Seychelles: The Mah-velous Island of Mahe

The final few days of our Seychelles dream trip were spent on the largest and most populated island, Mahe, which was every bit as lovely as the previous two islands we visited on this African adventure. Because of it's vast mountaneous interior Mahe seemed to be even more jungled and lush, although we stuck to the coastline and enjoyed the sandy, rock-edged beaches. Our accomodations were in the quiet, northern town of Beau Vallon, which had the longest and most accessible beach on the island. There were several guest houses and a few hotels, as well as restaurants and shops in this area, mostly all within walking distance of our Romance Bungalow hotel. There was also a nice, shaded walkway alongside the beach with vendors selling fresh local fruits and coconuts, cooked fish, chicken, and a variety of tropical drinks. Both tourists and locals enjoy the beach in Beau Vallon, and it had a chilled and relaxing vibe.

We took an all-day boat trip around the tip of Mahe with a fun international group of 6 fellow travelers - a Brazilian man, another from Egypt, and two couples, one from India, and another from Morocco.

After catching some fresh fish right off the boat, we motored-on to beautiful St. Therese Island. While we snorkeled in the beautiful Indian Ocean, our captain and his assistant grilled the catch, along with some chicken and created a plentiful BBQ for all. There was then some time for a bit of beach strolling and shell hunting before we moved on to the torquise waters of Baie Ternay Marine Park for more underwater exploration. It was a great day out despite the cloudy sky and occasional downpour.

We also had a couple of lazy, relaxed days on Mahe as well, in which mainly lounged on the beach, walked the shoreline, and swam in the warm sea - giving us time to reflect on this excellent adventure. Once again we are feeling tremendously grateful for this globetrotting opportunity!
What a fantastic month-long trip it's been.

Seychelles: La Digue Island - We are diggin it!

La Digue (sounds like - dig) has a laid back vibe with very few motorized vehicles. There are some trucks and a few vans, but mostly small electric golf carts and bicycles fill the road. Virtually everyone rides bikes - us included - there's also the option of taking the occasional oxcart down the stone and/or sandy streets. The temperature here is extremely warm and the humidity is as high as the temps (in the 90s). That's not stopping us, just slowing us down a bit, and adding to the laid-back-ness of this heavenly island. We thought that Praslin Island was the ultimate in geologic wonder, but this smaller island is even a notch above. From a visual, scenic point of view there is nowhere else on Earth that can compare - if you like tropical island splendor that is!

The ultimate location on the island just might be the rocks and sea at Source d'Argent, which is a short 10-minute pedal from our hotel. The green jungle backdrop and the powder-white sand contrasts with the stunning granite boulders that protrude at unusual and spectacular angles, making for many "wow moments." It's really a surreal and unbelievable sight and we're running out of worthy adjectives to describe the eye-candy. It's "picture perfect" but even photos can't do it the justice it deserves!

What we've seen of the rest of the island is beautiful as well, and we've been able to explore much of it on our hotel-provided bikes. The interior is lush and tropical - with the occasional giant land tortoise wandering about. Like Source d'Argent, most of the coastline is edged with those incredible granite boulders - outrageously gorgeous! The sea temps are also quite warm - in the high 80s, so stopping at every beautiful beach we could was "mandatory" to cool down somewhat and allow us to navigate up and down the hilly terrain.

And, the amazing landscape isn't the only incredible sight to see. There are many fine snorkeling spots among the rocks, in the calm sea, that make those swimming experiences even more special. Some fine snorkeling was had off-island at nearby Coco, Big Sister, and Felicite Islands, which we visited on a half-day boat excursion specifically for the purposes of underwater exploring - what a special place!

In the late afternoon we took a kayak from our hotel and headed back to the Source D'Argent area by sea for one last look at the world's most scenic shoreline - so fantastic!