Scintillating, invigorating Seychelles

White sands, turquoise blue seas and unique hiking trails leave A Varsha Rao mesmerised with the beauty of Seychelles

Seychelles, every beach is picture-perfect, every wave rises and crashes perfectly, every sunrise and sunset is life-affirming, and every moment feels like a paradise. No amount of research will prepare you for your experience in this Indian Ocean archipelago. Sure, you would have heard about Seychelles’s world-class beaches, gorgeous resorts and stunning tourist spots, but when you finally sink your toes into the pristine white sands, it all feels otherworldly!

At the top of the Copolia trail at Mahe

Which is exactly what happened to us when we ventured out on our beach-hopping trip in the country’s largest island, Mahe. Seychelles is home to many world-class beaches with many featuring in the ‘top 10 beaches of the world’ list. But I feel it’s unfair because every beach here is more stunning, more beautiful than the next.

Frothy white waves come crashing down on white, soft sands with rocky outcrops and green cliffs jutting out into the big, wide ocean. Anse Royale, Anse Intendance, Anse Takamaka.... soon, we lost track of the names of the beaches we spent time at. All that remained with us was the mind-blowing scenery, the salty breeze, the cool waters and the many, many stunning shades of blue.

But Seychelles is not just about world-class beaches. Geographically, this tiny island nation is composed of granitic islands and coralline outer islands, numbering up to 115. These are further divided into Inner Islands and Outer Islands. And Inner Islands is where you can find national parks surrounding lush green mountains. We found ourselves in one such mountain, Mount Copolia, when we decided to test our physical mettle with some serious hiking.

Mahe

Thrilling trails

Copolia Trail is a challenging trail that demands at least five hours of your time. But the view from the top makes you forget that you just navigated through thick undergrowth in a densely packed forest, climbed over narrow sections and hiked steep trails. The trail leads you to a wide, granite expanse from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the island, including its capital Victoria. But the real prize of this hike is when you spot the surrounding islands of Praslin and La Digue!

The island of Praslin can actually be termed as the twin of Mahe thanks to the many similarities between the two. Even Praslin is home to drool-worthy beaches, jaw-dropping natural reserves and sky-high mountains just like Mahe. So, it’s not surprising when we land up at yet another beach in Praslin, which is only a short ferry ride away from Mahe. Anse Lazio is one of the top-rated beaches in the world and justifiably so. An endless stretch of gorgeous white sand, turquoise waters, granitic outcrops, and a jaw-dropping mountain background perfectly describe this beach.

Coco de mer at the Vallée de Mai nature reserve.

Gaga over nuts

But there’s one thing that you absolutely cannot miss in Praslin: Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is where you can find the rare coco de mer palm, also the world’s largest nut. Thanks to the suggestive shape of this nut and its aphrodisiac properties, the British General Charles George Gordon was reminded of the Biblical Garden of Eden when he visited the island. The reserve is also home to some of the rarest birds in the world: fruit pigeon, black parrot and more.

Since our earlier hiking experience in Seychelles proved to be extremely satisfactory, we decided to head out on another one, this time in Praslin. Fond Ferdinand is a former palm plantation that is now home to more than 6,000 coco de mer trees. Cheaper and more popular than Valle de Mai, Fond Ferdinand is a fairly easy hiking trail that also has organised tours. We slowly climb up the steps, learning everything about the forbidden fruit of Seychelles and admiring the flora and fauna of the forest. Our efforts were finally rewarded when we reached the top and enjoyed some staggering views of the surroundings of Praslin.

Now, La Digue may be the third largest island in Seychelles, but it has an area of only 10 sq metres, which is why we hired bicycles to explore it. Yet again, on our agenda was a visit to one of the ‘most photographed beaches in the world’ — Anse Source d’Argent. Big granite boulders line up the entire coastline here and make for perfect selfie spots. When you are here, don’t forget to say hi to two furry beach bummers, two dogs who have totally adapted to the beach life. Coax them with some treats and they might just join you on your swimming sojourn. To get to this famous beach, we cycled through L’Union Estate Farm, a colonial-era complex comprising a coconut and vanilla plantation, a graveyard, and the most famous bit — a pen of giant tortoises! Seychelles is one of the few places on this planet that will charm your socks off the minute you enter this magical land. All those things you heard about this land — virgin beaches, exotic spots, picture-perfect surroundings, and more... Seychelles is all that and so much more. It’s a surreal spot, one that made us pinch ourselves constantly to feel like there’s indeed a paradise on earth!