Holiday rentals in Seychelles

The Seychelles name is nearly synonymous with the most fabulous sort of sandy-toed luxury, conjuring images of swaying palms, velvety sands, turquoise waves, and sunsets bursting like ripe fruit across the sky. The reality is all that and more. These paradisiacal islands — 115 of them — are strung through the western Indian Ocean, hundreds of kilometres off the East African coast. The Inner Islands are formed from mid-oceanic granite, the Outer from coral, creating an incredible natural environment that’s ideal for island-hopping.

On Mahé, the largest island, the capital, Victoria, fizzes with an intoxicating culture that combines Indian and African influences in its Creole cuisine, music, and art, while its southwest beaches, Anse Royale and Anse Capuchin, are dotted with the elegant granite boulders that define the Seychelles’ image. Most iconic are those at Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue, another major island, along with sublime Praslin, the second largest. Here, in the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, grows the coco de mer, the earth’s largest seed, just one natural wonder among many in a fantastical land where giant tortoises, rare birds, and tropical fish are common sights.

The Seychelles are blessed with warm weather year round, but it’s the winds that might govern when you come. Northwesterly trade winds blow from October to March and the stronger southeasterly trade winds from May to September, meaning the calmer months of April and October can be the most pleasant times to stay in one of the local villas. These are also great months for diving, when the visibility is at its best. Wildlife lovers should visit between October and April to see hawksbill turtles nesting on the beaches, and witness breeding season for many birds in April.

In October, the Festival Kreol is undoubtedly the country’s most important and joyful cultural event, celebrating local Creole culture with street parties, music, food stalls, dances, and dominoes over several days and nights. May brings the Festival of Underwater Images photography show, plus the national Africa Day, with music, art, and food.

Mahé’s Interior

It’s tempting to spend all your time on the sand, but the islands have beautiful inland terrain. On Mahé, the Sauzier waterfall descends into a palm-lined freshwater pool that’s heavenly for swimming, and there’s wonderful hiking in the misty forests of the Morne Seychellois National Park, where you can listen for the calls of the world’s smallest frog as you hike past jackfruit trees to a viewing platform above the sheer cliffs of Morne Blanc.

Sainte Anne Marie Marine National Park

A few kilometres from Mahé, the Sainte Anne Marie Marine National Park consists of six islands surrounded by coral reefs that are superb for snorkelling and scuba diving. Green turtles feed on rare seagrass meadows, giant tortoises roam freely, and there are pirates’ graves to spot.

The coral atolls

Far from the granite Inner Islands around the capital, the 72 coral Outer Islands are home to crystalline lagoons and incredible marine life. Closest are the Amirantes Islands, 130 miles from Mahé; then Alphonse atoll, and the Farquhar Group near the huge Providence reef. Farther away still is the Aldabra Group, an incredible, remote UNESCO World Heritage Site 630 miles from Mahé.