The final leg of my Indian Ocean tour was a visit to Seychelles – the smallest African country by size and population. There are actually 115 islands, of varying sizes, that make up the Republic of Seychelles, but I only had the chance to visit Mahé, which is the biggest and home to the capital Victoria.
I know I often praise the Maldives as the ultimate island paradise, but I’ve got to admit that the Seychelles aren’t far off the top of that list. I flew in from Réunion, via Mauritius, and was a little disappointed at how run down and messy the place seemed on first view. But once I’d hired myself a car and headed off to my apartment, I saw that the country is a lot more developed than the airport itself would suggest.
This did make me laugh. Check out the last line in blue:
The seats opposite an EMERGENCY EXIT must not be occupied by any *people which corpulence could bother procedure of an emergency evacuation.
errrr… what? I think they mean “no fatties”!The view from my bedroom in the Seychelles. The apartment doesn’t have a TV, but this isn’t a bad substitute….Looking towards Île Thérèse, from Port Glaud, Seychelles. It looks like you could swim there right? Trust me, it’s a lot bigger (and further away) than it looks!Port Glaud, Seychelles.Hired a car for my trip. Didn’t realise that there is a strip of mountains running right through the island, and the only reasonable way to get from the East to the West is to drive up and then down those mountains on a VERY narrow road.Look carefully. See that little house in the top left corner. That’s where my villa is. You have two choices… climb the steps or take the car. It isn’t as simple a choice as it sounds. Taking the car is REALLY scary. That is one mega steep hill to climb, and the drive down is even more frightening!This is one of many streams running from the mountain-tops down into the Indian Ocean. Amazing how clear the water is here, but I’ve been warned NOT to drink anything but bottled.Anse Nord D’Est – the north-east tip of Mahé Island in the Seychelles.Anse Nord D’Est – the north-east tip of Mahé Island in the Seychelles.Pointe Cedre, Mahé, Seychelles.
Aldabra giant tortoise
Did you know…. there are more giant tortoises in the Seychelles than there are people?
Giant tortoises. They are quite friendly and will come up to you to be petted or eat food from your hand. Personally didn’t want to touch them. They are so leathery and mud-covered.
Just to give you a sense of scale, that is a full grown adult hand petting that giant tortoise. They really are massive.
Exploring Mahé by road
The roads are surprisingly good, but I still managed to get a puncture and was fined 50 Euros by the car hire company, which felt a little bit unfair at the time given it was a crappy little car with tiny wheels.
The main mosque in the Seychelles’ capital city of Victoria.Exploring the South of Mahé island. This is Morne Seychellois, the tallest point on the Island as seen from Barbarons.Morne SeychelloisBoileau Bay, Anse Boileau on Mahe island.Anse Louis, Mahé, Seychelles.L’Esperance, Mahé, Seychelles.Anse a la Mouche, Mahé, Seychelles.Anse a la Mouche, Mahé, SeychellesPort Glaud, MahéPort Glaud, MahéThe beach at Anse Aux Pins, Mahé islandThe beach at Anse Aux Pins, Mahé islandAnother day, another dusk. The sun sets over the Indian Ocean.This is the world famous “Turtle Bay” on the East coast of Mahé island. Sadly, I didn’t spot any while I was there
Due to a cancelled flight I had to stay an extra couple of days on Mahé island. That might sound like a happy event. Except I had zero money to actually do anything but walk around, and also had to downgrade from my beautiful apartment to a really crappy B&B close to the airport instead…
This is the bloody great mountain I have to climb to get to my crappy, insect- and bat-infested B&B. Luckily, no need to wade through the water. There is a dirt road going up there.I really wanted to take one of these Helicopter tours of the Seychelles offered at the international airport. Sadly, the timings meant I couldn’t really arrange it. I bet it’s an awesome journey they take you on.Time to head back home. In Africa the planes are as colourful as the people!
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