Seychelles has to be one of the best vacations I have had till date (not that I have explored a lot of beach destinations around the world) but I am sure Seychelles tops the list. After all, it is touted to be one of the best beach destinations in the world. Although I was there just for a week, initially attending a close friend’s wedding and then later extending the trip for another 3 days, I cannot and simply cannot stop myself from revisiting the photos everyday atleast twice since my return. Especially for someone like me who is a city person and has a crazy hectic life here, Seychelles was a therapeutic break; much needed and absolutely rejuvenating, so much so that the hangover still lingers in my heart.
More than the beautiful beaches, it is also the people who contribute a great deal in shaping the perception that you will take back home with you. Seychelles homes perhaps the most humble, kind hearted and forthcoming people I have ever come across, again something which comes to them naturally from having living in such a beautiful paradise. Not even a single person I came across who sulked or stared down upon me. Each and every person starting from the tour guide to the driver to waiters and the local people were warm, sweet and jolly. Even when the plane descended on the runway, which felt artificial, something that came up from the middle of nowhere just so that we could land amidst blue waters and mighty green mountains.
I was staying in Mahe for the first two nights followed by 2 nights in Praslin which is an hour and half by ferry. One can even fly to Praslin but I would definitely recommend the ferry because of the beautiful journey. Once in Praslin, I went to one of the most famous beaches there: Anse Lazio. I was there for over three hours from late afternoon until the sunset and it felt like one private beach. There were hardly people around and they were all engrossed in having the time of their lives. The tide was quite strong and hence I couldn’t really swim but playing with the waves is some fun, isn’t it? All I did was swim, play, stuff myself with some food and then went back again. It was magical, so to speak.
This was followed by a sumptuous meal at a French restaurant which also had freshly made yoghurt ice creams. Don’t forget to try their local Creole cuisine. Next day was a long beautiful day since we had to leave for another tiny island, La Digue which is a 45 minute ride by the ferry. Once we reached there, we were given our individual bicycles around 10.30 am and the island can be explored in both north and south directions, having different attractions. Everybody has to return to the starting point at 4.30 pm to take the evening ferry back to Praslin. We cycled the whole day long for some 5-6 hours, taking cosy breaks by the beach, soaking the sun, getting wet in the waters. So there are vanilla plantations, turtle park where one can find a family of some 100-150 year old turtles.
One beach that you absolutely cannot miss is the Anse Source d’Argent. It has perhaps the cleanest water I have ever seen at any beach. It was like a glass film on sand bed. Inspite of not having the basic scuba gear, which I seriously regret now, I could see so many pretty fishes swimming next to my feet. It was straight out of a scene from a movie, it felt surreal.
Actually Anse Source d’Argent was the last beach that we went to since it was in the other direction and that is the only beach in the north. In the south of La Digue there are a number of beaches where one can simply park the bicycle, hop off and have a dip in the water. Most of the cafes are also on the south side. We stopped at a cafe to have a simple meal and the waiter there turned out to be an Indian. He got excited seeing us there and simply couldn’t stop talking. The vanilla plantations on the north are pretty but except for the Anse Source d’Argent and turtle park, there isn’t much to explore there.
It was a long, tiring, sweaty day but definitely I never had so much fun cycling before.
On my last day, we moved back to Mahe since our return flight was from Mahe the following day. We stayed near the famous beach of Mahe: Beau Vallon. After all the cerulean beauty that I had experienced throughout, I thought there is nothing left to explore and it will all be the same. But my last beach definitely had the lasting effect on me. It rains at any given point of the day in Mahe. It must have rained heavily on 8 out of 10 occasions while we were there. So even on our last day it started pouring just when we were about to go to the beach and finally when it did not stop until 5 pm, we decided to take our umbrellas and go. We couldn’t have stayed inside the hotel sulking about having missed going to the beach.
I am so glad that we decided to go to the beach. The entire lane opening to the beach looked like the set of La La Land and it was gorgeous. Beau Vallon is like an infinite wave pool with baby waves where one can just float and swim without having to worry about huge waves washing you ashore. The icing on the cake was the formation of a beautiful rainbow which spread across the green mountains, spreading throughout the arc of the evening sky casting its magic on the sand bed. That was a moment that I chose to consciously capture in the laboratory of my mind, which can be evoked at times like this where I still have the ability to pour it vividly in full detail.
While Seychelles is definitely an expensive destination but it is totally worth going there once in your life. There were certain things that I learnt during the course of my trip that I feel will come handy to you guys:
1. Since Seychelles rupees is not a commonly available currency, please carry euros whenever you go. Although dollars are accepted too but the conversion rate on euros is much better than dollars or any other currency.
2. Unlike other countries, very limited hotels in Seychelles provide free wifi. In most of the two star hotels and apartments/ guest houses, you are expected to purchase wifi which is very expensive (ranging from 10 euros to 25 euros for 24 hours)
3. Carrying some dry food and snacks came really handy in Seychelles since the most commonly available food option is meat which is quite expensive and one can simply eat snacks whenever and wherever.
4. You will have to buy water at a supermarket there since tap water cannot be consumed.
5. Don’t forget to carry basic swim gear like goggles, breathing tube so that you can get into the water to experience the beautiful corals and fishes.
Seychelles is definitely a dream retirement haven where one day I will have a French architectural house overlooking the beach, barbecuing fresh catch from the sea while enjoying my favourite movie or book.
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