Autumn is one of the best times of the year to visit the Seychelles. Think idyllic beaches, plenty of sunshine and gently swaying palms. Carolynne Dear sets sail to explore the hidden islands of this stunning corner of the Indian Ocean
Autumn is a great time of year to visit the stunning Seychelles (images courtesy Seychelles Tourism)
The islands of the Seychelles are perfect for a family break. Friendly locals, soft sand, crystal clear seas, a unique biodiversity, plenty of resorts with kids clubs and heaps of fresh air activities make for a fantastic holiday destination.
The country benefits from warm summer temperatures all year round, but October and November fall between the two trade winds that hit the islands each year, resulting in calmer seas and the best diving conditions. It's also a quieter time of year as the summer crowds of July and August's high season drift home.
If you're planning on flying in this autumn and want to venture outside of your resort, here are five great days out.
Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, Seychelles
Exploring the stunning Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve
Kids will love exploring this UNESCO World Heritage forest. In fact, it's so impressive in the nineteenth century, British explorer General Charles George Gordon propagated the myth that it was the biblical Garden of Eden.
The reserve consists of nineteen-and-a-half hectares of palm forest on the tiny island of Praslin. Be wowed by the huge ‘coco de mer’, the largest seed in the plant kingdom and from a palm tree that is believed to have once grown in the depths of the ocean.
Keep an eye out for the rare Seychelles black parrot, as well as mammals, snakes and reptiles.
Regular ferries ply the waters between Praslin and the main islands of the Seychelles for an enormously fun day out.
Curieuse Marine National Park, Seychelles
Meet one of the Seychelles' most famous residents
Sail to this small island which boasts a wealth of biodiversity. Its rich marine life means it's been designated a marine national park since 1979.
Curieuse is also home to hundreds of the region's infamous giant tortoises. There’s even a tortoise nursery on the island where hatchlings are nurtured until they turn five years old and are released into the wild.
Curieuse has an interesting history - for a hundred years it was a leper colony and the old doctor’s house built in 1873 is now a national museum housing displays on the Seychelles’ history and its flora and fauna.
Soak up the culture and then enjoy a dive at the Coral Gardens and Pointe Rouge, or take a fifteen minute boat ride to St Pierre islet with its fantastic snorkel and dive opportunities.
Moyenne Island, Seychelles
Lazy days in the Ste Anne Marine National Park
Stunning Moyenne Island is the world’s smallest national park. It sits within the Ste Anne Marine National Park off the north coast of Mahé.
It might be gorgeous and sandy now, but believe it or not it was once an unkempt brush pile. In the 1960s, Brendon Grimshaw, a newspaper editor from Britian, paid the grand total of GBP8,000 and bought the uninhabited island, lock, stock and hammock. He then spent a back-breaking several decades transforming it into the eco paradise that it is today. He hand-planted more than 16,000 trees, including 7,000 mahogany trees, and hacked away the undergrowth to create five kilometres of nature paths. His work has attracted more than 2,000 species of birds to the island. He also took care of the island's 120 giant tortoises.
Moyenne Island now boasts more than two thirds of all endemic plants to the Seychelles. It’s also rumoured to be the resting place of the diamond and ruby encrusted ‘Fiery Cross of Goa’ which was allegedly buried by pirates in the 1700s. Grimshaw was offered millions by investors for the island but he refused and in 2008 it was declared a National Park. Don't forget the kids' beach spades!
Le Jardin du Roi, Mahé
The heritage Planter's House at Le Jardin du Roi
Le Jardin du Roi is located two kilometres up in the hills above Anse Royale. The lush spice gardens were created by French spice entrepreneur Pierre Poivre. And yes, you read and translated that correctly - it is likely he was the ‘Peter Piper’ (or Pepper) of the famous English tongue-twister.
Poivre was a one-armed eighteenth century horticulturist, missionary and colonial administrator. In the 1760s, he became the Intendant of the Indian Ocean island of Réunion in Mauritius where he planted the Jardin Botanique des Pamplemousses (named after a nearby grapefruit-growing village), filled with plants from all over the tropics.
But importantly, he managed to smuggle cloves and nutmeg out of the Dutch East India Company-controlled Spice Islands (today part of Indonesia) to cultivate in the French-controlled Seychelles, thereby breaking the Dutch spice monopoly. From the Seychelles, the spices were also introduced into nearby Zanzibar.
Along with the gardens, Le Jardin du Roi also boasts a restaurant and café with great views over the coast and there’s a one-room museum in the planter’s house.
Morne Blanc, Mahé
Soaking up the views on Mahé
The Morne Blanc hiking trail on Mahé leads you through an old tea plantation and up through lush rainforest until you reach a lookout point with spectacular views over the coast of western Mahé.
The two-kilometre track is accessible year-round and the hike up to the viewpoint perched on a sheer cliff takes around 45 minutes.
The forests are home to many of Seychelles’ endemic bird species, including Seychelles bulbul, Seychelles swiftlet and Seychelles sunbird.
Head up the trail early, though, as mist begins to swirl over the forest from midday, obscuring the views from the top.
Emirates flies from Hong Kong to Seychelles with a transit stop in Dubai.
This feature was produced in collaboration with Seychelles Tourism, head online to read more.
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