Seychelles, Also Friendly for Backpackers – Part 2

The island of Mahé is the largest of all the Seychelles islands, although it covers only 157.3 km2, and the distance between the most distant points of the island is only 40 kilometres, or a good hour's drive, as the roads are well-maintained, but quite narrow and winding. Right next to this road is one of the most beautiful beaches called Anse Royal, which is only two kilometres away from the Takamaka distillery, whose eponymous rum is one of Seychelles' rare export products. Of course, we can also visit the distillery and get to know the tastes of its products. Just a few kilometres away in the hills is the next hidden gem - the Tae Factory, where you can try different blends of teas and see the production and enjoy a wonderful view of the east coast of the island.

But Anse Royal Beach is far from the only postcard beach; on the west side of the island is the Takamaka beach, which is not named after the rum, but both the beach and the rum are named after the region. The beach is again the one from the postcards, but more interesting than the beach is the first hidden gem of the island of Mahé - a rocky pool, which is quite inaccessible, as you will have to walk for about an hour from the beach to get there, and despite the signposts, you will feel lost every now and then.

The Morne Blanc Trail is the next hidden gem of the Seychelles, where you will also feel lost, as you will make your way through the virgin forest for quite some time, until you reach the viewpoint, where all the effort is rewarded, because from there you can see almost the entire west coast of the island, where Beau Vallon beach is also located. Beau Vallon beach is the most popular beach, but not also the most beautiful on the island and the largest number of restaurants, bars and accommodation facilities are located there.

The most beautiful beaches of the island of Mahé are located in the southern part of the island. These are Anse Petit Boileau, Anse Bazarca, Petite Police and Anse Capucins, but they are a little more exposed and the strong currents and waves pushed the majority of hotels and restaurants right next to Beau Vallon beach, where there are no such challenges.

To say goodbye to the island of Mahé, I will not focus on the most famous attractions, but present you another hidden gem.

Sauzier Falls is definitely a hidden gem that should not be missed, as it is located in the heart of the Morne Seychellois National Park. Even the way to the waterfall takes our breath away at times, and the very arrival to the waterfall and the pool below it is the cherry on the cake. There is a rather large pool under the waterfall, where you can refresh yourself in the crystal clear water, and those who are more agile can also climb up or by the waterfall.

It is almost impossible to list all the attractions on the island of Mahé, because at almost every step there is a motive that is worth capturing in a photographic lens, but somewhere you have to stop and go to the islands, with which I will end this travelogue.

Praslin is the first island I will focus on, as we visited it as part of a one-day trip from the island of Mahé. There is also a regular ferry line to the islands of Praslin and La Digue, but the connections are such that it would be difficult to see both islands in peace, and the price of the regular ferry line is not significantly different from the excursion, which also includes transport to both islands and lunch.

But as soon as we left the port in Victoria, we realised the advantage of a regular shipping line. The ship we went on the trip with was significantly smaller than the catamaran on the regular line, which is even more important in the middle of the ocean. We noticed this difference as soon as we set sail from the safe shelter of the harbour and embarked on a speedboat with four 300 horse power outboards and room for over 60 passengers in a merciless battle with the turbulent Indian Ocean. But the hour of suffering, tossing and watching those with lighter stomachs was paid off in the port on the island of Praslin, from where we were taken to the nature reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List - Vallée De Mai, where Seychelles endemics thrive - sea coconut palms or "Coco de mer", which are very special shapes, as our guide showed in a picturesque way.

Anse Lazio was the second and last point to which they took us on the island of Praslin. Anse Lazio beach is famous as the most beautiful beach in the whole Seychelles and despite the light rain we were able to enjoy all its beauty. On Praslin, which measures only 38.5 km2 and has a population of approximately 7,500, there are still a few beaches worth visiting, and the island also has a small hospital and an airport. But we returned to the port and from there to the third and last island of this travelogue.

La Digue is an island that is even smaller than Praslin and measures only 10 km2 and has less than 3,000 inhabitants, but its small size does not mean that it is less interesting than the other islands. On the contrary, La Digue is an island home to giant tortoises, which can also be found on the other islands. The essential difference between the island of La Digue and the islands of Praslin and Mahé is that there is almost no motorised traffic on this island, and therefore we do not need to look for giant tortoises, because they carelessly walk around the island, where they have no natural enemies and humans don't bother them either.

L'Union Estate is one of the attractions of the island, which you must visit in any case, because it is necessary to cross this estate to visit the most beautiful beach on this island called Anse Source D'Argent. In theory, of course, it is possible to get to the beach along the coast, since the coastal strip is a public good, but in practice you would have to climb over huge granite rocks, so it is safer to pay the entrance fee and go to the beach with a bicycle, the rental of which was included in the trip.

The giant tortoises which otherwise live freely on the island, are also the main attraction at L'Union Estate, where you can, of course, under the watchful eye of the staff, feed them your favourite leaves and thus become their best friends. But friendship lasts about as long as the treat we offer.

We also had a real Creole lunch on the island and slowly headed towards our speedboat, with which we happily returned to Victoria after the rough ocean, and home the next day.

But if you ask me what stuck in my memory the most, you will be quite surprised, because it is neither the beaches nor the giant turtles nor the unique granite islands, of which there are only 42 in the world and all 42 belong to the Seychelles, but the unique local market in Anse Boileau bay, where behind every sales counter, which only has a few products, there is a garden about a hundred metres long, from which they always bring freshly plucked vegetables. It is not necessary to label these products with "Organic", "Bio" or "Fair trade" as in our supermarkets, as we can see for ourselves the origin of the food, and the journey from the source to the customer is only a few tens of metres long, so that it could hardly be more sustainable.

It is precisely in the desire that our travels in the future be as sustainable as possible that I am concluding this travelogue, and I hope that I have at least dispelled the stereotypes about the price inaccessibility of the Seychelles.