Praslin

The beautiful island of Praslin is second in size to Mahe in 12 km long and nowhere more than 5 km wide.  It can be reached  either by a short 15 minute flight from Mahe, or you could opt for an hour long voyage across the sea on the catamaran, Cat Cocos.

The two main attractions on the island are the Vallee de Mai, with its scenic forests and the famous Coco de Mer Palm, and the stunning Anse Lazio beach in North.

The Vallee de Mai covers an area of 48 acres on the east of Praslin and was declared a UNESCO world Heritage site in 1984.  The shortest tour around the valley takes approximately one hour and you should allow three hours to complete the full North to South circular route, so allow plenty of time if you need to return to Mahe.  If you are lucky you may also be able to spot the rare endemic black parrot.  The path about the site is clear and easy to follow, even if it gets a little steep at times.  Well worth a visit.

There are several beautiful beaches on the island of Praslin of which Anse Lazio is said to be the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles with a long stretch of white powdery sand framed by granite boulders.

Another beach well worth a visit is Anse Volbert which is a fine 2 km stretch of sand along the northern coast line.

One recommended trip if you are actually staying on the island , would be to drive up the hill on the western end of the island behind Anse Takamaka and Anse Boudin at sunset, to experience the panoramic views of Mahe, Silhouette and North Islands to the south and Curieuse, Aride, La Digue and many of the smaller islands to the north and east.