As content as Robinson Crusoe on a tiny island

Mahé, Praslin and La Digue are the three biggest islands of the Seychelles, but there are many other smaller islands, each one a genuine pearl. All these islands offer a good standard of accommodation in a totally unspoilt environment, where visitors will enjoy an unforgettable holiday.

Alphonse
This island, one of the Amirante group, has a huge lagoon surrounded by a coconut grove. It has only recently been opened to tourism.

Desroches
Desroches is the model of an island with fine sand and coconut trees. Desroches, the tourist ambassador for the Amirante Isles, is 5 km long and 500 metres wide, and has a population of about forty living in one small village. Its only attraction is a small shop which opens once a week.
But Desroches is also a paradise for divers who can discover one of the most beautiful coral gardens of the Indian Ocean.

Fregate
Once the refuge of pirates driven from the Caribbean, then from Madagascar, Fregate, an enormous granite rock criss-crossed by paths, conceals a number of treasures…
Coconut trees, casuarina, papaya, takamaka and mandarien trees form a sumptuous setting for frigates, coco turtle-doves, terns and other species flourishing in the midst of a verdant vegetation.
Fregate is the ideal island for exhausted decision-makers who need to forget their routine stress for a few days. And this is where the famous pirate treasure is probably hidden…

Bird Island
This small island, lying about one hundred kilometres from Mahé, is a favourite refuge for ornithologists. The island owes its name to the thousands of birds which have turned it into their home.
From May to September, the air resounds with the chirping and cooing of birds, accompanied by over a million and a half terns which nest on this island.
Officially, it is known as the "Island of Cows" because of the numerous sea cows, or dugongs, which used to be found here in the past. Bird Island can be easily reached, for it is only a half-hour flight from Mahé on an Air Seychelles Twin Otter.

Silhouette
The impressive mountainous silhouette of the island looms above the ocean, off the coast of the famous Beauvallon Bay in Mahé. "Silhouette the Wild" seems to have been specially created for nature lovers and walking enthusiasts. There are no cars or roads on this island. Instead, rivers and waterfalls populate one of the most beautiful equatorial forests of the Indian Ocean. Silhouette is a paradise for naturalists who will be delighted to discover the exotic and rare trees and plants growing here. Some 300 inhabitants earn their living from coffee, tobacco, cinnamon and avocado plantations. This island is a haven of peace which should be explored on tiptoes and with eyes wide open.

All these dream islands can be reached by an Air Seychelles flight on a Twin Otter or by helicopter. Flights are chartered by the hotels, so contact them directly.

Air Seychelles helps you organize your holiday Important travel information Good package deals Organize your own holiday Pearls on the Indian Ocean Mahé — Praslin — la Digue — the smaller islands

© Air Seychelles in the UK - May 2002
Updated 25/01/05

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