Seychelles Experience

♡ For Birds and Lovers ♡

Advantages: It really is a get away from it all place.
Disadvantages: Not for bird haters or claustraphobics or clubbers.

...will concentrate on the remote Bird Island, the most northerly of the Seychelles archipelago, 60 miles north of Mahe (the largest island in the group). The Seychelles are located 1600km east of Africa and northeast of Madagascar. They are beautiful tropical islands renowned for unspoilt beaches, flora and fauna which have largely been preserved as a result of careful eco-tourism planning. ☼ Getting there ☼ Bird Island is not easily reached. ...
...travel by light aircraft to Bird Island. This is quite an experience in itself. The aircraft is tiny and holds around 8-10 passengers plus luggage (maximum 10kg per person). I remember feeling more than a little apprehensive in such a small aircraft crossing the deep Indian Ocean, no land in sight and a sea full of sharks beneath. Landing the aircraft on a tiny island was also something else. There is no airport, a grass landing strip is all there ...

susie191 06.02.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Bird Island, Seychelles

Curious About Curieuse???

Advantages: Historical and natural wonders; giant tortoise sanctuary
Disadvantages: Landing area can be congested with day trippers

A BRIEF HISTORY Curieuse is a tiny island, only 1 square mile in area, and is a member of the Inner Island Group of the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles. It is situated about 1Km north of the popular holiday destination of Praslin, and was named after "La Curieuse" the ship carrying the party that discovered the island in 1768. Curieuse was originally covered in the mystical and unique coco de mer palms, a source of legend and folklore in Seychelles, ...
...sands. From 1833 to 1965, Curieuse was a colony for lepers imported from Mauritius. Today, as an uninhabited National Park it is home to many land and sea birds, and hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises. HOW TO GET THERE The only way to visit Curieuse is by boat, either privately or on an organised tour, which are run frequently from many of the hotels on the neighbouring larger island of Praslin. I went on a three island day trip run from my small ...

VC81 07.12.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Curieuse Island (Seychelles)

No bird in the hand, but thousands in the bush!!!

Advantages: Unique tropical island restored to natural state; see some of the world's rarest birds
Disadvantages: Ornithophobics beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cousin Island Special Reserve is one of the granitic Seychelles Inner Islands, located 2Km from the south west coast of Praslin, in the remote Indian Ocean. Cousin was one of the world's first whole island and sea reserves. When Cousin was settled in the early 1900s, the 27 hectares of natural vegetation was cleared to make way for a commercial coconut plantation. In 1968 the island was purchased by Birdlife International and became the world's ...
...site for 300,000 seabirds, and Cousin is the most important nesting site for Hawksbill turtles in the Western Indian Ocean. The reefs around the island are protected by a 400m exclusion zone, and studies have shown they contain 60% more of the commonly (over)fished species than any other marine reserve in Seychelles. Today Cousin is managed by Nature Seychelles, a non-profit organisation which commendably aims to involve the local community as much ...

VC81 17.11.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
Review of Cousin Island (Seychelles)

The Best Beach In The World - It's Official!

Advantages: Fine, white sand; Excellent restaurant; Outstanding sunsets
Disadvantages: Not great for swimming

...best in the world. Anse Lazio is situated on the north west corner of Praslin in Bay Chevalier. It is a 1Km long perfect crescent of soft, lightly fluffed up white sand so finely grained it feels like flour. The beach is relatively deep, from the fringe of takamaka trees and palms to the waves of the warm Indian Ocean, so there is no need to retreat far to avoid an incoming tide. To the right of the beach the craggy deserted Pointe Chevalier curves ...
...These attributes have resulted in Anse Lazio repeatedly being voted "the best beach in the world" by numerous travel publications and newspapers. Indeed, some people make a special day trip to Praslin just to see it, and in the guide books it is talked up as if it is the eighth wonder of the world. There is no doubting that it is worth seeing, Anse Lazio is magnificent as beaches come, but after a while in Seychelles, I found myself getting a bit ...

VC81 26.10.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Anse Lazio (Seychelles)

The Real Seychelles

Advantages: A place where local life can be appreciated away from tourist resorts
Disadvantages: Expensive

...THE HISTORY Victoria is the capital of Seychelles, a collection of several groups of islands east of Kenya spread over a large area of the Indian Ocean. Victoria is located in the north east of the largest island Mahe, home to 90% of the country's inhabitants. The town nestles between the port and the forested mountain ranges that run down the centre of the island. The original settlement was founded as a military base by the French in 1778, and ...
...renamed the tiny, slow-developing town Victoria to honour the new queen. Now the capital is a cultural melting pot of mainly French and British colonial influence, with dashes of Chinese, Indian and African thrown in. It is a tiny place and can easily be looked around in one day. MUST-SEES Clock Tower - the most photographed object in Victoria is an ornate silver clock erected in 1903 to celebrate Seychelles' new status as a crown colony. It stands ...

VC81 17.10.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Victoria (Seychelles)