1. To Go Around The Most Beautiful Bays
Road Trip
Travel at your own pace! The island tour of Mahé is on average 2h30. It took me the double and I don’t think I saw it all. Depends on your curiosity. You can rent a car, or a taxi.
It is an excellent way to discover the littoral with beautiful bays like Anse Louis, Anse Boileau, Anse Lazare, Anse Takamaka (…), as well as the interior of the island and the mountains. I prefered the beaches of the south of the island (wilder and quieter) than the more lively northern ones.
2. To Discover The Mountains of The Island
Tea Plantations And Hiking Trails
As always during the hottest hours, I seek the freshness. So we go up to Mission Lodge that offers one of the most beautiful views of the island. The road crosses big plantations of teas, forests with gigantic trees and marked hiking trails!
I regret not having brought my hiking shoes and planning a hike. It will be for a future trip! Frankly for many of us, you don’t think of hiking in the Seychelles! And I was wrong!
3. Venn’s Town, Mission Lodge
A Bit of History
After the abolition of slavery in 1835, Mission Lodge, formerly Venn’s Town, became a missionary school for freed African slaves (for more details see photo 3 below).
Today, Mission Lodge is part of the largest national park in the Seychelles: the Morne Seychellois National Parc which represents more than 20% of the area of Mahe.
Photomontage below: some of the different tree species (endemic or introduced) that can be seen at the Morne Seychellois National Park.
4. Lunch at The Eden Island Marina
Yatchs, Sailboats … And Chili
This pleasant marina can accommodate yachts of more than a hundred meters! Stunning! If you need at midday to enjoy a beautiful view without suffering from the heat, I recommend a long lunch break in one of the restaurants in the Eden Island Marina. Chic relaxed atmosphere (photos 2 and 3 of the photomontage below).
Above: Photo 1. I learn how to eat a creole dish very very spicy. The fish is covered with a sauce with pieces of chilli (type pili pili). Tips of the waitress: to mix a small piece of the ultra-spicy fish with a little rice and tomato sauce. Eat very slowly and stop to chat with friends, then eat very slowly again! 4, the fruit of the children: I discovered the Santol with a bitter and sweet taste. Very good.
5. To Visit Victoria
The Smallest Captital City in The World
I went to Victoria quickly and enjoyed the little market in Market St. (pictured above). There is a little bit of everything: food but also (for exemples), beautiful bouquets of exotic flowers, a myriad of natural coconut oils and tea produced in the Seychelles
Pictures below: 1 and 2, fresh fish market located opposite the hindu temple, Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar, 3, La Domus, and 4. the Victoria Clocktower.
6. To Decipher The Word “Takamaka”
A Bay or Rum?
Lol! I help you: it is a very nice bay, the Anse Takamaka (have a look to the two penultimate pictures of the first paragraph). And it’s also the name of the famous rum Takamaka produced at La Plaine St André (photos 2, 3 & 4 of the estate and distillery). I tasted a tear of the Takamaka Coconut Rum, because the other rums were far too strong for me!
On the road, I stopped at the University of Seychelles (photo 1 above). Yes, knowledge in Paradise.
7. Sunset in Beau Vallon
The Post Card
What could be more exciting than this beautiful sunset on the lively Beau Vallon beach (in the North of the island)? We had delicious giant mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) at the Coral Asia (the best sushi restaurant in Mahé according to a local friend). You can also eat grilled fresh fish on the promenade that runs along the beach.
Bye bye gorgeous Seychelles, I will go back!
Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés.
Informations
Seychelles Tourism Board, Air Seychelles
Where to sleep : Banyan Tree, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles & Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa
Related posts : DESTINATIONS & HOTEL REVIEWS
Many thanks to the Seychelles Tourism Board and Air Seychelles for this fantastic discovery of the Seychelles islands.
