Seychelles

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, between four and ten degrees south of the equator and north of Madagascar. The inner islands are granite, with mountains, rainforest and pink boulders on the beaches; the outer ones are low coral atolls. Mahé, the largest, holds the capital Victoria, the international airport and nine-tenths of the population, and English, French and Seychellois Creole are all spoken.

Praslin is known for the UNESCO-listed Vallée de Mai, home of the coco de mer palm, and for the beaches of Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette. La Digue keeps an unhurried island pace, seabirds nest on the Aride reserve, and remote islands such as Desroches and North Island have become single-resort private retreats.

The climate is warm all year, at 24–32 °C. December to May is the hotter season, and from October to March the sea is at its calmest; May to September is drier and cooler, with choppier water off the south-east coasts. April–May and September–November bring the best diving. The islands suit honeymooners, families, divers and anyone drawn to rare landscapes and wildlife.