Seychelles

Granite boulders on white sand. There is nowhere else like it

Seychelles has a look that no other tropical destination can copy: enormous smooth granite boulders sitting on white sand against turquoise water. That is because the inner islands are fragments of an ancient continent rather than volcanic or coral, making them among the oldest oceanic islands in the world.

Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue is the most photographed beach on earth by some counts, and La Digue itself has almost no cars, with bicycles and ox carts doing the work. Praslin has the Vallee de Mai, a prehistoric-feeling palm forest where the coco de mer grows, producing the largest seed in the plant kingdom.

It is expensive, though less exclusively so than it once was, since guesthouses and self-catering on Mahe and Praslin have opened up a mid-range option that did not exist twenty years ago. Around half the land area is protected, and Aldabra, a remote atoll with 100,000 giant tortoises, is one of the least disturbed places on the planet.

Annual events and festivals

• Festival Kreol (Oct) — the biggest event of the year, celebrating Creole language, food and music over a week.
• Carnaval International de Victoria (Apr) — a carnival deliberately built to include troupes from around the world.
• Independence Day (29 Jun) — marks 1976 independence from Britain.
• Feast of the Assumption, La Digue (15 Aug) — the biggest religious event, drawing people from all the islands.
• SUBIOS Underwater Festival (Nov) — diving, photography and marine conservation.
• Seychelles Ocean Festival (Dec) — marine-focused events across the islands.
• Constitution Day (18 Jun) — marking the 1993 constitution.
• La Digue Veteran Cycling Race (Oct) — a local institution on the island of bicycles.
• Regatta season (Aug-Oct) — traditional pirogue racing between islands.
• Christmas and New Year (Dec-Jan) — a peak tourist season with beach celebrations.