which gives off a great deal of heat, especially during the steep climbs across the island. The driver’s style is rather reckless at times, but this seems to be the norm, and not only on this island.

After getting off the bus, we face a long walk with very steep climbs beneath the blazing sun.

As we approach the sea, we admire the dense vegetation and the giant tortoises in a small enclosure, happily wallowing in the mud. At last, we reach the beach and immediately understand why it is considered one of the 10 most beautiful in the world.

Surrounded by lush vegetation and, like all beaches in the Seychelles, characterised by soft white sand lapped by turquoise waters, the shoreline is framed by granite boulders smoothed by the sea and wind. The only drawback, in our opinion, is the large number of tourists there, including many Italians. Still, we take the opportunity to cool off and, at the nearby little restaurant, drink coconut water straight from a freshly opened coconut.

That evening, we are invited to a Creole dinner kindly offered by the guesthouse owners. Among the many dishes prepared by the owner, we enjoy some excellent fish, caught by her husband and cooked Creole-style with ginger, chilli and turmeric, all served with basmati rice. Delicious!!!

While speaking to the bus driver, we discover that the final beach we wanted to visit is privately owned by the resort, so we might have difficulty getting in. We therefore decide to stop about 1 km earlier, where we discover an unspoilt, secluded strip of sand hidden among the vegetation. Once again, to our immense delight, we have the entire beach to ourselves!

After our wonderful adventure on Praslin, we head enthusiastically to the harbour and take the ferry to La Digue, which takes 15 minutes. This 4 km-long island, with a mountain rising to around 300 m at its centre, makes us fall in love with the Seychelles.

Despite its small size, the island has everything you need: banks, takeaways, restaurants, shops, souvenir shops… but, much to our delight, virtually no four-wheeled vehicles, apart from 2–3 taxis and a few local vehicles. So, hire bicycles or explore the island on foot, as we chose to do, to appreciate its beauty fully and experience its local flora and fauna up close. Among the granite rocks, which seem to appear out of nowhere and make not only the coast but also the interior so unique, you can admire breadfruit trees, hibiscus, banana plants, papaya trees, mango trees and coconut palms… in short, close your eyes and imagine you are in the jungle… you are on La Digue.

The first beach we visit, opposite our bungalow (Island Bungalow), is Anse Severe, at the far north-western end of the island. Here too, the sea looks like a swimming pool at both low and high tide, while the numerous mangroves create plenty of shaded spots where you can rest. All this makes Anse Severe one of the most popular beaches among visitors to the island, and one of our favourites too.

The following day, we decide to cross the entire island to reach Grand Anse, the same beach we saw on postcards at the airport.

The route through the dense vegetation, albeit along paved roads, takes around 1 hour from the harbour and is fairly demanding, though there are no major hazards apart from the high humidity. With suitable clothing and a good pair of trainers, it is a real pleasure. Along the way, there are also small kiosks selling fresh fruit drinks. Any tiredness from reaching this place vanishes at the sight of the exceptionally long, beautiful beach, framed by large, dark-grey granite boulders. During the winter months, the waves are high but not at all dangerous, so you can swim safely, with the only risk being that you will have as much fun as children. The only drawback is the complete lack of shade where you can rest and admire this little corner of paradise.

On our way back to our accommodation, near the harbour, our attention is caught by an improvised stall where local fishermen are selling incredibly fresh fish laid out on palm leaves and already divided into groups of 8. We decide to buy some for a remarkably modest price. Fortunately, the owner of our accommodation lights a lovely barbecue that evening, and we take the opportunity to cook the fish we have just bought. An unforgettable dinner. We decide to spend our final day on La Digue exploring the north-eastern part of the island, and whenever we find a secluded beach, we take the opportunity to enjoy a refreshing swim.

On 6 January, we set off for Mahé, accompanied by rain that will unfortunately remain with us throughout the final days of our holiday. Despite the heavy downpours the following day, we do not let them dampen our spirits. Armed with an umbrella, we take the bus to Victoria, the capital, to browse the fruit, vegetable and fish market, where we buy two red snappers for dinner. Before returning to Italy, a brief break in the bad weather allows us to visit Anse Royale at low tide. The tide is so dramatic that it creates real little islands even offshore, a truly striking sight.

What can we say about this holiday? The bookings made and recommended by SeyVillas, both for our accommodation and for travel between the islands, were excellent. Unfortunately, the heavy rain meant we could not fully appreciate the beauty of Mahé, but we recommend the wonderful islands of the Seychelles to all readers who, like us, enjoy holidays filled with relaxation and adventure, surrounded by nature. Have a wonderful trip!