By Air

Direct Flights: Air Seychelles runs regular flights to Praslin, Frégate, Desroches, Bird and Denis Island, and will run charters to other islands. Helicopters also fly to some of the islands. Schooner ferries run regularly between Mahé, Praslin and la Digue - if you want to go to the other islands you ll have to charter a boat.

An extensive bus service operates throughout Mahé. There are plenty of bicycles for hire on Praslin and La Digue.

International Airport: Victoria, Mahe

Natural Marine Park of Sainte Anne
which consists of a group of islands just a few kilometers from Mahé. You can do some magnificent snorkeling there or, if you prefer, watch the fish fauna from glass-bottomed boats. And then you can admire the "Coco de mer" palms or make friend with the giant turtles that live on these islands.
Vallee de Mai
A World Heritage Site is the only place where the coco-de-mer palm is found in the world. Its nut, the curious female pelvis-shaped fruit, has been successively believed to be the fruit of the tree of knowledge. The rare black parrot, Seychelles national bird inhabits the Vallee de Mai. Besides the black parrot, Praslin is home to 2 other of the world s rarest birds: the Seychelles bulbul and the fruit pigeon.

Anse Lazio
The best beach on Praslin - in fact, one of the best in the country - is Anse Lazio, in the far north of the island. The beach has glorious white, soft sand, a few rounded granite boulders and a lively line-up of waves. The water is a magical turquoise colour. There s also a sheltered area with great snorkeling at the end of the beach. There s even a terrific restaurant at the end of the beach road.

Cousin Island
This island, about 2km (1mi) off the southwest coast of Praslin has been a nature reserve since 1968, and is home to several endangered species, as well as being a breeding ground for seabirds and turtles. It s an amazing experience to walk through thick forest with a bird on every branch, apparently oblivious to humans.

Beau Vallon Beach
It is one of the largest and certainly most popular beaches in the Seychelles. The sand is good, clean and relatively free of rocks. The beach is about 3km (nearly 2mi) west of Victoria, and you can either catch a bus or walk.

Beautiful handmade crafts include seashell and mother-of-pearl jewelry; batik textiles; basket ware, tablemats and hats from raffia and palm; needlework and crochet; local paintings; beautiful bamboo and woodwork; and the quintessential Seychelles souvenir, the coco-de-mer. Local teas, vanilla pods and cinnamons can also be purchased. There also are several art galleries exhibiting and selling the works of local artists such as Michael Adams, along with model ships, a mainstay of Seychelles crafts.

The best place to shop is in Victoria. It s also a lot of fun to wander the streets and the shops. There are a few shops on Praslin but little on the other islands.

An extensive bus service operates throughout Mahé, and there s limited service on Praslin. Mini Mokes are the hire cars in Seychelles - they often have some sort of mechanical defect, and they re no protection from the elements, but they re pretty appropriate for conditions on the islands. Most of the roads on Mahé are sealed, but other drivers can be a bit of a danger. Taxis run on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and fares are set by the government.

There are plenty of bicycles for hire on Praslin and La Digue, but you ll be lucky to get hold of one on Mahé. Walking is a dandy way to get around most of the islands - the traffic is light, distances are short and the scenery is lovely.