Seychelles: where the dreams are. Seychelles (islands)

The Seychelles meet you at the airport with an original visa (it is issued upon arrival). This is a seal depicting the coco de mer nut, the fruit of the Seychellois palm tree, which grows only here, like many other plant and animal species. Coco de mer is simply inseparable from the Seychelles: it is a symbol of the state, it is depicted on the coat of arms, on a visa, on most souvenirs and postcards.

There are no tolls. The border crossing procedure is simple. If you have a printout with return tickets and hotel reservations, there will be no questions upon entry. If you are traveling by invitation or visiting, you may have to talk a little more with customs officers. Although no one is going to seriously interrogate you. In general, the Seychelles do not like to be nervous and overstrain. You can often hear the phrase It's OK, which very well reflects the worldview of the islanders. This is the universal answer to all questions.

It is forbidden to import raw meat, any seeds and plants, narcotic drugs into the country.

The visa is valid for a maximum of 30 days. But you can stay for a longer period. The day before departure, I handed in a return ticket, only then realizing that my visa had expired and that from that moment on I remained on the islands illegally. In this case, on the next working day, you need to go to the migration center, which is located in the city of Victoria on the island of Mahe. There is only one migration center in the Seychelles, as well as the city. The building is reminiscent of Soviet buildings of the 70s, inside the same atmosphere.

I decided on the number of days that I still want to spend on the islands, took cash with me at the rate of 20–30 USD for 1 day and an old letter of invitation, which I showed upon arrival. This turned out to be quite enough.

I calculated the money "by eye". Nobody told me the exact amount of dollars that a person needs to have for a day in order to extend his visa. Instead of cash, you can present a statement with the amount of the balance on your bank card. There are ATMs in Victoria in working order (mainly Citibank), although they did not give out the balance on the card when I was there.

At the center, I was given a small questionnaire to fill out with formal questions. Then I had to sit in line for 30 minutes. The presence of grandmothers in line created the feeling that I was in Russia. Although Seychelles grandmothers are more friendly and carefree.

Then I was called by an employee of the migration service, whose actions remained a mystery to me. He filled out my details for a long time and diligently. Then, apparently, he made a mistake, took a new sheet and began to fill it out again. And ... obviously, again I was mistaken. After that, he crossed everything out with a straight face and threw it away.

I waited with interest for the next attempt, but no: it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out that way. He marked with a pen in the passport near the visa that I was leaving on such and such a date, and with a smile he let me go. It's OK.

How to get there

From Russia to Seychelles can only be reached by plane. From other countries it is also possible by water transport.

Tourist regions

There are three inhabited islands in the Seychelles: Mahe, and.

Mahe is the main one, the majority of the population lives here and the capital is located. Praslin has a lot of centers for yachting and diving. La Digue has the most popular beaches. I will tell you more about the large islands below. The remaining 112 islands are divided into:

• private,
• island hotels,
• uninhabited.

Among the owners of private islands there are also our compatriots. For example, many sources attribute the Severny Island near Mahe to Mikhail Prokhorov. There are a lot of islands entirely devoted to one or two hotels. Basically they are separate villas. These include Denise, Silhouette, Bird, Alphonse, etc. Basically, service personnel and guests live here.

But the most interesting are the remote uninhabited islands-reserves, which can only be reached by an individual plane or a yacht. For example, the world's largest atoll-reserve "Aldambra". There is only a research center that serves two people at most. You can’t stay overnight in the reserves, so a yacht for such trips is ideal. You can spend the night on board, and in the morning go to the next island.

Most often, I look for hotels on Booking -, you can also get acquainted with the choice of hotels in the Seychelles in the travelask section. Those who like to immerse themselves in the local flavor can look at the offers of apartments from private owners -.

Top cities

As I said, there is only one city in the Seychelles, it is also the capital of Victoria.

Islands

Mahe

This is the main and most big Island. My acquaintance with Mae was quite comical for me. Friends met at the airport. On the way home we had to pass through Victoria. I was looking forward to when we finally enter the city. But the city did not appear. Outside the window flashed only suburban buildings and palm trees. When I asked “well, where is Victoria?” Everyone laughed. Suburban buildings in the trees were the city.

Mahe has a very well developed transport network (more on this below). Therefore, you can get to any sights without problems.

On the eastern part of the island there are magnificent long beaches. To my surprise, they were quite empty.

Dogs bathe in the sea instead of people. For example, here are these three dogs that found a pipeline that goes into the water, and had fun walking along it one after another from the shore, then back to the shore.

The bright colors of the ocean here echo the bright colors of the houses and clothes of the inhabitants.

Interestingly, each district here has its own school uniform color. And the shape is very stylish. Sometime after noon, the children begin to return home, so if you are on the bus at this time, every now and then the colorful students enter it. For example, in this place the shape is light pink.

And next to Victoria is blue.

As for the southern part of the island, when the weather is right, surfers appear here. Although surfing in the Seychelles is not very developed. This is a dangerous activity due to the sharp coral reefs that surround all the islands.

You can go to the waterfall. It is located to the west in the Port Glaud area.

Not far from the bus stop there is a Catholic church. It is the main landmark, behind which begins a small hiking trail deep into Morne Park, leading to the waterfall. You can swim, the water is cool and clean.

The only danger here is slippery stones and small seychelles falling from above like plums. They climb high into the trees and jump into the lake doing somersaults.

For them, this is an analogue of our bungee from childhood somewhere in the village with their grandmother. True, much more dangerous. And another chance to get a dollar tip for your tricks from an enthusiastic tourist.

The Port Glaud place itself is also worthy of attention. There is a good beach and a small uninhabited island is located very close by. At low tide, tourists wander back and forth to it. Who is in a bathing suit, who is right in clothes, taking the same photos with a littered horizon, as the sun reflects off the white sand and blinds the eyes even through sunglasses.

North along the coast behind Port Launay, the motorway ends.

But, if you like adventure, you can go further on foot and stumble upon an abandoned old school. And then go out to a closed bay, where the water surface is more like a lake than an ocean.

Between Victoria and west coast mountains and tropical forest. On the very high point there is something like observation deck from where you have an amazing view.

It’s definitely worth coming here not even because of the view, but to feel like a forest gnome next to the giant roots of old trees that grow on the way to the site.

On the way up, you can collect clean water from the "mini-waterfalls".

The Seychelles believe that it is better to live in the mountains, so here the prices for houses are much higher than those on the coast. This is due to practicality: the closer the sea, the faster the building is destroyed by salt and wind. The ocean views are beautiful.

You can also visit a tea factory in the area.

Let's go back north. In any small seaside town there is a street "along which everyone walks back and forth in the evening." In the Seychelles, this is the promenade of Beau Vallon beach.

There are many hotels, hostels and restaurants here. This is the most popular beach among locals and tourists. In the morning, here you can watch how the fishermen lay out their nets.

And in the afternoon flocks of bathing children, black as coals.

Victoria itself is several streets with a cinema, a bank, a vegetable market, a bus station and a Pirate Hands cafe.

The clock tower, or "Big Ben", is considered the center of the city.

They even take him school trips(I note that the shape is again a different color in the photo).

Praslin Island

On Praslin is national park Vallee de Mai with thickets of the famous coco de mer palm. This is a must-see for most tourists. The fruits grow high, so it’s not good to see or touch them. Although there is a specially plucked fruit on a separate table - for photographs.

It was much more interesting for me to visit the flying foxes. I noticed these animals on the very first day: I was admiring the evening sky, when “Batman” suddenly flew over my head. It turned out to be a flying fox and theirs is here great amount. They are active in the twilight, call unpleasantly and often fight.

It has always been a mystery to me why fruits are everywhere on the road, even if there are no fruit trees anywhere near. Then I found the reason: flying foxes eat sitting on trees. At the same time, they manage to fight and divide the territory at the same time. Therefore, if you are standing under a palm tree and suddenly a mango falls from above, do not be surprised. The clumsy fox just dropped his dinner on you.

In the center of the island, one of the inhabitants keeps a "hotel" for them.

He first set up cages to make it look like a zoo. But he failed to catch them. The foxes themselves found and took a fancy to the cage. Now every day they come here to spend the night. Of course, it is safe here, and even fed. And tourists have the opportunity to take a closer look at them. It turned out that these animals are more like winged toy terriers.

Their front paws are very specific, it is not surprising that they often drop food.

And no one closes the cage, you can visit the foxes.

La Digue

Impressions from this island are like from the good old fairy tale by Paulo Coelho. “If you want something, the whole Universe will contribute to it” - it seems that it works here.

Even Mahe seems noisy and densely populated compared to tiny La Digue. The area of ​​this island is only 10 square kilometers. However, it has its own school, church and a small branch of the bank. And, of course, hostels, hotels and hotels of all kinds. People move around the island on bicycles, which I will discuss in more detail below in the Transport chapter.

In the southwestern part is the Union Estate Park (L'Union Estate).

Entrance costs 7.5 USD (100 SCR, Seychelles rupees) for the whole day.

Here you can look at the house where the famous "Farewell Emmanuel" was filmed, meet the traditional bull, which used to be the only mode of transport on the island.

Or find a small shipyard (which, by the way, works).

And also see vegetable gardens and an old ruined ship with pirate symbols.

The ship, of course, is relatively modern, and the picture was applied for entourage. Although in the same park there is a real old pirate cemetery and, according to the stories of the descendants of the first settlers, there was once a pirate base here.

Also, L’Union Estate has access to the coast to the beaches of amazing beauty. In general, two things must be done on La Digue without fail: to see the turtles and walk along all the beaches, including hard-to-reach ones.

Moyen Island

This is an island-reserve with a beautiful history. In 1962, the Englishman Brandon Grimshaw bought it for 8,000 GBR (pounds sterling). At that time, the island was in a deplorable state, but gradually the new owner turned this place into a beautiful nature reserve. He brought plants, trees, birds and giant tortoises here and lived on the island alone with his assistant until his death in 2012.

Something like a story about Robinson Crusoe and Friday. Although, unlike Robinson, Brandon was extremely sociable and gladly met tourists. But, most importantly, he refused the 50,000,000 USD offered to him by a private investor in order to buy the island and build a hotel here.

A Seychellois friend told me that he met Brandon in 2007 and was amazed that an 80-year-old man was running up and down the island like a boy.

You can see what package tours are offered to the Seychelles and find out about prices at this.

Top attractions

Turtles on La Digue

It was on La Digue that the turtles left me in a state of delight, both land and sea.

For land turtles in the center of the Union Estate Park, a separate area is fenced.

Animals can be fed, tables with piled branches are specially placed nearby. The fence is low, you can easily get over it. It's forbidden, but if you just take harmless pictures, no one will say anything.

Although, when you see a century-old turtle with a shell of more than a meter, the obsession with climbing it does not go out of your head.

The main thing is to control yourself and remember that this is strictly prohibited. I was struck by the fact that they are not at all afraid of people. I picked up more branches and climbed into the aviary.

After a while, the turtles just surrounded me. The two even quarreled. When all the food was eaten, I stroked one “behind the ear” as a joke. It turned out that they really like it, the turtles squint pretty and stretch their necks like cats.

I wouldn't be surprised if they could rumble. As a result, the cluster of turtles around me remained the same, only already waiting not for food, but for attention.

Another funny thing: turtles don't like to get around anyone. If you are photographing her walking towards you, be careful because the turtle will most likely not swerve. Tested by experience.

Sea turtles made me even more delighted. They are, of course, smaller than land ones, about 40–50 cm long, but more spectacular. The easiest way to get to know them is to take a sea snorkeling tour from La Digue.

Guides have their own places where lured turtles are not afraid of people. For half a day, we stopped at four locations, in each of which we were sure to find a turtle.

The underwater camera takes amazing pictures.

There was a funny incident when our guide took one of the tortoises as a small child and began to lull to sleep under the general emotion. When he let go and swam further, the turtle swam after him and began to ask to be returned to his arms.

The hard-to-reach beaches of La Digue

Another value of La Digue is the coast.

It is believed that the most ideal and often photographed beaches in the Seychelles are located on La Digue. There are about twenty of them on the island, and in order to understand which beach is the most beautiful for you, it is better to go around them all.

The map shows that roads on La Digue are far from being everywhere. To the beaches, to which there is no entrance, in fact, there is no approach. Along the entire Southwestern and East coast there is a conditional "tourist trail". Although, as a trail ... it's just tropical thickets and huge boulders, on which white arrows are drawn every 10 meters, where to go next. The path is dangerous, sometimes there is also this: two boulders, between which the distance is more than two meters and a deep crevice at the bottom ... and an arrow “you go to the next boulder”. It's OK. Even a person with good physical fitness will find it difficult. Therefore, it is better to go with a guide who knows all the options for detours.

Conductors are different. There are boring "whites" with a pure English accent on pre-booked excursions. And there are locals. You can also find a local guide yourself.

We found ours on the beach at L'Union Estate on the advice of friends.

At first he scared me. When asked if he would give us a tour, the rastaman-like guide thought, muttered something like “the moon is normal tomorrow” and said to come the next day early in the morning. After looking at our beach “outfit”, he added that this would not work: “We need comfortable shorts, closed sports shoes. We will walk waist-deep in water, it is better to take a backpack with a zipper for personal items, so that it is convenient to carry it on your head.” This is something I didn't expect at all.

Nevertheless, we set out the next morning. The conductor's name was Ronald. It turned out that he was not even a rastaman at all, but ... a herbalist. Bush-doctor, as he called himself. He told us a lot about animals and plants, which one is used.

We even found baobabs. At first, the path really went along a tourist trail. Ronald helped us through all the difficult places. In some, where the crevices between the stones were too wide to jump over, Ronald somehow went down, "fixed" in the crevices and put his hands up ... And we passed through them. Even men. The herbalist himself moved through the tropics quickly and silently, like a panther.

Sometimes he joked with us. For example, let's go down the path. Ronald last. The path is simple, but there is a rock on the left, and a cliff on the right, so it is unrealistic to get around the person walking in front of you. After some time, the path leads us to a viewing stone. Ronald is sitting on a stone (apparently for a long time) and pensively admiring the view of the ocean. How and where he managed to overtake us is unclear. It was like a trick.

As promised, part of the way we walked on the water: we went around the rocks that go into the ocean, which are very difficult to climb on land. All the warnings about clothes and a backpack with a zipper turned out to be correct. No need to meddle with a beach bag and flip-flops on this hike.

We made a couple of stops to swim. Views of stunning beauty. Near the end, when everyone was tired, Ronald took us to the stream to have a bite to eat. It is still hard to believe that on a small lost island in the ocean, the purest mountain springs beat. But it is so. The herbalist brought huge wide palm leaves, deftly made a tray out of them and laid out the standard set of Seychellois fruits: mango, starfruit, golden apple (golden apple), passion fruit (as they call passion fruit). He handed out knives and taught how to clean and eat them properly. At such moments you feel like a real Mowgli.

In two or three hours we went to the more or less inhabited Grand Anse beach, to which a normal road was laid. This was the end point of our journey.

The herbalist remembered us and treated us like his own. A couple of days later, we accidentally met him on the beach. He got us coconuts from a palm tree, and we sat very sincerely for several hours, philosophizing about life and sipping coconut milk.

Ronald told us the story of his family, how his ancestors came here from Madagascar. Shared my plans. It turns out that he bought a piece of land in the forest on La Digue, he dreams of organizing a camp there to go on multi-day hikes and meet amazing sunsets with a guitar by the fire.

It's good that our bards haven't mastered this island yet.

Sunsets are really impressive, as the color of the sky changes very quickly in a short time, it shimmers like a mother-of-pearl shell.

In general, one of the main points that I noticed in the Seychelles is how willingly people here share their dreams and how closely they are connected with nature. What seems magical to us is life for them.

For example, already at the nth hour of sitting on the beach, the phrase “I wonder what time it is now?” Ronald calmly answered us: "Half-five." I took out my phone, and indeed, half past four. He didn't look at the clock. Moreover, I noticed that he did not have a watch at all and asked: “How did you guess?” Ronald did not even understand the question: “I mean, how? By the sun, of course.

Market in Victoria

It is worth going to the market to admire the bright colors and colorful sellers.

The most popular items are small bananas, coconuts and mangoes.

Some sellers even have something in common with their products in terms of colors. Including fishmongers.

I saw some vegetables and fruits for the first time. For example, the bread fruit or the delicious golden apple fruit, which looks like a dirty, unpeeled potato.

The market has a second floor, where a mysterious staircase of all colors of the rainbow leads. There is a small cafe, from which, to tell the truth, no one is delighted.

It is in the market that you can meet the indigenous Seychelles, the descendants of pirates and English colonizers. You can see them right away. This fisherman, judging by my observations, enjoys special authority.

The fish sold is the most diverse, depending on how successful the catch was: from colorful rainbow fish to stingrays and sharks. Usually for a tourist a bunch of 5 medium fish costs 7.5 USD (100 SCR). I suspect that for locals the price is lower.

Not frightened little herons walk around the stalls in search of prey. Besides tourists, no one pays much attention to them.

For 2.5 USD (35 SCR) your fish will be cleaned immediately. True, sometimes you need to wait in line, since there is only one cleaner for the entire market.

Cinema in Victoria

Cinema is one of the few cultural entertainments in the Seychelles. The cinema building is located on Albert Street. It is old, built in the 70s, with a Soviet atmosphere. Although the picture and sound are good.

The cash desk works as it wants, that is, not in accordance with the schedule. The choice of films here is small. But the premieres come out simultaneously with Moscow, sometimes even ahead of it. This surprised me. Tickets cost 2–3 USD. Movies go on English language.

I was interested in going in the first place to see the people. For evening sessions on weekends, the Seychelles often dress up and gather at the entrance, as before a performance.

The schedule or information that the film is in 3D format can be viewed on A4 sheets glued directly to the posters. Sometimes lizards crawl out here.

During the day it is quite empty. And there is also a cool air conditioner, which is also important. If you are suddenly tired of the heat and are standing in the middle of Victoria, you can go to the cinema, take a nap and watch some action movie out of the corner of your eye.

Concert Hall in Victoria

Victoria has its own concert hall. Sometimes world-famous stars go there. I managed to go there and catch the president congratulating and giving words of parting words to the athletes before leaving for the ninth Games of the island of the Indian Ocean. This is an analogue Olympic Games for small island states, are also held every 4 years.

The event usually showcases the sports that will be competed in and the national uniform.

General photo: President James Alex Michel (2nd row, 7th from left) with athletes representing each team.

Most of the athletes are not professionals, but simply the strongest representatives in a particular sport on the island. But still, amateurs.

Active training usually starts a few months before games. But not everyone has enough space. For example, I found a football field that was combined with a pasture.

Weather

According to statistics, the weather in the Seychelles is the same both in summer and in winter - + 26–28 ° C. best time locals consider the period from March to June.

The first thing I thought about when I saw the Seychelles on the map is that if there is a tsunami, the wave will pass through all these 115 islands and will not even slow down. But I was quickly reassured by the locals, who claim that there will never be a tsunami in the Seychelles, because seismically active zones are far from here. Large storms also bypass the islands, as a calm current flows in this area, it protects a small defenseless country. I will believe them.

Money

The national currency of the Seychelles is the Seychellois rupee (SCR). There are about 13–13.5 SCR in 1 USD. Interesting banknotes: with sea turtles, fish and, oddly enough, owls. The rupee is divided into 100 cents: coins of 5, 10 and 25 cents respectively - with coconuts and shells.

You can exchange currency at the hotel, or at one of two exchange offices in the center of Victoria if you have a passport. Look for currency exchange signs on Elbert street and Independence avenue. With hands the exchange is prohibited, so it's better not to try.

Banknotes are made of tear-resistant material, so you can crumple them as you like. Seychelles usually do this, some wear money in the form of lumps. It is very convenient. People who are clearly not fans of accuracy will find psychological support here. The main thing is not to take this habit home.

I first encountered this in the market. To give me 10 SCR as change, the saleswoman took out a crumpled transparent bag in which vegetables are weighed. It was filled with candy wrappers, just as wrinkled. Rummaging around in it, she pulled out a pinkish lump and handed it to me. As if nothing had happened, without even trying to straighten it.

With this "lump" I decided to pay off in a nearby vegetable shop and see the reaction. But there was no reaction, the second saleswoman took it and put it in her package, the same wrinkled as that of the first saleswoman.

When paying for excursions, some shops and restaurants accept currency. If the question arises whether to take dollars or euros, then rather dollars. For some reason, the Seychelles treat them with great confidence, and someone even sincerely believes that the dollar is equal to the euro.

For example, when paying for the tour, they told me the price was 90 euros. I asked to convert it into dollars. They looked at me with bewilderment, as if I did not know the most basic things, and they said that 90 euros is 90 dollars. I didn't argue. There were times when the course was still recalculated for me even on a calculator. But the dollar turned out to be not only equal, but also more expensive than the euro, and significantly.

Bank cards are accepted only in hotels or good restaurants. It's best to always carry cash with you.

Moving around the country

Mahe Island

It's hard to believe, but on Mahe, whose area is only 155 square kilometers, the bus network has 82 routes (as of 2015).

The bus station is located near the center of Victoria. The waiting areas are very comfortable - snake-shaped benches. So you don't stand in line and there is never a hustle. The fences also serve as a horizontal bar for local children.

You can ask the employees for a printout with the schedule (their office is located in the center of the bus station), at the same time consult on directions. You can also view information. Oddly enough, the schedule is often respected, this is not at all in the spirit of the Seychelles.

Buses depart from here to all corners of the island. There is a scene in the Harry Potter movie where a crazy double-decker bus drives around London. It's about the same here, only the buses are not red, but blue, and instead of safe streets, there are serpentines without barriers.

There are places in the south where two oncoming buses cannot pass because of the narrow road. Then both stop and one of them backs off until there is a wider space. After that, they slowly, literally a dozen centimeters from each other, disperse. And again I remember the London double-decker bus, which crawled between two buses.

The fare is 0.4 USD (5 SCR) for any bus in any direction. To get off at a stop, the driver must be warned in advance by pressing the exit button. The exit buttons are something like the old light switches at the top between the window openings. Sometimes the same old fans hang nearby, and they are different. But they don't work.

I lived a few stops from Victoria. An indescribable feeling when a crowded bus turns almost 90 degrees without slowing down.

You are coming from the market full packages products. Suddenly, the sharp fin of a fresh tropical fish still tears the bag, and ripe mangoes are already rolling on the floor like billiard balls. Behind them joyfully falls out the fish. Seychellois around you kindly help and catch your purchases as cleverly as the balance in the bus, which, meanwhile, turns 90 degrees at speed in the other direction.

Not in the Seychelles good beaches for surfers, but why have beaches when there are surf buses.

La Digue Island

La Digue is an island of bicycles. I saw only one normal car here, a police car. There may be a few more hiding somewhere, but no more. Also, a small trolley-styled truck with an open trunk drives around the island, into which tourists fall.

The historical mode of transportation here is mule carts.

Now the mules don’t really carry anyone anymore and earn money in an easier way: they stand and chew grass in the national park. But the tradition remained, and the tourist truck is the prototype of those same carts. There are also small electric cars that take tourists with heavy luggage from the pier to the hotel, but there are also very few of them. Everyone else is run by bicycles.

Children get used to it from an early age. Even elementary school a whole cluster of little two-wheeled "friends".

As soon as the tourist gets off the ferry, he is offered to take a bicycle for 20 USD per day. If you sailed with a large flow of tourists, it is better to take a bike right away so that there is more choice. All the same, everyone will have to take a bike.

You can get to national park, to the famous beach of Sant Ance, and finally to your hotel. Hotels have long adapted to the fact that vacationers come on bicycles, so there are many places where there are special parking lots. Without fear, the bike can be left near the beach, the main thing is to be able to find it later.

It should be noted that there are almost no streetlights on La Digue. Therefore, it is better to return home before the onset of total darkness.

Returning a bike is easy: leave it at the pier in the place where you picked it up. Even if no one is around. And calmly get on your ferry. But if you decide to stay an extra day, be sure to find the person you rented the bike from. Otherwise, he will find you. You can't get away from the island.

With me there was such a case. I once decided to extend the lease and came to agree on this only in the evening. There was no longer a soul on the pier. Made a couple of laps and went home. Indecently late in the evening there was a knock on the door of my bungalow. From the pitch darkness, the bicycle caretaker was looking at me, who completely blended into the background around. I still don't know how he found me. To my words that I came to him, but did not find it on the spot, he mysteriously replied: "Yes ... they told me ...". But who said if there was no one on the pier? I became uncomfortable. It felt like I was being watched.

In general, after this incident, he clearly disliked me and on the last day he tried to charge me for an extra day. Our argument was overheard by a man passing by. He joined in the conversation, the conversation switched to Creole. As the Creole accelerated and the words "cuyo" (Seychelles curse) appeared in speech, the opponents began to shout at each other and wave their arms like Italians.

A crowd of onlookers gathered around. I was terribly embarrassed, but there was nothing left to do but observe. Victory was on my side.

Then it turned out that the guy who stood up for me was the owner of all these bicycles. That is, the boss defended the interests of his own client from his own subordinate with the use of hands and curses. Almost got into a fight. And that's okay. It's OK.

Praslin (Praly)

In Praslin, it is better to rent a car right away. Buses run there, but rarely and not quite on schedule, like on Mahe. Many complain. Therefore, it is better to immediately take the car. You can see what rental offers are available, for example.

Moving between islands

How to get from Mahe to Praslin

Small planes (for about 20 people) ply in this direction. Very beautiful and interesting if you have never flown a corncob. It is better to take seats in the first row, since there is no partition between the cockpit and the cabin.

You can look directly into the windshield and observe the work of the pilots. Pretty interesting. Fly on the strength of half an hour.

For about the same money, you can get on the Cat Cocos high-speed ferry. The ferry is relatively new and comfortable, sailing for an hour. Ticket price:

• 50 USD - economy,
• 55 USD - economy on upper deck,
• 67 USD - business class.

You can book tickets at seychellesbookings.com.

How to get from Mahe to La Digue

It's already more difficult. There is no airport on La Digue. There are only helipads that are used for private purposes or when someone from the Seychelles needs to be urgently transported to Victoria (for example, to a maternity hospital).

Tourists get first to Praslin, and then on a smaller ferry to La Digue. Travel time - half an hour, tickets can be bought immediately dual: Mahe - Praslin - La Digue. The cost of these tickets:

• 65 USD - economy,
• 70 USD - economy on the upper deck,
• 81 USD - business class.

If you are on a yacht, the problem of moving between any of the islands disappears by itself.

Connection

In the Seychelles, there are two identical telephone operators who are constantly competing. The competition between them is fierce. But clients only benefit from this. In order to lure new users to itself, one or another company periodically sends SMS with promotions from the series: put 20 USD into your account in the next three days, and this amount will triple. It really works.

To apply for a local SIM card, go to the office with your passport (the office is located in Victoria). You really have to wait in line.

The balance can be replenished at the office of the mobile operator or at the checkout of the supermarket (oddly enough, the money is deposited without a commission).

Language and communication

The national language of the Seychelles is Creole. This is a wild mixture of English and French, which the Seychelles adopted from the former colonizers. They speak very quickly and distort words, it is quite difficult to understand speech. Usually I snatched out some pieces of phrases and already thought out the general meaning from them.

Communication in the Seychelles is a separate issue. The Seychelles love to talk about themselves and hear about your life.

When I first arrived on the islands, one local Russian told me the story of his acquaintance with the islands. He came to the Seychelles to his dad, who lived here for a long time. They were walking along Victoria, when suddenly a man approached them and suddenly started a conversation with his dad. They discussed the weather, some news, then said goodbye, and each went his own way. My friend thought that they were old friends, but still decided to ask who it was. To which the answer was: "I don't know."

It turned out that this is normal. An unfamiliar Seychellois may come up to you and begin to tell how he is doing. No, he's not crazy, he doesn't want money from you, he's just bored and decided to chat. In turn, a detailed response is expected from you. For the Seychelles, this is really interesting. And you will be listened to carefully. And perhaps they will give philosophical life advice, by the way, really useful.

Upon arrival, I would not have believed in that story if I had not immediately got into an even stranger one. I stood near the entrance to the market and tried to catch something interesting in the lens.

Suddenly, some Seychelles approached me and started asking about the lens settings. The questions were quite professional, which surprised me. But that was only the beginning. Then, as expected, this man began to tell something about his life, namely, that he likes to swim for a long time with a mask, snorkel in the ocean and sing. At the same time, two homeless people started cursing next to us.

Upon learning that I was from Russia, Varren (that was the name of my new acquaintance) said that he adored Prokofiev, especially the Dance of the Knights from the ballet Romeo and Juliet. He loudly, not embarrassed by anyone, began to hum this piece. It should be noted that he really hit the notes very well.

In the meantime, the homeless were already raging in earnest. I was waiting for someone to splash a bucket of cold water on them. This is how they usually separate fighting cats that cannot be disengaged. I was prepared for the fact that absurdity reigns in the Seychelles. But the contrast of the fight of the homeless, fighting to the singing of Prokofiev's "Dance of the Knights" somewhere on an island lost in the Indian Ocean, will drive anyone to a standstill ...

Further more. Paying no attention to the combatants, Varren continued to finish me off with his musical outlook. I never thought that my musical education would be useful in a conversation with a local Seychellois. He began to argue that Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" in the bass part has something similar to Prokofiev's "Dance of the Knights". Therefore, to his shame, he used to think that it was Prokofiev who wrote Night on Bald Mountain. By the way, they really overlap somewhere.

The homeless were already surrounded by curious observers who looked more like fans. My interlocutor was almost pushed, only then he calmly offered to move away from the fight. And then a control shot sounded: “What, in your opinion, is the main idea in Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard”? I always wanted to know what the Russians themselves think about this.”

The desire to fight back with general phrases disappeared when I saw that they were listening to me attentively and with interest. The exam in literature, as well as in the history of music, was passed.

Features of the mentality

Greetings

In addition to the fact that the Seychelles love to talk, they love to say hello. The fact that you are walking and the Seychellois is passing by in a car will also not prevent him from saying hello by beeping loudly. At first, I thought that this was a typical manifestation of male attention. But when an elderly Seychellois woman beeped and waved to me from the car, I stopped thinking like that. I waved back at her and she drove on.

At first I could not get used to it and did not react. But if you ignore the Seychelles, they don't understand it. They think that you just didn't notice their greeting, and they say hello again more noticeably. Just say hello and they'll leave happy. You quickly get used to it, and you yourself are the first to say hello. This is another bad habit that is better not to bring to Russia. You will not be understood, it is verified.

Family

Matriarchy reigns in the Seychelles. The woman is the head of the family. As soon as the husband is guilty of something, she easily kicks him out. Children stay with their mother, and the state pays benefits for them.

Often there are several children in the family, and all from different dads. And the current husband is not very worried.

Marriages are mostly civil. Relationships are rarely officially registered, because all relatives and friends must be invited to the wedding. But since a typical Seychelles has one half of the island - all sorts of relatives, and the other half - friends, it is very expensive to play a wedding.

Family ties are a different story. The beauty of island life is that everyone knows each other like in a big village. Therefore, the probability of finding the right person is very high. If you are looking for someone, you can just go for a walk and stumble upon him.

When I flew to the Seychelles, for some reason I thought that it would be interesting to talk with the Minister of Tourism of this country. I thought and forgot. And so a week later I am faced with a surprising situation. The last ferry from La Digue to Mahe, where I live, leaves at 17:00. Today, for some reason, he left at 16:30. Everyone knew about it. Except me. As always.

Five o'clock in the evening. I am standing on the pier with a package of souvenirs, on which I spent almost all my money taken on La Digue. It's getting dark. Not fun. But something tells me I should have just stayed here.

As a result, I stayed overnight, got into a conversation with the owner of a small hotel. It turned out that this is one of the oldest inhabitants, whose ancestors "discovered" this island. We talked until late in the evening ... about everything: from the competition to catch the biggest marlin to the idiocy of the idea of ​​marriage contracts. And then he says: “Here is the number of my brother, you would be very interested to talk to him. He's the minister of tourism here."

The next day, I got to Mahe with a sin in half. And then I needed to interview the coach of the Seychelles yachting team. But first we had to find him. By that time, my logic had already turned off. But some kind of magical intuition turned on.

I came to the bus stop, looked at the buses. She sat down in the one on which the eye stopped, and drove off. An unknown bus (as it turned out, route number 13) brought me to the other side of the island.

I get out at the end, look around and just go in the direction I wanted.

A teenager is following me. According to the good old Seychelles tradition, for no reason at all, he begins to tell how he is doing. Namely, that he goes after school to his aunt to fix the light bulb in the garage. Then the conversation somehow smoothly turns to a hobby, and I say that I am interested in yachting. And, finally, I hear what my instinct has been leading me to all day: “Oh, my relative is the coach of the yachting team here.” A little intuition, a few buses - and you go out to any person.

Holidays and parties

You might think that since the Seychelles are so friendly, their holidays are similar to the Brazilian carnival. This is not entirely true. The usual celebration in their house goes according to the following principle: treats are put on the table, the guests who come pick up food, disperse in different corners and just eat. Everyone eats one, maximum two people. No toasts and songs. No unity. All in different directions. They are a bit like animals that don't like being touched while eating. But after eating, you can talk.

Nightlife in the Seychelles

On a Friday afternoon, the smell of the approaching weekend begins to hover in the air. Everyone is getting livelier. You can stumble upon unrestrained fun when they put a tape recorder on the ground and dance incomprehensible dances with African motifs. No matter where: on the sand, in the yard, at the bus stop.

But again, these are small companies. More or less large discos also take place. But they have their own unspoken rules. There is too little population in the Seychelles for some parties to take place in several places at the same time. Therefore, the week is distributed approximately like this: Monday and Tuesday - everyone works, Wednesday - Food Festival on Bouvalon Beach, Thursday - on Taka-Maka Beach (this is the south of the island), Friday - Eden island or Tequilaboom club near Bouvalon Beach after midnight, at Saturday club Katiolo near the airport, on Sunday - picnics.

Of course, you can come to Katiolo on a different day. For example, Wednesday. Everything will be open here too, but most likely you will see only tourists and a few dull Seychelles who do not want to have fun. Because everyone knows that you should come to Katiolo not on Wednesday, but on Saturday.

So, Wednesday is the Feast of Food in Bouvalon. You can come here to eat and watch muchcha dancing around the fire. On the embankment there are tents with knick-knacks and food (take away).

It is safe for tourists here, they roam and are touched by exotic fruits, which you can immediately buy and try. Locals come here rather to see others and show themselves. They come by cars in separate companies, turn on music and communicate.

You can meet and complete despondency, especially among young people. Once I saw a youth company that came to “hang out” in an SUV with an open trunk. They turned on the club music at full power and sit. In the trunk. Silently. Listen to music with boring faces and smoke. Ten meters away is the same car with the same picture.

I admit that the reason for the complete apathy lies in the fact that they smoke too much and not cigarettes at all. In general, according to locals, in recent years, the number of drug addicts has begun to increase on the islands, and more and more illegal drugs are being imported. Young people do not go to school, but earn money for drugs by picking coconuts, buying multi-colored straws and selling fresh coconut to drink on the beach for 7 USD (100 SCR).

When it gets completely dark, at the Food Festival they kindle a pioneer fire and start dancing. Finally, there is some kind of unity.

At other local events, there are not many tourists. You can come for the sake of interest, but better company. Girls need to be accompanied by men. Especially fair-haired, since this is the standard of beauty for the Seychelles, and you will be noticed everywhere, whether you like it or not. Although men also need to be on the alert. My friend (of Slavic appearance) told me that once in a bar an elderly woman tried to “pick up” him. She looked at him for a long time and languidly, then nevertheless came up with the words: “Do you want me to ... buy a TV for you?”

National holidays

Once a year, almost the entire population of the Seychelles gathers in one place. The island celebrates Independence Day on June 29, which takes place at the sports arena near Victoria. Next to the arena there are sports buildings and a lot of “just free space” - land with half-dried grass. In the morning, exhibitions of the national economy open in some buildings. Somewhere they set up separate tents. The semi-dry grass becomes even more trampled, as many tents with street food and all sorts of knick-knacks grow on it.

All day long, crowds go to exhibitions and cafes. You can buy a lottery ticket and get a chance to win a car.

In the evening, when it gets dark, the parade begins.

The president arrives with a lot of security. I didn’t manage to get into the arena itself purely physically. All beat up. There are local amateur performances, children's sports sections and, of course, the military. There are many military men, the uniform is beautiful and different.

Through one of the entrances, I still managed to photograph the backs of the children with ribbons preparing for the exit and a piece of the stands.

Those who did not fit into the stands continue to festivities outside the arena.

The next morning, it is better not to come to this place, as the garbage after the festivities will be removed all day.

By the way, Russia Day (June 12) is also celebrated in the Seychelles. As a rule, the holiday takes place either in the Russian embassy or in one of the hotels.

Religion in the Seychelles

The Seychelles has everything: Catholic churches,

and a Hindu temple

and the mosque

and even an Orthodox "club" (there is no church yet, there is only a room). And yet, the vast majority of the Seychelles are Catholics.

But they are not ordinary Catholics. Still, the sound of African tom-toms lives deep in their subconscious.

It turns out a kind of mix: Catholic sermons end with noisy tribal dances and general fun. You might think that this is gospel - we often see this in American films - when the church choir in multi-colored robes sings cheerful, incendiary songs. So, in the Seychelles - not gospel, here they went even further. But first things first.

You can go to the service in the church, or you can go to the “local church” at the invitation of someone from the Seychelles. There are a lot of them in the Seychelles, that's where all the fun happens. An invitation is needed because it is difficult to find such a “church” on your own. On the surface, it's just… a house. Therefore, it is better to go with one of the residents.
Our morning began with the fact that the Seychelles, who invited us, slept well. He sent a text message about this only when we had already arrived at the bus station in Victoria and had been waiting for him for some time. Seychelles and time management are incompatible concepts. Fortunately, we immediately met another friend in line for the bus and went to work with her.
The local church is like our old houses of culture, only on a smaller scale. Stage, hall, heavy curtains. Only on top there are still TVs with karaoke, and near the stage there is an unexpected synthesizer with drum kits.

There were many parishioners, about fifty. All are dressy. As the only "whites", we immediately caught a bunch of puzzled looks. But then we got used to it.

Then a gloomy pastor came on stage and ... began to sing into the microphone in an amazingly pleasant voice. I think he looked like Frank Sinatra. The karaoke TVs turned on and flashed. Moreover, the flying space was the background on the screens with the text.

On the third song, people were already singing along, got up from their chairs, raised their hands and began to sway to the music. Some cried and repented aloud.

I realized that I had fallen into a sect and that I had to quietly disappear from here. But since we were in the middle of the hall, it was problematic to do so. A security guard approached me imperceptibly and politely showed that we should also dance.

The songs are over. The sermons began. Perhaps I was affected by the atmosphere of general madness, but the pastor's sermons seemed to me very sensible. The main idea is a serious attitude to the institution of marriage. For freedom-loving and loving Seychelles, this is what the doctor ordered.

An hour after the start, an official entered the hall with a wife who looked like Michelle Obama. I provisionally named him mayor. The official part has begun. The "Mayor" said something life-affirming and that everyone did well. And then the question was asked: “Are there people among us who are here for the first time today?”. We did not expect such a trick. The parishioners at once turned their heads to us, "aliens". There was nowhere to hide. The "mayor's wife" ran up, kissed me several times and handed me a heavy envelope. It probably contained a profile of a new parishioner and church literature. I never found out the exact answer, because I accidentally threw it into a donation bag.

Immediately after the “conversion of us” to the new faith, people with packages began to walk around the hall. Parishioners put money in small envelopes in advance, and then throw them into a common bag. When a person with such a package approached me, my brain, which had gone nuts from everything that was happening, was no longer working. But suddenly the herd instinct worked: this is a package, you need to throw an envelope here. In the end, I never found out what the woman who looked like Obama told me.

After that, a new test awaited us - preachers. This is a group of young guys in identical shirts, who deftly divided the hall into groups of eight people and began classes. It turned out that the parishioners also had textbooks with them. The sermons are Catholic, but also with a Seychellois accent. Phrases slipped through that drove me to a dead end. For example: "We are all brothers, we must be tolerant of each other and love each other, but we must not forget that the Jews are the servants of Satan."

The break is over. The day was approaching its culmination - the speech of the parishioners. At the end of the service, everyone can come out and sing, dance, say words of gratitude, talk about their thoughts. No one is shy here, so performances drag on for several hours. Most of all I remember a man dressed in long dark trousers and a closed black jacket with leather inserts. On his hands - a massive gold watch, on his feet - winter boots. Probably a local fashionista. Ever since the beginning of the service, I have watched with regret how he suffers from the heat, but endures. Finally, his hour has come.

The man turned on the soundtrack “like from the Matrix” at full volume and began to dance. Number, I assume, he put himself, after watching enough clips on MTV. Attempts to make a "wave" with the whole body on the floor and figures from break dancing were wildly ridiculous, but sincere and inspirational. The speaker clearly considered himself the God of dancing. The most interesting thing is that everyone else thought so. It was he who deserved the loudest applause. The number ended, but the show continued. People from the audience rushed onto the stage: someone to sing, someone to dance.

One of the preachers started right there learning new moves with a dancer "from the Matrix".

In short, chaos ensued. Only the pastor stood calmly in the corner and watched his parishioners with approval as if they were small children: people are having fun, which means they are happy.

We left there tired and squeezed like lemons, eventually spending about five hours in the service. Five hours of absurdity ... but there is something to remember.

Attitude towards tourists

The Seychelles are a small but proud people. Despite the fact that the islands are geographically part of Africa, they are not Africa. And no one here considers themselves Africans. Except for drug addicts. There is a saying that tourists there are considered walking ATMs: the harder you hit, the more money you get.

When I first went to public transport I was afraid because I didn't know what to expect. But here tourists are treated more like guests. Yes, they can greet you, talk to you. Young children may look open-mouthed as an alien if you have blond hair, as this is a novelty for them during the day. Elderly Seychelles look askance like a helpless summer resident who came from a large metropolis to the village. But no one will attack you for sure.

Interestingly, the Seychelles are not particularly prone to any commercial activity at all. Again, with the exception of drug addicts who sell coconuts almost everywhere. This is especially noticeable when you go on a sea excursion for the whole day. I took excursions from different islands, and they were all, in principle, the same.

The first part of the day you watch the lagoons from a boat or catamaran, swim with a mask and fins in open water.

After lunch, you are dropped off on some wild beach for a few hours. A couple more of the same pleasure boats with tourists sail with you. At first, you bathe in absolute delight. Then, finally, you freeze and begin to observe all this beauty from the shore. Then there comes a moment when no one bathes anymore. A bunch of tourists are sitting on the beach, someone is thirsty, someone is starting to want to eat. Everyone is looking hungry to see if the boat has arrived.

And at this moment “x”, a person necessarily appears in each group who begins to argue that it would be nice to put at least a tiny tent here with drinks and food. And every time I think how right he is.

There are quite a lot of such wild beaches in the Seychelles, where tourists are brought every day, who, after swimming and starving, are ready to buy literally everything. But apart from the tourists themselves, there is no one there. Even junkies with coconuts. Although you can drive up from the shore.

When we asked a burning question to the locals who came for us, they answered without enthusiasm from the series “it pollutes the nature, and there is no need.” Nimble Turks would probably build rows of cafes and souvenir shops there. But here such a question is perceived even somehow with resentment, because the Seychelles do not believe that their main goal is to make money on tourists. Well, they are pretty lazy.

Food and drink

If I was asked what I did for so long in the Seychelles, the first thing that came to mind was “I ate”. In two directions: fresh fish and fruits.

I stopped being interested in snorkeling after I saw that the rainbow-colored fish, for which people come to dive, are on the shelves here and are considered ordinary food.

At first, I simply did not raise my hand to buy them. But after some time I went to the market specifically for this in the morning. Flavored with herbs that you can buy here, this fish is one of the most delicious memories in my life.

shopping

Vacation with children

The Seychelles is more of a honeymoon resort. I rarely met tourists with children in the Seychelles. There are no noisy animation programs and an amusement park. And thank God. This does not fit into the lifestyle of the islands at all. But if children love nature, they will remember the Seychelles for a lifetime: huge turtles, stingrays and flying foxes - that's for sure.

As well as familiar animals in unfamiliar surroundings.

Security

It gets dark in the Seychelles suddenly. Outside of hotels, there are few lanterns. If you did not have time to get to the house and go somewhere along a country road, you can get into such darkness that you have to move almost by touch. Even the flashlight on the phone does not help much.

When I told that I often found myself in such a situation, my Seychelles acquaintances were shocked. According to them, with the onset of dusk, it is better for a tourist not to walk alone outside the hotel. They are primarily afraid of the Indians, who are very numerous in the Seychelles. Almost all builders and road workers are Indians. In the morning and in the evening they can be seen driving to and from work ... in the back of trucks.

Unlike the Seychelles, they are not at all so open and friendly. Rather, even gloomy. From the sight of cars filled with sad Indians, it becomes uncomfortable. And you begin to understand why the Seychelles are afraid of them.

The more prosperous keep grocery stores here: from small shops to supermarkets. For example, I was very pleased with the name of the Krishna Market supermarket on the outskirts of Victoria. Most products in the Seychelles are imported from India. It is logical that most of the grocery stores on the islands are owned by Indian families. But such Indians are already much more benevolent than workers.

You also need to be very careful with Africans who came from the mainland (, Congo, etc.). They differ from the local population in aggressiveness and a larger complexion. The Seychelles are very peaceful and harmless compared to them.

One evening we stood on the pier of the island and watched the ferry leave with tourists, among whom was a group from Kenya. What they did every five minutes was to take pictures of everything they see with old multi-colored flip-phones. Finally, they sailed away, and the island became quiet and calm. I never thought that I would meet these people again, but I was wrong.

As is usually the case in the Seychelles, in the evening it was completely dark, and we moved to the house with some difficulty. Suddenly (as usual, blending into the darkness) a couple of frightened and out of breath Kenyans caught up with us with the question: “You were at the pier, did you happen to take anyone’s mobile phone?”. We (a little shocked either by their question, or by how they got here) said that we definitely didn’t take it. It turned out that halfway on the ferry, one of the Kenyans found out that he had lost his phone.

Not finding him on the ferry, they panicked and ... forced everyone to turn back to. By the way, this was the last flight on. And most tourists buy a “double” ticket in advance so that upon arrival at the airport they immediately transfer to the next ferry (in our history, too, the last flight) or a plane to Mahe.

How many people at that time were late for a transplant and "hung" on Praslin, one can only guess. But I definitely understood the fact that it is better to stay away from such “travelers” as far as possible. Fortunately, the Kenyans believed in our innocence and ran further into complete darkness to look for a phone around the island.

5 things to do in this country

Nearby countries

They call it the Great Land. Although this is not the closest country. This is due to the fact that many products are imported from there. For the same reason, the influence of Sri Lanka and India is strong. - one of the most popular countries among the local youth to leave to study or work. More than once I had to meet immigrants from Madagascar. Tourists come from Tanzania, Kenya and other mainland countries of East Africa.

If you are lucky enough to get to the Seychelles, you should not combine this trip with a trip to some other countries. For example, to the closest or East Africa.

You can fly to the island, overseas region of France. This is the place where you are unlikely to go specially from Russia. From Réunion by plane, you will get a direct flight in about 2 hours and 40 minutes. It must be remembered that since the island is a possession of France, you will need a Schengen visa to enter.

The main attraction is the beaches with black sand of volcanic origin and, accordingly, the volcano itself. The weather and water in Réunion is usually colder than in Praslin. Swimming here is difficult, as there are a lot of sharks in the area.

Still, in my opinion, it is better to visit another island from the Seychelles ridge than to go anywhere else. Given that it has 115 islands, you will have a lot to roam.

Have something to add?

Today I open a new and long-awaited column about the Seychelles (Seychelles) - a truly heavenly place on Earth and tropical resort located off the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles is one of the prestigious areas of beach tourism, a place that will be appreciated not only by lovers of sunbathing in the sun, but also by fans of outdoor activities. The unique beauty of the Seychelles resorts attracts tourists from all over the world and travelers from Russia, who are happy to spend their long-awaited vacation in the Seychelles. So I will share everything I know about these incomparable islands: about what kind of state the Seychelles is, where it is located, whether a visa is needed for a visit, what language they speak there, what money is in use, how much to fly there and what prices on air tickets, when is it better to relax there and what islands and hotels are in the Seychelles. In general, my article is about how best to prepare for a trip to the Seychelles and what is worth seeing there so that your vacation in the Seychelles will be remembered for a long time.

I will begin my story, of course, with the definition and short description Seychelles, where they are on the world map and what a vacation is like there.

Seychelles is an island state (its full name is the Republic of Seychelles), located below the equator line in the southern hemisphere in East Africa, in the western Indian Ocean, with a population of about 90 thousand people and an area of ​​​​only 455 km 2. According to the form of government, the country of the Seychelles is a presidential republic that gained independence from Great Britain on June 29, 1976. The Seychelles flag has 5 colors radiating from the lower left corner and was approved on June 18, 1996.

basic information

Judging by where the Seychelles are located on the map - a little south of the equator, about 1600 km east of the African mainland, their belonging to Africa can be called very conditional, especially given the unique animal world these islands. However, territorially, the Seychelles are located closest to Africa, next to another famous island— Madagascar.

Seychelles on the map

Capital of the Seychelles is the city of Victoria, the largest city of this country. It is located on the largest island of the Seychelles archipelago - Mahe (its area is 142 km 2). The Seychelles International Airport is also located there, the runway of which is only 3 meters above sea level.

The territory of the Seychelles is formed by islands towering 4-8 meters above the ocean, which in the Seychelles are of two types: granite and coral. It is very easy to distinguish between them: people live and relax on granite (inhabited), but coral ones, similar to them, are mostly uninhabited and can only be visited as part of excursions.

Want to know how many islands there are in the Seychelles? Compared to other island states, there are not so many, only 115 islands. At the same time, only 33 of them are inhabited. Moreover, most of the tourists rest in the best hotels, such as Four Seasons And Hilton Seychelles on the largest Seychelles - Mahe, Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette - or on small and private islands with exclusive hotels - North, Frigate, Felicite, Denis and a number of other resorts.

Flora and fauna Seychelles has a large percentage of endemics - birds, reptiles and plants that are found only in this archipelago of islands and nowhere else in the world. Seychelles palm trees grow here, the fruit of which weighs up to 20 kg and is considered the largest in flora. Rare species of birds also live - the Seychelles small black parrot and the bulbul nightingale.

Here is an interesting overview video about the Seychelles:

It's important to know: For detailed background information about the Seychelles, see Wikipedia, and I will continue to share with you practical information about this country and rest in it.

I would compare the Seychelles with Hawaii: there are also several large islands, each unique in its own way. Therefore, when preparing trips to the Seychelles the most important thing is to choose the right island on which you will relax. If we compare it with the Maldives, then everything will be completely different, because it is not so important (in essence, they are almost all the same) how to decide whether you want to relax.

Here are the top three hotels in the Seychelles:

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles 5* - a real paradise lagoon and stunning views of the ocean. The hotel is conveniently located in the south-west of the island of Mahe in a private cove of Petit Anse. From the airport, it can be reached in just half an hour. Accommodation in spacious villas with expensive interiors and a swimming pool. It features two Creole and international restaurants, a hillside spa with panoramic views and the best yoga center in the Seychelles. Price per room – from $1000 per day. Book Four Seasons 5*

Raffles Seychelles 5*- relatively new hotel with great room design, great sandy Takamaka beach without pebbles and incredible staff. This truly fabulous place is located on the island of Praslin. It features romantic and family-friendly villas and apartments with superb interiors and a private pool, yoga room and kids club. For the convenience of guests, there are as many as 3 restaurants on site, which often host theme nights. The perfect place to stay in the Seychelles. The hotel speaks Russian, there is a Russian manager. Price per room – from $1100 per day. Book Hotel Raffles 5*

Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa 5* is the only hotel on Silhouette Island. It is included in the top of the best hotels in the Seychelles and is the wildest, which will especially appeal to lovers of nature and the ocean. The well-groomed territory of the hotel is suitable for a romantic and family vacation or a retreat in the comfort of privacy. Around everything blooms, as if in paradise, and the birds sing, and the comfortable beach is well suited for children. Among the staff there are very competent Russian-speaking people, not everyone will tell you about the island - a real reserve with a clean atmosphere and beautiful landscape. Complete relaxation is guaranteed! Price per room – from $450 per day. Book a Hilton 5* hotel

Seychelles on the map

Symbols on the map:

• Burgundy color - airports and ferry piers of the Seychelles;
• Blue color - islands in the Seychelles;
• Yellow color - the most famous beaches of the Seychelles;
• Green color - national parks of the Seychelles.

Holidays in the Seychelles

So, I told you the basic information about the Seychelles, and now let's talk about what the Seychelles are like as the best place for a beach and romantic getaway. It is no secret that the Seychelles constantly compete with the Maldives in these two prestigious categories, and tourists choose where it is better to relax - in the Seychelles or in the Maldives. And at the same time, the Seychelles slightly bypass the competitor as the best wedding destination for a vacation and honeymoon in terms of overall impressions and price for two.

If you do not know what language is in the Seychelles, then keep in mind that there are three official languages ​​in the Seychelles - Seychellois Creole, French and English. All residents speak mainly Creole, which is a variety of French. However, Seychelles hotel staff and most of those employed in the tourism sector know English, because tourism accounts for about 30% of the country's GDP.

Why go to the Seychelles

• Romantic getaway and wedding. Whether you want to get married there with Seychellois flair and live music, honeymoon in a luxurious setting, renew vows on a family anniversary, have a relaxing and expensive beach holiday with your loved one, and still do a lot of beautiful photos. In general, any category of romantic getaway is available in the Seychelles;
• Vacation with children . Family people with kids also fell in love with holidays in the Seychelles. Many hotels have children's clubs, where your child will be busy with interesting games with other little travelers, and will also be able to explore the Seychelles in a cognitive way with experienced mentors;
• diving. Since the Seychelles has many coral islands and rich underwater life, diving here is as five-star as in the Maldives. In addition, do not forget that everything is unique in the Seychelles: there are fish, birds and animals that are not found anywhere else on Earth. It is for this reason that experienced and novice divers come to the Seychelles and go diving in one of the best places for this on the planet;
• Trekking in nature and leisure . This category is the best for me. I don't like to just relax on the beach and do nothing. At least for a long time. And I definitely need to go somewhere, see the beauties of the surrounding world, climb higher up the mountain. So the Seychelles are just perfect in this regard: I came and rested for a couple of days on the beach, and then you can go trekking into the jungle, visit tea plantations, study the local flora and fauna, visit small towns and villages. And when he got tired of exploring the world, he returned to the beach again. Moreover, the beaches here are truly heavenly!
• Beach vacation. And finally, if you are just tired of everything and want to have a great rest on secluded beaches and swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, and you have already been to the Maldives, then why not visit the Seychelles this time?

Tour to the Seychelles or a trip on your own?

There are two simple ways how to relax in the Seychelles:

• Buy a ready-made tour to the Seychelles;
• Organize your own vacation.

Both of these are expensive. But to go to the Seychelles, nevertheless, is the best gift that can be given. Unlike the Maldives, where today there is a large selection of hedgehogs, in the Seychelles budget holiday not yet developed enough. Yes and direct flight there is no one from Moscow to the Seychelles yet, even the ubiquitous one does not fly there. So you will have to get there with a transfer, but it will be much more exotic and interesting, right?

• So, if you prefer to trust your vacation to trusted travel companies and pay more for it, you can familiarize yourself with their offers and see tours to the Seychelles for the dates you are interested in on the website.
• And if you, like me, independent traveler, then you just need to buy cheap air tickets (on the Aviasales website), book the hotels that suit you on Booking and check out online. That's all you need to go to the Seychelles yourself!

Seychelles map (from seychellesbookings.com)

Direct flights to the Seychelles from Russia have not yet been opened. Therefore, the best way to fly to the Seychelles from Moscow is to buy tickets with a transfer in one of the Arab countries, for example, in the UAE or Turkey. Tourists also often choose the flight Moscow - Seychelles with a small connection in Europe (usually through Serbia).

How long is the flight to Seychelles? It all depends on the choice of airline and the number of transfers. If you take inexpensive tickets Moscow - Seychelles at a price of 500-600 dollars, then the travel time will be from 18 to 24 hours. But flights to the Seychelles from Russia with a short connection in Dubai will cost more, 600-800 dollars per person, and the entire flight will take only 13 hours.

It's important to know: If you want to fly to the Seychelles, then keep in mind that the time difference with Moscow is only +1 hour, which is not so much. After landing in the Seychelles, do not forget to set your watch forward so that it shows exact time in the Seychelles.

Upon arrival in the Seychelles, you find yourself on the island of Mahe, in the center of which is the Seychelles International Airport. Then tourists need to think about transfer to the hotel:

• Vacationers on the island of Mahe can simply order a transfer: anywhere on the island can be reached in 30-40 minutes by bus from the hotel.
• To Praslin Island with Mahe you can fly domestic airlines - Air Seychelles or take a ferry. Many expensive five-star hotels organize a private helicopter transfer from the airport directly to the hotel - usually it costs from $600.
• The island of La Digue can be reached by ferry from Mahe, the journey will take about 3 hours. Or use the combined method: first get to Praslin (by plane or ferry), and then take the ferry to La Digue (it only takes 20 minutes). This is convenient if you choose both islands for recreation and take turns living on each of them.
• To Silhouette Island tourists are brought exclusively by helicopter, since there are only two hotels, one of which, Hilton, organizes this transfer.

To get to other private islands, like Providence, where Dom-2 Seychelles is rented, hotel guests usually book a helicopter transfer. But some of them, for example, to Frigate Island, can be reached by ferry. This is due to the fact that Frigate is an important tourist destination and interesting for many travelers in terms of history.

As I said, in order to have a great rest in the Seychelles, first you need to choose an island, and then a hotel and a beach on it. I recommend that the most curious travelers visit all three main islands, especially if the number of days of your vacation allows you to do this.

So what is different islands in the seychelles?

• Mahe (Mahe)- This is the central and largest island in the Seychelles, where the international airport and the capital Victoria are located. At the same time, the city of Victoria itself is a small copy of London (after all, the Seychelles used to be an English colony) and at the same time competes with for the title of the smallest capital in the world. Along the banks of Mahe there are awesome beaches, there are a lot of them - only about 70! Despite the fact that Mahe is a lively island, its western part is very quiet, and it is here that the most prestigious and expensive hotels are located. Also on Mahe there is a natural reserve - Seychelles Morne National Park (Morne Seychellois national park), in the middle of which is the most high mountain in the Seychelles - Morne Blance (Morne Blance, height 907 meters) and the jungle around. Among other things, there are tea plantations on Mahe - the heritage of the British. An almost perfect island for a holiday - both beach and active, right?
• Praslin — beautiful island, which is unique for its unusual palm trees, for which a national park has even been organized here. The Seychelles has been called the leader among honeymoon trips for a reason, because the coconuts of local palm trees look like a heart! So Praslin is the island of love in the Seychelles. The beaches here are as beautiful as on the island of Mahe, but on Praslin they are quieter. At the same time, in small towns you can also find nightlife - bars and discos. And Praslin is also visited by divers who dream of exploring undersea world in local waters. So if you also dream of diving, be sure to include Praslin Island in your Seychelles itinerary.
• La Digue- this is the smallest among the granite islands, and at the same time there are the largest rocks. If we continue to compare islands, and call Mahé the island-city and Praslin the small-town, then La Digue is undoubtedly a village. At the same time, the village is cozy and fantastically beautiful. This is a way to break away from everything and everyone, live among tropical beauty, relax on white sandy beaches and relax in silence. It also has its own attractions, such as Mount Eagle's Nest and Union Estate Park. And it was on the island of La Digue that the cult film “Farewell Emmanuelle” was once filmed, and there you can even see the preserved planter’s house from this movie. By the way, budget travelers it will be important to know that on the island of La Digue, hotel prices are significantly lower compared to other islands of the Seychelles, and as the most expensive categories rooms, and housing is simpler.
• Silhouette is a wild island in the Seychelles. Yes, after the village, you can call an island with only two hotels in the middle of the jungle - wild. So if even the village atmosphere is too crowded, welcome to Silhouette, where there are very few people.

Sandy and beautiful beaches in the Seychelles

Everything beaches in the Seychelles sandy and located in small coves (you will immediately notice their names in French - anse, which means bay). That is, if the name contains the words Anse, it means a bay, and hence a beach. Another feature of the beaches in the Seychelles is that they are all municipal. That is, everyone can come to rest, even if you settled in a five-star hotel.

Tourists who came to the Seychelles inexpensively, this arrangement is quite satisfactory. Since sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach are free, you can book a cheaper hotel on the second line, and go to the beach of expensive hotels and not deny yourself anything.

Useful advice: What if you want to relax on the beach, where there are few people? There is a way out - choose a hotel away from settlements, then there will be no one to come to the beach except for tourists.

Many beaches in the Seychelles are without waves, as the bays are surrounded by breakwaters and special fortifications. One of these beaches is the most popular and party Beau Vallon Beach, which is located near the capital of Victoria. This means that the Seychelles are ready for the arrival of families with children and those tourists who are not very good swimmers. But there are also places with good waves for surfing and diving spots - especially on the islands of Denis, Felicite, Alphonse and Silhouette.

Intendance Beach - the most beautiful in the Seychelles

Which beach to choose in the Seychelles?

Do I need insurance in the Seychelles?

Insurance in the Seychelles will be needed, especially if you plan to practice active species sports. And for everyone else who just wants to relax on the beach, just in case, it’s better to take care of your health, and not leave it at random. I also recommend buying health insurance if you are going to relax with the kids.

Compared to the total cost of a holiday in the Seychelles, insurance is not at all expensive. However, if you have to use medicine in the Seychelles, it will greatly help in saving on paying for medical care.

Do not forget, the Seychelles is still Africa! But at the same time, you can not do any special vaccinations before the trip.

Visa to the Seychelles

Tourists visa to seychelles not required if the period of stay in the Seychelles does not exceed 30 days (as well as).

So if you are flying for two or three weeks, feel free to take a passport and tickets, and at Pointe Larue International Airport (Mahe Island) upon arrival you will be given an entry stamp and welcome to the Seychelles! You just have to go through customs.

By the way, before the flight, check out the list of what cannot be brought to the Seychelles and what cannot be taken out, as well as how much cash you can bring in and take out with you to the Seychelles.

Currency in the Seychelles and what money to take with you

Official currency in the seychelles is the Seychellois rupee (SCR). There are 100 cents in 1 rupee. In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 rupees and coins of 1 and 5 rupees, as well as cents - 1, 5, 10 and 25.

Despite the fact that prices in the Seychelles are indicated in rupees, in the Seychelles you can officially pay with other money - US dollars and euros, which are used here along with the rupee. So you can take both dollars and euros with you to the Seychelles, but cash rubles must first be exchanged for foreign currency.

• The exchange rate of the Seychelles rupee against the dollar is quite stable and does not seriously change. It averages 14 rupees to 1 US dollar. 1 rupee = 4 rubles, 1 euro = 16.5 rupees.
• It will not be difficult to exchange dollars for local currency. This can be done at the airport, in many exchange offices in the city, bank branches or directly in your hotel.
• It is important to know that the reverse exchange of money - from rupees to dollars or euros - is possible only with the original currency exchange check. So don't throw it away unless you plan on leaving with Rs. Moreover, it is generally forbidden to take out of the country more than 2 thousand rupees per person.
• In hotels and restaurants, it is better to pay for services by credit card. And in transport, small shops and cafes, cash is preferred - local rupees, dollars or euros.
• Tipping in the Seychelles is usually 10% and is already included in the bill. Unlike and, all taxes that must be paid for accommodation are usually already immediately included in the prices that are shown in the hotel booking system. That is, this is the final price and there is no need to additionally calculate anything and figure out how much more you have to add.

When is the best time to fly to the Seychelles - weather and seasons for recreation

Climate in the Seychelles Tropical yet very mild. The temperature fluctuates slightly from month to month throughout the year. We can say that the weather in the Seychelles all year round approximately the same: the average air temperature during the day is +26..29°С, and the water temperature is +25..28°С. There are no strong winds, and rains occur much more often in winter than in summer.

Seasons in the Seychelles not as pronounced as Maldives. It cannot be said that there is a time when it is not even worth thinking about flying to the Seychelles. You just need to keep in mind that during the winter period from December to February, there is more precipitation. At the same time, the rainiest month in the Seychelles is January, and quite a lot of precipitation also falls in December and February. Therefore, it is better not to travel to the Seychelles in winter. Although you can take a chance if you are not a big fan of walking in the jungle or going on excursions to see nature. The rains are just coming in the mountainous regions of the islands of Mahe and Silhouette. In this, the Seychelles are similar to Hawaii. It may rain in the mountains, but the sun is on the beach. The rest of the year - spring, summer and autumn - the Seychelles is a great vacation!

Conventionally, the seasons in the Seychelles are usually divided into two:

• hot from December to May, with rain from December to February;
• cool - from June to November, when the air temperature is quite pleasant and there is little rain.

In this way, when is the best time to fly to the seychelles? That's right, summer! But you can also spring and autumn.

You ask, what about the New Year holidays, and is it really not worth going to the Seychelles in winter? You can take a chance and try to go, because the weather in the Seychelles at this time is generally not bad, but if you still want to guarantee yourself a 100% sunny vacation on the beach, then it’s better to choose from December to March.

Transport and car rental in the Seychelles

Seychelles is an island nation, but developed enough to smartly arrange transport connection between their islands.

There are several ways to move between the Seychelles using various means of transport:

• On an Air Seychelles domestic airline aircraft, you can fly between the two largest islands in the Seychelles - Mahe and Praslin. In addition, this company connects the Seychelles with other islands and countries in the Indian Ocean - Madagascar and Mauritius, as well as mainland Africa - Tanzania, Kenya and others.
• public ferries also go between the islands, and this type of transport in the Seychelles is the cheapest. In just an hour you can get from Mahe to Praslin. It will take another twenty minutes to swim between Praslin and La Digue. And in two hours to get from Mahe to Fregat.
• By helicopter, it is most convenient to get not only to private islands or Silhouette, but also right on the territory of the most prestigious hotels on all islands, including Mahe, there are equipped helipads.

Ground transport on the islands:

• Mahe and Praslin also have well-developed local transport. There are clear and convenient ground transportation routes with the option to buy an all-day pass for as little as 5 rupees (about 40 US cents). Buses run from early morning until evening. There are also minibuses (minibuses) that connect Mahe International Airport with the capital Victoria.
• Taxi in the Seychelles is also a great way to get to the hotel, go to the store or visit the sights, and very inexpensively. Taxi is paid by the meter. Landing (or rather the first kilometer) costs 15 rupees, and then another 5 rupees is added for each next one. For example, during the day you can get from the airport to the capital for only 75 rupees (at night it will be more expensive).

Car rent- this is the most convenient way how to independently see the island of Mahe or Praslin. If you are planning to see nature or a trip to the mountains, then it is better to immediately take a four-wheel drive car, and at the same time be an experienced driver. Road traffic in the Seychelles is left-handed, and the roads in the mountains are narrow and in places look like serpentine.

• To rent a car in the Seychelles, you will need an international driving license (IDP), and the driving experience must be more than 3 years.
• There are not so many gas stations in the Seychelles: only 6 gas stations on the island of Mahe and 2 more on Praslin. It is better to know their location in advance so as not to be left without gasoline when you rent a car in the Seychelles.
• It is also worth remembering the maximum allowable speed in the Seychelles - 65 km / h, and in the city in general only 45 km / h.

Bicycle rental will be most useful on the island of La Digue. But on other islands, you can also try to travel by bike, if you have experience and desire.

Diving, surfing - what to do in the Seychelles

- this is interesting not only for those who already own this skill, but also for beginners who just want to try scuba diving. Indian Ocean- very beautiful place for scuba diving. In addition, various unique fish and giant Aldabra turtles are found near the Seychelles.

• Visibility in the water near the Seychelles is up to 30 meters;
• The best time for diving in the Seychelles is from September to October and April-May.

The best places for scuba diving are along the coast of the islands (it takes about 10-40 minutes by boat). Don't miss the UNESCO-protected Aldabra Island and the wreck of the English tanker Ennerdale Rocks, now home to turtles and a variety of deep-sea fish. Other recommended diving spots are Mammel Island and Tropheus Rocks.

Surfing it is also popular in the Seychelles, especially on the islands of Mahe and Praslin.

Where to surf in the Seychelles:

• On the island of Mahe, the beaches of Grand Anse, Beau Vallon and Anse Bougueville are best suited. In the west of the island, the waves are more unpredictable, and in the east it is calmer;
• On the island of Praslin, Anse Lazio beach is ideal;
• On Silhouette Island - Anse Lascar.

Beaches in the Seychelles for surfing by level of training:

• Beaches for beginners in surfing: Beau Vallon and Carana (Mahe);
• Pro-only beaches: Anse Bougainville, Anse Royale, Barbaron and Misfit Bay (Mahe);
• Beaches for people of all skill levels: Anse Goulette (La Digue), Bel Ombre and Anse Intendance (Mahe).

Brief history and culture of the Seychelles

History of the Seychelles closely related to European discoveries. There is practically no information left about the time that was before the moment when the Europeans first landed in the Seychelles. Except that the Arab pirates used some of the islands (Silhouette, Frigate) for their base. Also, the Malays from Borneo could replenish their water and food supplies in the Seychelles on their way to Madagascar.

But as for the written history of the Seychelles, it begins from the moment when great navigator Vasco da Gama at the very beginning of the 16th century (in 1502) sailed past them on his way to India. For some time these were no man's lands, but the British first declared their territory of the Seychelles when they, following the footsteps of Vasco da Gama more than a century later (in 1609), sailed to India and got into a storm. Seeing the land, the British landed in the Seychelles and immediately decided that this paradise piece of land is now in the possession of the English crown. However, since the resort islands were not in vogue then, it was not entirely clear how these lands in the middle of the ocean could be useful. And the British left them alone, but first described them in detail.

Then a little more than a century later, the French became interested in the islands and founded the first settlements there. They arrived in the Seychelles in 1756, looked around, and decided that, together with Mauritius, the Seychelles would be an excellent base for them (Mauritius is the source of sugar cane). Then they brought people here from Madagascar and East Africa, turning them into slaves. The name Seychelles did not appear immediately. The Seychelles became so called from the second half of the 18th century in honor of the Minister of Finance of France, Jean Moreau de Sechelle.

During the wars with Napoleon, which took place not only on land, but also at sea (many remember Nelson's victory), battles also took place in the distant Indian Ocean. In 1794, Britain drove the French out of the Seychelles and began cultivating vast plantations of coconut palms there with the help of slaves.

In 1814, the Seychelles became a British colony under the Treaty of Paris. Life became better under the British. At least in the sense that in 1835 they finally abolished slavery. But at the same time they began to encourage the import of hired workers - Arabs and Hindus. It was necessary to work, and someone also had to conduct trade.

The independence of the Seychelles was declared rather late (compared to India), only in 1976, when the Seychelles became a Republic, ruled by a president.

Interesting facts about the Seychelles:

The history of the Seychelles is rather brief compared to world history. Nevertheless, the tangle of events formed here an unusual historical cocktail.

• Despite the fact that most of the time the islands were owned by the British, the name of the country itself and all its objects are French.
• The brought slaves mastered the French culture. Now it is called Creole - that is, African and French, born from mixed marriages and a common household. Now the Creole language is here, that is, it seems to be similar to French, but not quite, the Creole cuisine, religion and that Creole: all Catholics, but with their own African flavor.
• The fact that the British brought Arabs and Indians did not greatly affect the situation. Hindus, Arabs and other peoples in the Seychelles are in the minority. Their culture is officially recognized, but does not greatly affect the general state of affairs, the Creoles still remain the absolute majority.

Attractions in the Seychelles

The main attraction of the Seychelles is their fantastic nature, which is definitely worth seeing. Since most of the tourists come here for beach holiday, then and picturesque beaches on the islands for them - this is the best in the Seychelles. In general, the beaches here are also important attractions, and they are all different - rocky or sandy, with white or pink sand, with a calm sea or high waves suitable for surfing. In general, if you have time and desire, you can personally visit many Seychelles beaches and see their unique diversity.

In the meantime, I will briefly talk about the most interesting sights of the Seychelles:

• Source d'Argent is the most photographed beach in the Seychelles. More precisely, even to say - this is the most photographed beach in the whole world! It is located on the island of La Digue and is famous for its granite boulders. You must have seen this photo on the Internet. It was precisely because of this photo that I learned about the Seychelles and wanted to go there.
• Aldabra Island- this is one of the most famous outer Seychelles, which is located in a region specially protected by UNESCO. It does not consist of granite, but coral, and is territorially closer to Africa, next to the Comoros. The peculiarity of this island, in addition to its extraordinary lagoon, where divers come to dive, is that the Seychelles giant tortoises live there - unique marine inhabitants. In general, it is worth paying a tidy sum to see them in their natural habitat and get to know them.
• bird island, which is a half-hour flight from Mahe, is especially popular from May to September. From the name it is immediately clear that this island is the abode of birds, black terns. In the summer (winter for the Southern Hemisphere), there are so many of them here that you can go deaf from their conversations.
• Curiosity Island, which is part of a national park in the Seychelles, has also become home to giant tortoises. But, as far as I understand, they were transported there from Aldabra.
• Cousin Island near Praslin is home to some endangered animals. After all, the Seychelles is a unique place, and the animals here are endemic. And some of them, unfortunately, are on the verge of extinction.
• Valle de Mai is another Seychelles national park on the island of Praslin where you can admire the sea palms and their coco de mer nuts. I love all palm trees very much and always find time to visit such unique places as the California Palm Garden in Joshua Tree Park. So for sea palm trees in the Seychelles, I will definitely allocate an hour or two.
• Victoria- this is the most Big City and the capital of the Seychelles. Compared to world capitals, this town is quite small, but here you can see in detail how the British settled on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, far from rainy London.

And here's what else you can do in the Seychelles, in addition to sightseeing:

• Diving
• Surfing
• Fishing
• Island tours
• Trekking on Mahe and Silhouette. Why not?
• Beaching is undoubtedly the most important point of the holiday program.
• Acquaintance with local cuisine.

Holidays

Seychelles is a Catholic country. Therefore, the main holidays here are also Catholic, and their celebration does not differ much from the usual European holidays.

Generally, holidays in the Seychelles can be divided into two types:

1. religious
2. Related to the independence of the Republic of Seychelles from the UK (all of them fall in June).

Here are the days in the Seychelles declared holidays (national holidays):

• New Year(January 1-2)
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Labor Day (May 1)
• Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (June 3)
• Liberation Day (June 5)
• national day(June 18) is the main holiday in the Seychelles.
• Independence Day (June 29)
• Assumption of the Virgin (August 15)
• All Saints Day (November 1)
• Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (December 8)
• Christmas (December 25)

Cuisine and restaurants

The cuisine in the Seychelles has its own special - Creole. What does it mean? Creole cuisine in the Seychelles has taken the island position and traditions as a basis, added European culinary delights (mostly French) on top and mixed it all with Indian spices. It turned out an original tropical mix, which is definitely worth a taste for all tourists.

The basis of Creole cuisine is, of course, seafood. Rice, curry and coconuts are also constantly used. What do you think is the most common dish in the Seychelles? Of course, rice with fish. Yes, not just, but with spices and coconut sauce.

And since fish are caught quite a lot in the Seychelles, fish dishes are also in abundance here. Those who love seafood will not get bored in the Seychelles either - octopuses, crabs, lobsters and so on. In addition, expensive hotels always have European or other Asian restaurants. So it is impossible to stay without pizza and sushi.

As for inexpensive food, as always, the Indians help out. If you want something local and colorful, you can always go to an Indian restaurant or buy food right on the street. It's inexpensive, and adds an interesting variety to your diet.

From drinks, locals love different types fermented coconuts, sugarcane, mint infusions. And of course, wines are imported - French and South African.

Seychelles tours and prices

Trip to Seychelles tour- this is a rather expensive pleasure, but almost every tourist can go there. The price of the tour depends on the cost of the flight, the luxury of the hotel and the distance of the island from the airport (payment for the transfer), as well as your special preferences. Since there are practically no experienced tour operators in the Seychelles, it will take a very long time to make a ticket to the Seychelles with them. It is much more convenient to organize your trip on your own, especially since it is not at all difficult. In this case Seychelles tour for two will cost significantly less because you will not pay a large commission to the travel agent.

The price of the tour to the Seychelles it depends a lot on the season (in the summer from June to August - the high season and the highest prices, and it can be very expensive on New Year's Eve), as well as on your ability to save money and the desire to understand the features of a holiday in the Seychelles before starting your trip. Because you can immediately book the most expensive hotel and quickly spend all the money in a few days on expensive entertainment, as in the program Eagle and Tails Seychelles. But it would be much more rational to calculate in advance the approximate budget of the tour to the Seychelles, taking into account your own wishes, choose good hotel on the beach or in nature, plan your cultural program and sightseeing so that you can see as much as possible.

For example, I will provide information about Seychelles price for two- the cost of air tickets and double rooms in hotels, if you book a room yourself on Booking.com:

And here is how much ready-made tours to the Seychelles with a flight from Moscow cost - the price for two, including fuel surcharges and all surcharges (without meals, only breakfasts or all inclusive):

Types of tours to the Seychelles	Price for two
Tour to the Seychelles (7 nights) - 3 * hotel on the island of Mahe without meals	160 thousand rubles
Tour to the Seychelles (7 nights) - 3 * hotel on the island of Mahe, breakfast included	180 thousand rubles
Seychelles tour (7 nights) - 4 * hotel on Praslin island, 2 meals a day	360 thousand rubles
Seychelles tour (10 nights) - 4 * hotel on Praslin island, all inclusive	500 thousand rubles
Seychelles tour (7 nights) - 5 * hotel on Praslin island, breakfast only	650 thousand rubles
Seychelles tour (7 nights) - 5 * hotel on the island of Mahe, all inclusive	1 million rubles
Seychelles tour (10 nights) - 5 * hotel on Praslin island, all inclusive	1.4 million rubles

What else you need to know about the Seychelles

The best hotels in the Seychelles, where Russians most often go, are the following:

• On the island of Mahe - Kempinski Seychelles 5 * and Savoy Seychelles 5 *
• On Praslin Island – Raffles Seychelles 5*
• On the island of La Digue - Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie Resort & Spa 4 *
• Silhouette Island - Hilton Seychelles 5*

In general, Russians are not often found in the Seychelles, however, some rich people here have their own villa, registered in the Seychelles offshore. A few years ago, when local authorities did not disclose data on company owners, many preferred to buy property in the Seychelles in order to optimize the payment of their taxes. However, now that all the data has become open, keeping money in the Seychelles has ceased to be as profitable as it used to be.

Packages and tours

about the country

Seychelles - wonderful world, full of bright colors and spicy aromas, enchanting sounds of unusual music and the sound of the surf, ancient legends and amazing stories about pirate treasures.

Seychelles - unique corner, lost in the vast expanses of the ocean, which many often call "Paradise on Earth" or "Eden". The Seychelles are a lot of islands of amazing beauty, each of them is interesting in its own way. The most popular among travelers are, and.

Holidays in the Seychelles are countless beaches with silver-white sand, which are rightfully considered one of the best in the world, exotic nature, the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, as well as local kitchen and great service. The Seychelles attract travelers from all over the world and leave an unforgettable impression.

Holidays in the Seychelles are ideal for both romantics and those who are fond of extreme sports. Here, nature itself has created ideal conditions for surfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, spearfishing, water skiing or canoeing and much more.

Nature and geography

The Seychelles are located in the western Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar, 1,500 km east of Kenya. The Seychelles are located between the fourth and fifth degrees south of the equator.

The country is an isolated archipelago incredible beauty, consisting of 115 islands. Approximately 35 of them are the "Inner Island Group" and have a granitic structure. As a rule, these are islands with many mountains and hills and a narrow coastal strip, the rest of the islands are coral atolls. The largest of them, Aldabra, is also a national park, which is under the auspices of UNESCO.

Seychelles is one of the smallest countries, its area is only 455.3 square meters. km. The largest islands are Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.

The capital of the Seychelles is the city of Victoria, located on the island of Mahe.

Seychelles time. The time difference with Moscow is 1 hour in winter, there is no time difference in summer.

The Seychelles is a republic, its status is enshrined in the Constitution of June 18, 1993, since then this day has been celebrated as a national holiday. The islands were first noticed by Arab sailors 1000 years ago, but not only they were attracted by the convenient location of the archipelago - the Phoenicians also often appeared here and Indonesians. Almost 500 years ago, the islands were discovered by the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama. The Seychelles were both British and French colonies. On June 29, 1976, the Seychelles declared independence from and became a republic.

Customs regulations. Arrivals in the Seychelles are allowed to carry 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, 2 liters of alcohol, 125 ml of perfume or 250 ml of eau de toilette and other goods worth no more than 3,000 Seychellois rupees (US$ 550). It is forbidden to import flammable materials, weapons, including those for spearfishing, narcotic substances and medicines without a prescription. A special permit is required to import pets. It is forbidden to transport vegetables, fruits, plants, meat and meat products, canned food. Installed export bans coconuts, shells, corals, turtle products.

Currency of the Seychelles. 1 rupee contains 100 cents. 5 rupees equals 1USD. In the course of banknotes in denominations of 10, 25, 50 and 100 rupees, coins in denominations of 1 and 5 rupees, as well as 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents. You can also sometimes find silver and gold coins in circulation. Credit cards Visa and American Express are accepted almost everywhere, except for very small settlements.

Currency exchange. Currency can be exchanged at hotels or local banks. A maximum of 1,000 rupees, or $200, can be taken out of the country; there are no restrictions on the import and export of foreign currency. It is recommended to bring American dollars or travelers checks in this currency to the Seychelles, since rupees cannot be used by tourists to pay for rent, excursions, and restaurants. It is recommended to exchange a small amount of money immediately upon arrival at Victoria Airport, located on the island of Mahe.

Banks in the Seychelles open from 8.30 to 14.30 from Monday to Friday, on Saturday - from 8.30 to 11.00.

Travel Tips

Holidays.
January 1 - New Year
Holy Friday - no fixed date
Easter - no fixed date
May 1 - Labor Day
June 5 - Liberation Day
June 18 - National Day
June 29 - Independence Day
November 1 - All Saints Day
December 25 - Christmas

Also in April, for one week, an annual festival dedicated to water world Seychelles.
In September, a water regatta takes place on the island of La Digue.
The Creole Festival is celebrated in October.
In November, an annual fishing competition is held.

The shops. Those wishing to buy souvenirs can be advised on beautiful handicrafts made from sea shells and pearls, wicker baskets, paintings by local artists, including batik paintings, mats, beautiful wood or bamboo carvings and, of course, the quintessence of Seychellois souvenirs - coco del -measures. Local tea, of which there are a great variety of varieties on the islands, can also be purchased as a souvenir. It must be borne in mind that products made from tortoise shells will be necessarily seized at customs. The best place for shopping in the Seychelles is in Victoria. Here you can wander the streets and do some shopping. There are also a few shops on Praslin, but not so many on the other islands. In large hotels, as a rule, there are boutiques. Shops are open during the week and on Saturday mornings.

Tips, as a rule, range from 5% to 10% and are already included in the cost of maintenance.

Transport in the Seychelles. The islands have an international airport (in Victoria), several seaports and several local airports. Between the islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, you can travel on river buses or high-speed catamarans. Travelers should take into account that flights between Mahe and Praslin are often canceled for technical reasons. It is very convenient to explore the local beauties and sights from a helicopter or a private jet, but renting it is expensive, but renting a bike or car is available to everyone, all the more, this is the most successful way to travel around the island. You can also travel by taxi, which is located on Albert Street in Victoria and is open around the clock.

Car rental. In the event that you want to take a car, you need to have a driver's license with you (Russian licenses are also valid) and you must be at least 22 years old. Traffic in the Seychelles is left-handed, like in Britain, the quality of the roads is not bad. The speed limit for driving in the city is 45 km / h, outside settlements - 65 km / h. The cost of 1 liter of gasoline is just over a dollar, there are six gas stations on Mahe Island, and two on Praslin. Gas station in Victoria is open from 5 am to 11 pm.

Electricity - 240 volts, 50 Hz

postal services. Telephone services. Internet. The central post office is located in Victoria and is open from 8.00 to 16.00 from Monday to Friday, on Saturday - from 8.00 to noon. Letters can be sent directly from the hotel. You can also use the telephone in most hotels. The country code is 248. There are several internet cafes on Mahe and at least one on Praslin Island.

Medical service. The climate in the Seychelles is very healthy, and there are no known tropical diseases that are common, for example, in Kenya or. There is a small risk of contracting hepatitis A, so vaccination is recommended before travel.

As for the local water, in general it is quite suitable for drinking, but it is better to use either boiled or bottled water. It is preferable to eat in cafes or restaurants, since the variety of cuisine allows you to choose dishes for every taste. A lot of food is sold from stalls, but it is better to refrain from eating it.

The central hospital is located in Victoria on the island of Mahe (tel. 224400). Doctors speak English and/or French. On Mahe, Praslin and La Digue there are also other, including private, clinics. Medical care is free, provided by the state.

Emergency phone Seychelles - 999.

Since the climate on the islands is tropical, which means it is quite humid and hot, recommended to wear light clothing made from natural materials, for women - light dresses, shorts or pareos during the day and long skirts in the evening, for men - shorts and a T-shirt. The most suitable shoes are slates or sandals. Swimwear is only worn on the beach.

The Seychelles has excellent conditions for sports lovers. Here you can go surfing, windsurfing, paragliding, sailing and water skiing, canoeing or hang-gliding. On their own, or using the services of an experienced instructor, those who wish can go spearfishing and fishing. However, it would not be entirely true to say that the Seychelles are ideal only for aquatic species sports.

Mahe has an excellent golf course just south of Victoria International Airport. The golf course on Praslin Island is considered one of the best in the world. Most hotels have tennis courts. On the islands there is an opportunity to go in for equestrian sports.

Hiking tours of various difficulty levels around the islands of Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and some others are popular, which give travelers a great opportunity to explore their beauties and get acquainted with the local exotic flora and fauna. As a rule, information about them can be obtained from hotels.

Many hotels on the islands have cinemas and discos, where barbecues with folk songs and dances are often held. It is interesting to watch or take part in local entertainments, to listen to unusual music for Europeans called “kamtolet”, which is a mixture of waltz, polka and square dance, to see how they dance “mautia”, an African dance to the sounds of drums and tom-toms, or no less famous dance "now".

Victoria is home to cinemas and theatres, which often host theatrical productions in English, French and Creole. There are casinos in the center of Victoria, as well as in the Beau Vallon Bay Hotel and the Plantation Club. Praslin is also home to the magnificent Casino des Iles.

Seychelles is a lost and found paradise in the heart of the Indian Ocean: 115 wonderful islands, of which only 30 are inhabited. The beaches here are like a selection: white sand, wide and secluded, the hotels also correspond to the paradise. All about the Seychelles: photos, tours, road and maps.

• Tours for May to the Seychelles
• Hot tours to the Seychelles

Wedding destination - it is in this section that the Seychelles invariably ranks in foreign guidebooks: all year round, happy newlywed moths flock to its idyllic landscapes. The Seychelles offer a very rare commodity in today's hectic world - absolute peace, solitude and a measured rhythm of life (if not the complete absence of it) - in a word, ideal conditions for starting a life together. Paradise, frankly, is not cheap, on the other hand, there is also one wedding ... at least, few people are already planning the next wedding during their honeymoon.

Another category of local tourists is people who are in love with the sea: there are many exceptionally beautiful dive sites around the archipelago, and the coasts of its 115 islands are washed by waves for every surfer's taste. In addition, lovers of sea fishing, yachting and exclusive beach holidays without any frills come here. Is it necessary to add that all of them are at least very wealthy people?

Disadvantages of direction? Well, there is one ... although it's for someone like ... look at the prices - you'll find out.

Time difference with Moscow

1 hour

• with Kaliningrad

• with Samara

• with Yekaterinburg

• with Omsk

• with Krasnoyarsk

• with Irkutsk

• with Yakutsk

• with Vladivostok

• with Severo-Kurilsk

• with Kamchatka

Climate

Tropical, very mild, without significant temperature fluctuations throughout the year. It is never too cold or too hot here. The average annual air temperature is +26...+30 °C. Rather, for the sake of formality, it is still customary to distinguish between two seasons: conditionally hot (December-May) and conditionally cool (June-November), when monsoons blow. Most of the rain falls during the hot season annual precipitation, mainly on the mountainous islands of Mahe and Silhouette. January is considered the rainiest month. The rains are heavy but not long. See also: current weather forecast for the Seychelles for the next 10 days.

Visa and customs

Citizens of Russia arriving for a period not exceeding 30 days do not need a visa to the Seychelles. But despite the general “chocolate” and the safety of the destination, medical insurance will not hurt.

Import and export of foreign and local currencies is not limited, the allowable limit for the transport of local is 2000 SCR. 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco are allowed duty-free; 2 liters of alcohol with a strength of more than 16% and 2 liters of less strong drinks; 200 ml perfume. The importation of other goods is limited to 3,000 SCR per person. When transporting musical instruments, sports equipment and portable electrical appliances, you will have to pay a special deposit (on the way back, the money will be returned - unless, of course, the listed items leave the country with the traveler). Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Pets are quarantined (14-180 days) and are allowed in the Seychelles only if they have an international veterinary certificate issued no earlier than a month before arrival. It is forbidden to import weapons (including pneumatic and for spearfishing), vegetables, fruits, plants, birds, tea, non-canned meat and meat products, as well as medicines and drugs. The export of shells, corals, tortoise shell products and coco de mer nuts is prohibited without special permission.

Systems tax free not in the Seychelles.

How to get to the Seychelles

Entertainment and attractions

The historical "excursion" in the Seychelles is present in minimal quantities - and, by and large, it is not needed. All the main attractions here are exclusively natural: snow-white (and in some places even pale pink!) beaches, clear water, unique tropical nature, multi-colored marble stones and a stunning underwater world. Service in hotels, bungalows and lodges is always on the level. Aborigines are nice and friendly. Sunsets are fantastic, waves (where there are no strong currents) are invariably gentle. And also a fantastic (and this is not an artistic exaggeration) underwater world.

reserves

Cousin Island, a nature reserve since 1968, is located 2 km from Praslin Island. It is home to several endangered animal species and a nesting site for seabirds and turtles. Two of whom, old George and Georgina, live here and often follow tourists in the hope of scratching their necks.

Bird Island can be reached in half an hour by plane from Mahe Island. The island is known as home to approximately 1.5 million black terns that live here from May to September. The giant tortoise Esmeralda also lives here (they say that she is already over 150 years old). Curieuse Island, named after the ship that discovered it in 1768, is famous for its large colony of giant tortoises and dense thickets of tropical plants. There is also a national marine park here.

Arid Island is located just 15 km from Praslin. In 1973, it was bought for the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature by Christopher Cadbury, an English "chocolate" tycoon. The island serves as a major gathering place for seabirds throughout the region and is home to the world's largest colonies of pink terns, lesser fulmars and red-tailed tropicbirds.

St. Anna Marine National Park consists of 6 small islands. A tour of them begins with a trip on a glass-bottomed boat, which allows you to observe the colorful life of coral reefs. Then the path goes to Moyen Island, which is privately owned by a certain Mr. Grimshaw, who has been living here for a long time and is still trying to find pirate treasures. You can explore the island, see pirate graves and historical ruins(and try to beat Mr. Grimshaw with bucks by finding the notorious treasure).

10 things to do in the Seychelles

1. Do nothing, do nothing and do nothing again on the secluded white sand beaches of the Seychelles archipelago.
2. Dive into the captivating underwater world off the coast of the Seychelles.
3. Evaluate the delights of Creole cuisine - and not necessarily bat stew, for example, fish and rice - a miracle how good!
4. Try to find pirate treasure on Moyen Island.
5. Walk around the capital of the island of Victoria and look at one of the two traffic lights in the whole country.
6. Fly in a helicopter over the turquoise expanse of the Indian Ocean.
7. Fish for tuna, secretly hoping to catch blue marlin.
8. Take a chance - and combine legal marriage under the approving whisper of the ocean.
9. Join the proud fraternity of the "dosochnikov" on the beach of Grand Anse.
10. Take a “coco de mer” walnut with you to your homeland so that there is something to remember in the long Russian winter.

Night life

Stormy lovers nightlife may be disappointed: all local entertainment is represented by a couple of discos and casinos. There are only three casinos on the island of Mahe: at the Plantation Club Hotel, Berjaya Beau Vallon and a recently opened, but already the best casino in Victoria. With clubs - the same problem. They are far from numerous and often uninteresting. Pleasant exceptions: the Lovant Club in the center of Victoria, the Katiolo disco, which looks like Uncle Tom's hut and the country disco of the 80s and 90s, the very small 369 Club and the Barrel (or simply the Barrel) ) is a cheap and fun place, mostly with a local audience. Praslin Island has a casino at the Lemuria Resort.

But on the islands, many festivals and sporting events take place throughout the year, the most famous among them are the Great Regatta and the Festival of Creole Culture.

Holidays and events in Seychelles

The main public holidays in the Seychelles fall on the first month of summer. June 5 - Liberation Day in honor of the coming to power of the socialists, 29 - Independence Day: in 1976, the islands got out of British control and officially became a republic. The brightest in the summer series is National Reconciliation Day on June 18 in honor of the adoption of the Constitution with magnificent parades in the capital, music shows and flower exhibitions.

At the Praslin Culinary Festival in September, among other treats, you can taste coco de mer cocktails, ostrich stew and other exotics.

The New Year is celebrated with a tropical flavor: palm trees are decorated instead of Christmas trees, flowers are hung instead of electric garlands, but dances, fireworks and feasts are international traditions. They also love festivals in the Seychelles: in the spring they hold the March Carnival, which attracts thousands of tourists, and the French Week with concerts, exhibitions and craft fairs. In May, a sailing regatta takes place, in June - Mind Body Spirit, which promotes a healthy lifestyle. The festival of Creole culture is a chance to get acquainted with the ancient customs of the islanders, the fishing festival on La Digue is an occasion to compete with the locals in the art of fishing.

Seychelles located just south of the equator, in the western part of the Indian Ocean. They are an archipelago of over 100 islands, only a third of which are inhabited by humans. Officially, the Seychelles were discovered by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in 1502, and the first Europeans to land on land were the British in 1609, but the archipelago became a British colony only at the beginning of the 19th century. In the mid-70s of the last century, the Seychelles acquired the status of an independent republic. Seychelles is one of the most amazing places on Earth, rightfully considered a paradise for tourists, each island is unique and has its own characteristics.

Peculiarities

The Seychelles are increasingly becoming an object of attention for numerous tourists. The ideal climate, wonderful sandy beaches, luxury hotels on the coast and an extremely rich world of flora and fauna have created the archipelago's reputation as an exotic paradise washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean. The high level of service in hotels and remoteness from the mainland are largely the reason for sky-high prices set by travel agencies of all countries for trips to this wonderful world of azure waves and bright sun. However, Seychelles island hotels have no shortage of guests throughout the beach season. Every year, not only thousands of lovers come here to soak up the gentle rays of the sun, but also numerous divers, surfers and other fans of water sports, for whom excellent conditions have been created here.

The main source of income for a small exotic republic is tourism. Agriculture is poorly developed and basically the republic exists due to the help of foreign states. However, this does not make the life of the islanders less free. Many of them work in the tourism sector and earn good money, since the contingent of vacationers can be safely attributed to the rich and wealthy, which most directly affects the income of people working in the service sector. Indigenous peoples engaged in fishing and agriculture, also does not feel flawed, because climatic conditions perfect for this kind of work.

general information

The island nation of Seychelles is located in the west of the Indian Ocean, south of the equator, and covers an area of ​​455 sq. km. Most large island– . The population is 87 thousand people. The official language is Seychelles Creole, which is the main language, and English and French have the status of official languages ​​of the Seychelles. Currency - Seychellois rupee (SCR). 100 SCR = $SCR:USD:100:2. Time zone UTC + 4, local time ahead of Moscow by 1 hour. Mains voltage 240 V at a frequency of 50 Hz, G. Telephone country code +248. Internet domain.sc.

A brief excursion into history

Maldivian and Arab traders were the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles. The earliest sightings of Europeans living here were made in 1502 by the Portuguese admiral Vasco da Gama, who sailed past them and named the Admiral Islands after them.

Climate

The Seychelles has a tropical climate, which is greatly influenced by the Indian Ocean. The wet season starts here in December and ends in April. The air temperature at this time of the year is +30 degrees. Showers are not uncommon, however, often they are not long. From June to October, southeast winds blow here, due to which high waves rise off the coast, and the thermometer drops to +25 degrees. Unlike the wet season, the air is filled with freshness and light coolness. The best time to visit the Seychelles is from April to June and from September to November, when a gentle sea breeze blows, the sea waves radiate calmness, and the sun's rays do not make the air too hot. Seychelles is one of the best travel destinations for those who appreciate beauty wildlife, is not indifferent to the endless expanses of the sea and is well versed in all the delights of island tourism.

Nature

Among the exotic living creatures presented on the islands, the most famous, perhaps, are the giant Aldabra tortoises, whose weight reaches 250 kg, and the life expectancy of some individuals exceeds 150 years. No less unique are the Seychelles palms, the fruits of which weigh around 20 kg. It was they who, according to the belief of the locals, became the reason that Adam and Eve left paradise, succumbing to the persuasion of the tempter serpent.

Visa and customs regulations

Citizens of Russia and Ukraine do not need a visa to enter the Seychelles if the duration of the trip does not exceed 30 days. Customs regulations comply with generally accepted norms. The export of coral, tortoise shell products and coco de mer nuts without special permission is prohibited.

How to get there

Transport

Since the Seychelles are island nation, the most convenient way to travel between the islands is a flight operated by Air Seychelles. A slower way, but still carried out even between outlying islands- ferries and schooners. On the island of Mahe, bus transport is well developed, there are taxis.

Cities and resorts

Information

The Seychelles are divided into two groups: granite and coral. The most famous of the granite islands is. The rest of the land, including, and Silhouette, are located at a distance of 50-70 kilometers from it. The main settlements are concentrated on these islands, as well as economic activity is well developed. Granite islands abound with dense palm forests, tree ferns, pandanus and other exotic plants also grow here. As for the coral islands, they are flat atolls that protrude above the ocean surface by only a few meters. Due to the fact that island limestones almost do not retain moisture, droughts often occur on these atolls, so only coconut palm grows from the vegetation on them. Due to its isolation from the rest of the world, the archipelago has unique species of animals, birds and plants that can only be seen here. For example, the island, which is the second largest in the archipelago, has long been chosen by such rare species of birds as "black cockatoos" and nightingales "bul-bul". Among eco-tourists and connoisseurs of natural beauties, the island of birds, where thousands of individuals that fly here from different parts of the world, nest, enjoys special attention.

Capital and part-time the only city in the Seychelles is . It is located on the island of Mahe and is the smallest capital in the world, competing in this indicator with the main administrative center of the republic -. Among the attractions of the city, it is worth noting Botanical Garden Mont Fleuret, royal garden And National Museum with exhibits presented in it, telling about the history and culture of the country. The village of artisans and the tea tavern are of particular interest to vacationers. Victoria lies along the foot of the mountains and is home to about a third of the total population of the republic. The whole capital can be bypassed in about 3-4 hours. At the same time, it manages to get an impression of the culture and traditions of the entire Seychelles people.

The central street of the city begins at the port and leads through the entire city territory. It houses the buildings of the National Library, the Ministry of Tourism, the miniature "Tower of London", called by the townspeople nothing more than "our Big Ben", as well as several other interesting buildings made in an elegant colonial style. The city market enjoys great attention from tourists, where exotic fruits and vegetables are sold in abundance, as well as numerous souvenirs. There is a Hindu temple next to the bazaar. appearance reminiscent of the magnificent temple complexes of South Asia. As in all other settlements of the Seychelles, life in Victoria flows quietly, calmly and measuredly. The city port is full of an abundance of snow-white yachts, and the locals are slowly doing their homework. Low-rise residential buildings, immersed in dense tropical greenery, are a kind of addition to the tourist image of the city.

Accommodation

In order for a traveler to be allowed into the country, it is necessary to have a hotel reservation, otherwise you will be forced to book a hotel directly at the airport, which can be extremely disadvantageous. Most of the hotels are expensive, some occupy the entire area of ​​the island. In the high season, prices skyrocket, and rooms are sold out in advance.