My husband and I have been married for 2 years and known every bit of its sweet-sour. In celebration of our life together, I have decided to take a trip down the memory lane, to our first romantic getaway – Seychelles, and pay due compliments to the land with gorgeous sunsets, azure beaches and yes, my husband for planning this.
Seychelles is a small nation in the India Ocean, comprising of 115 islands. If you haven’t narrowed down on your top destinations list, drag this one up to the top. Seychelles is a tropical paradise and is welcoming to the world. We picked the 3 most beautiful islands – Prasline, La Digue and Mahe.
Praslin is the second largest island in Seychelles and is famous for palm fringed beaches- Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette.
Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has the remnants of a natural palm forest preserved in almost its original state. The famous, Coco De Mer, from a palm-tree grown here, once believed to grow in the depths of the sea, has the largest seed in the plant kingdom. The forest is dominated by Coco De Mer, but there are also five other endemic species of palms. Located in the granitic island of Praslin, the Vallée de Mai is the only area in the Seychelles where all six species occur together and no other island in the Indian Ocean possesses the combination of features displayed in the property.
Curieuse Island is a boat ride away from Prasline and is preferred by tourists for day trips. Curieuse and Praslin are the only places in the world where the Coco de Mer grows naturally. There are also more than 100 tortoises walking around the island, which is really a unique sight. You can feed them, as many of them and just click countless pictures with them. It’s a good thing they are slow!
Another attraction to the island is the walking trail. The trail stretching across to the other side of the island, allows visitors to walk through thick mangrove forests past enormous granite cliffs. The trail is rocky making the walk ‘not’ very easy, but the views are spectacular.
Beach of Anse Lazio is a blend of crytal waters, smoldering sunsets, tall palm trees and rocky formation along the coastline. making it one of the best beaches in the World. This was the most relaxing part of our stay in Prasline. the beach was ranked the sixth best beach in the world in 2015, cementing its reputation as a world-class seaside location.
La Digue has a very relaxing vibe to it. It is the smallest out of the three inhabited islands. We covered almost the entire island cycling on roads along the coastline in 1 day. There are several beaches to enjoy with choices of snorkeling and swimming. To the south of town within the grounds of L’Union Estate is Anse Source D’Argent, the most famous beach in Seychelles. Believe me, the beaches here are not to be missed. Most people come to this island for a day trip only for the beaches.
Anse Source D’Argent, in particular, is the most photographed beach in the world. The water is so pristine that you can see through it without a snorkeling gear.We stayed at the Le Domaine De L’Orangeraie, which was right on the east coast of the island. The view from the lounging area of this resort simply takes your breath away!
Mahe is the largest island in the archipelago. The island is known for its white sand beaches, more particularly the beach of BEAU VALLON. These beaches beckons travelers to lounge under the palms and enjoy the best views these beaches have to offer. Every beach we visited added a little more to our definition of “beautiful”.We stayed at the Banyan Tree Resort. One can be blessed with scenic views of the Indian Ocean and stay in a one of the 60 exquisite Creole-style pool villas. The Resort also has direct access to the beach.The Resort is undoubtedly dreamy. It has an in-house infinity pool and serves breakfast along the blue waters of the ocean.This Resort was by far my favorite place.
Final leg of the trip was snorkeling in the Saint Anne Marine National Park. Located off the shore of Mahe, the National Park perimeter is large (more than 14 km²) and almost all the shallow and calm areas can be explored. Seagrass beds, fringing and patch reefs offer an ample and diverse array of snorkeling opportunities. The fish do not fear the humans, given that fishing is prohibited since more than 40 years in the area.Regular ferry service is available from Victoria port to Saint Anne Island. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the island via small boats. Day trips include island hopping, snorkeling, glass bottom boat rides and scuba diving.
Travel tips for Mahe: Mahe has a good system of well-maintained roads and an extensive bus network, accessing Mahe’s fabulous natural attractions is fairly easy; however, hiring a car is probably the best way to see what Mahe.
Travel tips for Praslin: Easily reached by a ferry from Mahe. Getting around the island is easy, especially if you rent your own vehicle. There’s also a local bus service that runs almost completely around the island.
Travel tips for La Digue: The island is easily accessible for a day trip – only 15 minutes by ferry from Praslin. You can take a sightseeing tour in an ox cart taxi, but by far the best way to see the island is to hire a bicycle. Roads are sealed, paths are reasonably flat and distances relatively short.
Original Article on https://eternalfernweh.wordpress.com
BIO:
The writer of this guest blog is a very special friend of mine Sadhvi Sharma. Though we were often rivals on various sport teams, the love and respect I have for this girl is immaculate. She is strong and independent and definitely one of the women I look upto. She is a travel bug by passion, travel blogger by experience and a lawyer by profession. She hails from a small town in Uttar Pradesh but had the utmost privilege of spending most of her school years in Nainital at St. Marys’ Convent boarding school. She graduated with a baccalaureate in Law from Symbiosis International University Law School, Pune, Maharashtra and went on to pursue a master’s degree in Finance Law from the George Washington University Law School, Washington D.C.
She has worked for major IT and real estate companies in capacity of a lawyer for over 4 years now. She is currently settled in Bangalore, Karnataka.Needless to say, she loves travelling! Apart from that, her hobbies comprise of landscape & portrait photography and dancing.
Her Travel dream: She has travelled to 17 countries and covered 4 continents out of the known 7 and hopes to count that number to 50 and 7 in this lifetime.
Travel Tips:
1. Plan and book your vacation at least 6 months in advance to get the best places at reasonable rates.
2. Ditch the tour packages and save on some cash by customizing your own vacation. There is always an element of surprise there!
3. Creatively organize you itinerary. Find out and visit some off-beat locations. There are always some hidden gems in every country.
4. Always go for an adventurous activity. Get that adrenalin rush!
5. Always try the local cuisine and enjoy conversations with local people. No matter how many people you meet along your travels, you will always learn something new from them.
6. Lastly, just have fun.