Seychelles Island Style

Seychelles offers wildlife 'specials', many of which can be found nowhere else in the world: giant tortoises in abundance, one of the rarest trees on earth, the smallest frog in the world, and a list of rare birds that would send any twitcher into raptures.

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There are countless tropical islands offering sand, sea and swaying palms, so what's so special about the Seychelles? The wildlife, for one...

Long white beaches, warm tropical seas filled with an astounding array of gaudy fish, and North Island to satisfy even the most jaded international traveler - this is the Seychelles. An archipelago of 115 coral and granite islands sprinkled in the Indian Ocean, approximately 1 200 kilometers off the coast of Africa, the Seychelles have long been one of the world's most popular holiday spots.

The islands are also one of the world's most interesting wildlife destinations. Admittedly there are no Big Five, but the Seychelles offers wildlife 'specials', many of which can be found nowhere else in the world: giant tortoises in abundance, one of the rarest trees on earth, the smallest frog in the world, and a list of rare birds that would send any twitcher into raptures.

The Seychelles, which lie scattered over an area of some 400 000 square kilometers just south of the equator, have a land area of 455 square kilometers. Of this, 42 per cent has been set aside as nature reserves, national parks and other protected areas. The people, who for the most part are descendants of African slaves and French and British colonialists, live a laid-back, tropical lifestyle with continental flair.

Mahé, just 27 kilometers long and eight kilometers wide, is the largest, busiest and most populated of all the islands in the archipelago. The capital, Victoria, is clean, well maintained and above all, safe. Mahé seems to have been made for exploration: the roads, which are in good repair (although in places very narrow), wind their way around and across the island. There are many fine walks to be had, both in the Morne Seychellois National Park and on other parts of the island. One that we took, to Copolia, a huge granite outcrop in Morne Seychellois, leads through lush green forests and up a fairly steep path. En route, the forest was brought alive by our guide, Jean-Claude Nicette, who pointed out many of the endemic plants, and some of the exotics too. One of the most common of the exotics was the cinnamon tree, with its bark that smells distinctly like a Chelsea bun. The raucous calls of Seychelles bulbuls drowned out the sounds of the other birds as we sweated our way up the steep path, while high above, beyond the tree canopy, Seychelles fruit bats flapped their way about.

In the ground below, Nicette began scratching among the leaf litter in search of the source of a high-pitched squeak. There, amid the leaves, sat what looked like little more than a speck of mud. It was the tiniest frog we had ever seen, no bigger than a fingernail. At 10 millimetres long, Soosglossus gardineri is very difficult to find, but well worth the search.

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From atop Copolia, the views are astounding. To the east lies the St Anne Marine National Park, the shallow water over the corals changing from light green through turquoise to deep blue, and the south-east monsoons chasing small white horses across the water further out to sea. Behind us, the mist surrounding Morne Seychellois allowed us only brief glimpses of the 905-metre peak, the highest on the island. Pitcher plants (see box) grow over much of the other foliage and, on the ridge overlooking the Sans Souci road, a lone jellyfish tree clings precariously to life (there are only nine known living specimens of this tree in existence).

Mahé has many little coves as well as larger, more popular beaches to explore, such as Takamaka, a beach in the south named after the trees that line its sands. One evening we settled under the coconut palms to watch the sky turn orange, pink and purple, silhouetting the fishing boats anchored in the bay. The monsoons rustled the palm fronds above us; falling coconuts made occasional thumps deeper in the palm grove, and we began to wonder how safe we were sitting under a coco palm!

The pace on Mahé is hardly frenetic, but on Praslin, the second-largest island in the group, it slows to a crawl. A coral reef surrounds the island and the warm, crystal waters are ideal for scuba diving and snorkelling, particularly at the world-famous Anse Lazio and the Côte d'Or.

Praslin is probably best known for its Vallée de Mai, a World Heritage Site and home to the endemic coco de mer. Legends abound about these huge palms, which have the largest seeds of any tree in the world. It is said that, on balmy tropical nights when the moon is full, the male palms move across the land, mating with the females in a manner similar to humans. When you see the nut produced by the female plant - so reminiscent of female genitalia - and the male's long catkin with its many flowers, it is not too difficult to understand how this legend originated, although there are no witnesses to the spectacle, as death quickly befalls anyone unlucky enough to see it.

To the north-west is one of the smallest of the granite islands, Cousin. Owned by BirdLife International, it is a paradise for ornithologists and a true conservation success story. Cousin is one of the few places in the world where the Seychelles warbler occurs - we saw two - and these birds are joined by some 250 000 other birds that nest there each year. Fairy terns, white-tailed tropicbirds, lesser and brown noddys, Seychelles magpie robins and many others make this island a must for those who have even a passing interest in birds. The island has been rid of all the exotic species, including rats, which have plagued many of the indigenous species found on these islands, and today, it is totally preserved for conservation. Not even the boats bringing visitors to the island may beach, for fear of some unwanted organism jumping ship.

Just a few kilometers to the south of Praslin is La Digue. Here, the six motorised vehicles on the island are used for carrying supplies, while ox-cart taxis and bicycles provide transport for locals and tourists. There is no airfield on La Digue, so the only way to reach the island is by boat. This is one of the most beautiful of the islands, with blinding white beaches surrounded by enormous grey granite boulders bristling with palm trees and little houses set among the luxuriant vegetation. The Veuve Nature Reserve - adjacent to the Zerof restaurant - is home to the black paradise flycatcher, a rare species, which we were fortunate enough to see briefly.

The northernmost island in the archipelago is Bird Island, which, as its name suggests, is an ornithological delight. Between May and October each year, more than a million sooty terns arrive to nest here, occupying about a sixth of the island's 170 hectares. These augment the 20 or so species of resident and migratory birds that are attracted to the island throughout the year. This tiny patch of land, which has only just enough space for a runway, boasts a small lodge run by Serge Robert, an avid crusader for the island's bird and hawksbill turtle projects.

We walked up to the bird colony on our first afternoon and experienced scenes reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. They were everywhere: in the sky, in the water, on the ground ... two even landed on my back as I bent down to take a camera from my bag. As might be expected, the noise was unbelievable.

We trudged back up the beach, walking our way through the thick white sand, to watch the terns coming in to roost at the end of the day. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving the sky deep orange and purple, and still the birds wheeled around us, often coming in very close, occasionally hovering in the gentle south-east monsoon.

The great wildlife experiences in the Seychelles are not limited to terra firma. The warm, clear waters are ideal for scuba diving and snorkeling for both experienced divers and novices. Following some theory and practical instruction in the pool, we went on a number of dives to some of the 'easier' sites along the coast, diving to depths of about 12 metres, accompanied by qualified instructors. Here we found an astonishing array of marine life, including small jellyfish and, on one occasion, a hawksbill turtle.

A lethal cocktail The pitcher plant Nepenthes pervellei is endemic to the islands of Mahé and Silhouette, growing on steep cliffs where the soil is acid, wet and low in nutrients. It is believed that this species, along with other carnivorous plants such as sundews, butterworts and bladderworts which occur in similar conditions in other parts of the world, evolved the ability to catch insects to compensate for the lack of soil nutrients. Male and female flowers are found on separate plants.

The pitcher plant has tendrils modified to form small pitchers that secrete a sticky substance to attract insects. The insects, floundering on the smooth sides of the pitcher, fall into the pool of liquid in the base, which contains digestive enzymes. The lid of the pitcher acts as an umbrella and prevents rain from diluting the fluid.

Remarkably, two endemic insects (a mosquito and a mite) do not succumb to this digestive solution and, in fact, breed in it.

A Giant conservation success

Aldabra, the world's largest atoll and the most westerly point of the Seychelles archipelago, is also home to the Aldabra giant tortoise Geochelonia gigantea. Due to the isolation of the island, this species escaped the fate suffered by several other species of giant land tortoise found on the archipelago, including Marion's tortoise and Arnold's tortoise, which were both hunted to extinction between the 16th and 18th centuries. Tortoises not only provided fresh meat for ships' crews on trading vessels (they could be kept alive on board for long periods), but trade in tortoiseshell was also rampant.

Today, Aldabra boasts a population of some 150 000 giant land tortoises - more than five times the number found on the Galapagos islands. They reach an average weight of 50 kilograms and live for 60 to 100 years. Their diet consists largely of plant material, but they are also known to scavenge on dead animals. The species is able to drink through its nose (so as to take water from the shallowest of puddles) and spends a large part of the day in the shade so that it does not literally boil inside its huge carapace.

Mating is a cumbersome affair, with only two per cent of couplings being successful. The female lays up to 16 eggs, which take three to six months to hatch, usually at the start of the rainy season when food is plentiful.

Effective conservation of the giant tortoises has also allowed populations to be established on Frégate, Cousin and Curieuse islands and in the botanical gardens on Mahé.

Perhaps the most renowned of these giants is Esmerelda, the world's heaviest and possibly oldest tortoise, weighing in at a staggering 298 kilograms. The most venerable inhabitant of Bird Island, he - for Esmerelda is indeed a male - is estimated to be between 160 and 180 years old.

When to go
Year round, although the relatively cooler months, between May and September, when the south-east monsoon blows, are probably the most comfortable. Temperatures vary between 24 and 30 ¾C, with high humidity. The Seychelles fall outside the cyclone belt.

Getting there
The Victoria International Airport on Mahé is served by a number of international airlines, including Air Seychelles, which flies on Saturdays from Johannesburg International. Contact vacationtechnician.com

Currency
The local currency is the Seychelles Rupee, which is divided into 100 cents. Exchange rates at the time of going to press, courtesy of Rennies Foreign Exchange, are:
R1 = 0.86 Rupees
US$1 = 5.43 Rupees
UK£1 = 8.75 Rupees

Getting around
An extensive bus service operates on Mahé and Praslin. Taxis are readily available and cars and mopeds can be hired. Air Seychelles offers regular domestic flights to five islands from Mahé. A ferry service operates between islands, as does Helicopter Seychelles. Yachts can be hired for island hopping. Cousin Island is easily reached by boat, hired from a hotel. Private visits to Aldabra are, however, extremely difficult to arrange.

Where to stay
There is a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from top international hotels and guesthouses to lodges and self-catering chalets and apartments. There are no camping or youth-hostel facilities on the islands.

Highlights
Highlights include the combination of marine and land environments, the birdlife, nesting turtles, scuba-diving and snorkeling - all amid the most beautiful scenery.

Lowlights
The Seychelles are expensive, but the islands are marketed as an exclusive destination, with a maximum number of 4 000 visitors allowed at any one time.

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