Seychelles

The Seychelles is an archipelago of legendary beauty, made up of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean and four degrees south of the Equator. The main island, Mahé, is home to the international airport and the capital, Victoria. Together with the satellite islands of Praslin and La Digue, they form the economic and cultural hub of the nation. These three granite islands with their stunning world-famous beaches and great bio-diversity - from lush forests to warm ocean - are the main tourism hotspots.

A relatively young nation, the French settled on the islands in 1770. The islands were then ceded to Britain in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Independence from Britain was in 1976 when the Seychelles became a Commonwealth Republic. For over two centuries, the islands have been a melting pot of different races, traditions and religions. They have attracted a broad diversity of peoples including Africans, European settlers, political exiles, adventurers and traders of Arab, Persian, Chinese and Indian origin. The Seychelles has remained faithful to these multi-ethnic roots and today’s vibrant yet tranquil Creole nation live in racial and religious harmony with Christian, Muslim and Hindu living alongside one another. With only 87,000 inhabitants, the Seychelles has the smallest population of any African state.

With almost 50 percent of its limited landmass set aside as national parks and reserves, the islands are a living museum of natural history. The Seychelles is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Praslin’s Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve and Aldabra, the world’s largest raised coral atoll. From the smallest frog to the heaviest land tortoise and the only flightless bird of the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles nurtures an amazing array of endemic species.

With a year-round warm, temperate climate, pristine, un-crowded beaches, powder white sand and turquoise waters, the Seychelles are an ideal destination for beach lovers and water-sports enthusiasts.