Tourist Places to Visit in Seychelles, East Africa, Africa

Tourist Places to Visit in Seychelles, East Africa, Africa

Seychelles is a country in the Indian Ocean, made up of 155 different islands (officially). Victoria is the capital and largest city of Seychelles, situated northeast of Madagascar and around 1600 km east of the mainland Africa (Kenya). Seychelles holds the population of 90,024 people (as of the 2012 census), making it the smallest country in Africa but its Human Development Index is highest compared to any other African country.

Seychelles is one of the member nations of the African Union. Seychelles is thriving in the tourism sector, holding plentiful striking coral beaches with opportunities of different water sports. Seychelles covers a total area of 459 sq. km and its geographical coordinates are 4.6167° S, 55.4500° E.

History of Seychelles:

It is said that, Austronesian seafarers were the first inhabitants of Seychelles, followed by them the Maldivian and Arab traders visited the island. The Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama was the first European to visit Seychelles in 1502, British landed on Seychelles in 1609 and Seychelles fell under the French rule in 1756. With the outcome of the Treaty of Paris in 1914, Seychelles came thoroughly under the British control and became independent on 29 June 1976.

How to reach Seychelles?

No necessity of Visa to enter Seychelles for any nationality but passport with 6 month validity is must. The Seychelles International Airport near the capital Victoria is the gateway to Seychelles, handling flights from/to Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, Colombo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Mauritius, Paris and Praslin. The cities of Seychelles are catered by buses, rental cars and taxis.

Culture, Shopping and Food in Seychelles:

The population of Seychelles is dominated by the Seychellois Creoles, who constitute around 93% of the country’s total population and have their own language, Seychellois Creole.

Pearl jewellery, textiles and straw hats are the purchasable items in Seychelles and Seychelles is famous for seafood dishes.

What to do in Seychelles?

Snorkelling
Sailing
Fishing
Surfing/Windsurfing
Bird-watching
Diving

Must see in Seychelles:

Sainte Anne Marine National Park:
The Sainte Anne Marine National Park covers 6 small islands, is situated around 5 km away from Victoria. Established in 1973, the park is the site of different water sport activities like glass-bottom boat excursions, scuba-diving and snorkeling.

Vallee de Mai:

Vallee de Mai is a world heritage site, featuring abundant flora and fauna species, highlighted by coco de mer of monocot tree, the largest seed in the world. This nature park is situated on the Praslin Island.

Aldabra Atoll:

Aldabra Atoll is considered as the largest coral atoll in the world, measuring a length of 22 miles. It is famous among visitors as home to a large proportion of giant land tortoise, tiger sharks and manta rays.

Natural History Museum:

The Natural History Museum describes the features of flora, fauna and the geological history of Seychelles with regular exhibitions. Entrance fee for non-residents is SR 15.00.

Sport activities in Seychelles:

Seychelles offers a wide range of sport activities for both locals and visitors such as horseback riding, biking, tennis, squash, badminton and golfing. These activities can be greatly enjoyed on Cousin Island.

List of other places to see in Seychelles include:

Bicentennial Monument
Petite Anse
Aride Island
Curieuse Island
Cousin Island
Vauxhall Clock Tower
Victoria Botanical Gardens
Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market

When to visit Seychelles?

Seychelles generally experiences a warm tropical climate year round and the best time to visit Seychelles depends on tourists’ particular interests, although the most preferred time is from December to January and July to August.

Where can stay in Seychelles?

There are dozens of world class hotels in Seychelles, but getting it during peak season would be a great challenge for visitors without advance booking. Here is the list of some tourist favor hotels in the capital, Victoria in Seychelles: