Fri 18 April - Travel day
We were in bed by 7pm, probably the earliest time we’d ever been to bed since childhood. The alarm went off at 22:15 and we quickly got dressed and the Uber driver arrived a few minutes later. Surprised at how well we had slept for such a short time, felt quite awake and ready for the trip. The trip to the airport was uneventful and we were soon walking through an almost deserted terminal A departures. Check-in, security & passport control were quickly completed and we headed to the SAA lounge. Once inside we ordered a fruit juice each, then dished up food from the buffet including spicy arabiata, chicken, rice and a couscous salad. The lounge closed at 12:15 so we didn't stay long before making our way to the boarding gate. After being allowed to board we waited in the cold passages while the aircraft was cleaned, but soon we were on board the smaller sized and somewhat older Embraer plane. The business class was OK, we had a bit more space. We quickly bundled up under the cozy blankets provided. Just because we were in business class we decided to have a glass of champagne that we sipped imperiously. There needs to be a word that describes the feeling of guilt you feel when you sit in business class and watch all the economy tickets file past you with envious glances.
We woke up shortly before descending to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta airport, a beautiful sunrise on the horizon lighting up the clouds as if on fire. The airport felt very hot and humid, security check completed we retreated to the Pride lounge which was equally hot and humid. Breakfast was a freshly made bespoke omelet & toast, fruit juice, yogurt & fruit, pancake, waffle and the hero of the morning, a generous cappuccino. We spent a few hours killing time in the lounge sauna before going for a walk around the airport. We saw a really nice looking bottle of gin, decorated with bead work and went into the shop to find the price. One of assistants promptly invited us to taste the gin & tonic so we went along to the tasting table. We tested a couple of gins including a lavender flavored one. We asked about the prices and were a shocked to hear the gin was USD 90. Walking on we passed other shops for clothes, curios and luggage items. Eventually we reached the spa and then turned back as we were starting to feel hot and sweaty.
We retreated back to the Simba lounge, grabbed a beer and some bottled water and cooled off in the air conditioning until we had to catch our flight to Mahe at 12:00. This time we were flying on a 737 and business class was much nicer with a lot of legroom and space. We ordered our lunch, vegetarian and beef goulash and settled in to enjoy the flight, reading and watching series on our tablets. Around 16:00 we caught sight of Mahe basking in the late afternoon sun and started our descent to Victoria. In no time at all we cleared passports, reunited with our bags, and drew cash. We found our driver (I thought his name was Benjamin but Nicki later explained the he was asking if I was Benjamin) who ushered us to his taxi which was an oasis of aircon cool. He was soon telling us about the Seychelles and we enjoyed listening to his unique accent. The island was covered in lush green vegetation, granite mountains towered over us. We soon arrived in the center of Victoria (the world’s smallest capital city) and spotted the clock tower, and a little further on we arrived at the hilltop hotel. We got settled into our spacious and comfortable room, showered and changed into cooler clothes before heading out for a walk around town.
Victoria was almost deserted on account of the good Friday holiday. Shops and restaurants were mostly closed. The buildings had a unusual style of architecture, corrugated iron roofs with pointed spires. We passed the imposing Anglican church with its beautiful stained glass windows. We walked as far as the bicentenial monument and stopped at the marina to enjoy the view. We started to head back and passed an art center housed in a modern building and then some flashy looking banks. We were surprised to see many ABSA ATMs around the town. As it started to get dark we arrived at La Dolce Vita restaurant for dinner. We ordered bitter lemon and sprite to quench our thirst, and a pizza and fish burger to eat. We relaxed and enjoyed the pleasant evening, reflecting on our day, and before long our supper arrived to satisfy our growing appetites. We settled our bill and slowly trekked up the hill back up to the hotel which left us sweating and out of breath.
Sat 19 April - Embarking
We woke up in paradise and wished each other happy anniversary :) We headed down to breakfast, in a beautiful garden surrounded by tropical plants. We were given fresh tropical fruit salad, with shaved coconut, and fresh lime and pineapple juice, followed by eggs of our choice, toast, pancakes with homemade mango papaya jam, chocolate sauce and honey, and banana coconut cake. It was already hot!
We packed and then walked about a kilometer with our heavy packs to the Sir Selwyn Clarke market, just to have a look. The streets were packed with people and the market full of fresh fish and fruit. Some egrets hung around the fish stalls hoping to steal some. The souvenirs were upstairs and we didn’t have the energy to visit.
We continued through the hot busy streets towards the inter island quay and struggled a little to find the embarkation point for Silhouette cruises, most people were going on the Praslin ferry. We eventually found it and the Sea Pearl, dropped our luggage and rested in the shade, there were lots of people and bags that would be split between the Sea Pearl, Sea Star and Sea Bird.
When it came our time to embark we were shown to a small tender boat, driven a really short distance and we climbed up into the yacht and were shown to the dining area which was beautifully air conditioned. We joined 6 Germans and a Russian who were chatting and mostly ignored us. Later, the Frenchman came on board but he wasn’t very conversational either… The Sea Pearl is a traditional schooner, we could see it wasn’t a new boat but comfortable, and it would be our home for 7 nights.
After our Captain Cally gave us a safety briefing and indemnity, we were shown to room 1, the cabin situation was certainly cozy but we were easily able to fit our belongings into two cupboards, and our bags on the upper bunk which we didn’t plan to use. The boat had a shared bathroom at the back, 5 showers and 2 toilets.
Next dive master Reggae (who actually had a very Italian name I could never remember) checked our dive gear with us. His cool dreads certainly suited his nickname better! We got BCDs and fins and hung our wetsuits for diving the next morning. We chilled with Seybrew beers on the shaded deck for a while, enjoying chilled reggae tunes.
Next we were served a delicious lunch of creole style fish (fish was called Job), rice, pasta and grilled chicken with salad and a yummy but hot chili garlic sauce that went well with everything! Debbie our hostess looked after us well with cold water and eventually switched the aircon back on once the anchor was up.
After lunch at 1pm we just chilled on the shaded deck, watching the islands go by as we headed out. We spotted St Anne island with its beautiful Club Med resort and stunning beaches.
We eventually reached Praslin island, a very large and green island with a harbour. We thought we’d be spending the night between Round island and Praslin but in fact we continued around the North of Praslin. The sunset was spectacular amidst the varying cloud formations, pinks and oranges becoming deep reds and then alternating orange and blue stripes.
The crew took pains taking down the two sails they had put up, in the fading light. We continued motoring until we reached Curieuse island and then dropped anchor after dark, around 7pm. We parked near the Sea Bird, beautifully lit up.
Dinner was a delicious mix of octopus curry with rice, chicken stir fry and noodles, butternut salad and green salad.
Captain Cally briefed us on the next day’s activities:
6:30 Ready to dive
7:00 In water for dive
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Go to Curieuse island, hike 45 mins to beach
11:30 Pickup for second dive
1:30 Lunch
3:00 Third dive
7:30 Dinner
Reggae (Giovanni!) gave us five indemnity forms and then the crew introduced themselves:
Two young students called Josh and Eve, who are studying to be deckhands.
Another deckhand called Sean who turned out to be the tender skipper.
Gilbert the mechanic, and Mitsy the cook.
Sun 20 April (Easter) - Curieuse island & 3 Dives
The alarm went off at 05:45 to wake us to get ready for our first dive. The bunk had been a bit cramped in the night and we hadn't slept quite as well as we would have liked. We slowly got up and got ready before heading up on deck to meet Giovanni/Reggae our dive master, and the other divers Alex the Russian and Stefan the Frenchman. It was a beautiful morning, we drank in the views of paradise all around us. We put on our wetsuits and then proceeded to board the tender. Our first dive was at the coral nursery. The water was 30 degrees Celsius, the wetsuit felt like it wasn't really necessary. The visibility was average but the dive delivered some good results as we saw several octopus, a turtle, a white tip reef shark and abundant fish life. The reefs were not in the best condition, but it was encouraging to see the coral nursery and lots of new coral growing.
Pleased with our first dive we returned for a hearty breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, baked beans, toast, fresh fruit, cheese, cold cuts and salad. Afterwards we spent time filling in our logbooks and comparing notes of the fish we had seen. Some time later we joined all the guests for the expedition to the island of Curieuse. This island had once been a leper colony, but now it was a nature reserve. We started at the tortoise breeding station and spent time posing for photos with the giant tortoises. They were actually quite friendly and seem to like being photographed and touched.
Next we started on the hiking trail to the other side of the island. The sun was shining brightly and we were soon perspiring from the heat. The trail climbed over a small hill before we got to the longest boardwalk in the Seychelles that elevated us above a mangrove swamp. Everywhere we could see was covered in mangrove roots and discarded conical shaped crab shells. We searched for a crab and eventually found one in its hole next to the boardwalk. After the boardwalk we climbed another hill which offered great views and we stopped for photos. We descended into the forest and soon reached the beach, and didn't waste any time going for a swim. The water was absolutely perfect in every way, brilliantly clear, turquoise bliss. Pretty little white fish followed us around as we enjoyed the water. After a while we got out and posed for photos on the rocks with the idyllic scenery in the background. Next we walked to the doctor's house on the far side of the beach, but it was under renovation and empty so we headed back to the beach to swim. It wasn't long until the tender boat arrived and we reluctantly had to leave. We spotted birds perched on the rocks (terns and herons) and stopped to take photos before we got back on the sea pearl.
Back on the sea pearl we only just got settled in after our trip to the island than we had to start getting ready for our next dive. We were headed to point rouge (red), so called for the red colored rock here. The dive site featured huge underwater granite boulders. This time we dived with just a rash vest and swimming trunks which was sufficient for the warm water. On our way back to the surface we noticed the surface looked a bit different and after surfacing we realized it was raining. Climbing back into the boat we actually felt cold from the rain and especially as we picked up speed. On the sea pearl we had a nice warm shower and dressed warmly before we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of grilled fish, salad with smoked marlin, rice, another salad. The creole hot chilli sauce was the perfect addition and took the flavor of the fish to the next level. We rested after lunch until our next dive.
The last dive of the day was at coral garden. This was the best dive of the day, with great visibility, better coral and we saw a great deal. Octopus, white tip sharks under a coral, a massive blotched/marbled stingray, lobster, huge shoals of 5 line snapper and much more. It had been a great day of diving and we were exhausted and content. Dinner that evening was delicious octopus curry, chicken, rice and salads. Afterwards we read and wrote in our cabin until we couldn't keep our eyes open and fell asleep.
Monday 21 April - Cousin Island & Anse Lazio (no dives)
We woke up after 7:00 which was lovely and were soon called to breakfast with the ringing of a bell. Breakfast was the same as yesterday but with scrambled eggs instead of fried. Everything seemed to taste delicious in Seychelles! The day was beautiful and getting hot already.
Soon we were moving to Cousin island, so we sat on deck and watched Praslin go by. Sadly we missed seeing some dolphins gliding along the boat but our German friends showed us pictures.
On arrival near Cousin we dropped anchor and were taken by a small speed boat in groups of five, we were told to hold on tight as we hit the beach at speed. Then we were escorted to a shaded structure with quite a lot of other tourists where we waited more than 50 minutes. The Russian proceeded to talk Werner’s ear off. He seemed to prefer talking to listening and only asked questions he already knew the answer to so he could either argue with you or show you how clever/knowledgeable he is. Werner concluded he is on the spectrum as he truly lacked social graces. Or perhaps it’s just cultural?
Finally we were divided into about four groups, one French speaking and the rest English. We followed a guide called Sky cos I liked his accent and it turned out he had spent a lot of time in Botswana.
We spotted our first bird quickly, a beautiful white tailed tropic bird, they are medium sized and nest between large tree roots on the ground and seem remarkably unafraid of us. Then we saw our first of many giant tortoises, and a fairy (white) tern, also chilling on the ground. We saw a Seychelles skink (lizard), unexciting brown lizards but skinks are the main threat/predator to the birds. Then a lesser noddy, a beautiful grey bird with a long black beak and white ring around its eye. Sky explained to us in front of another two fairy terns, that these birds mate for life. They don’t make a nest but lay their egg in the knot of a tree, and come back to feed their baby fish (non regurgitated).
We walked close to the beach and Sky spotted a tropic bird that had gotten covered in some vegetation, the sticky seeds of the Pisonia tree, which stick to the feathers and prevent the bird from flying. Sky managed to free the bird, and it rested awhile, panting, and then flew off. We also found a Seychelles Fody and a Seychelles Warbler, both small birds very close to each other.
Next we saw some branches with pink tape on them, they are used to indicate where sea turtles had laid their eggs, the staff, that live on the island, mark the date, and the eggs hatch around 63 days later. We were right at the end of the egg laying season, so lucky to see this.
Then we came across a Seychelles magpie robin, previously a critically endangered bird with only 16 left on fregate island in the Seychelles, mostly killed off by introduced cats and rats. They are apparently extremely clever - when faced with a water bottle that the bird could not drink out of, it apparently dropped rocks into the bottle until the water level rose sufficiently. There are now over 500 on Cousin island. The staff tag each one with coloured bands on their feet, and name them accordingly. This bird was called pink pink.
We came across more tortoises and Sky told us how they have a part on their head that allows them to feel vibrations. Three days before the tsunami in Seychelles, apparently all the tortoises headed for the highest places on the islands.
We were showed a pile of rocks and asked to guess what they were… apparently ancient guano from all the birds. We also spotted a Wrights skink, a bigger specimen that has teeth and apparently bites.
We found another bird covered in sticky Pisonia, this time really bad. Sky said it was the most heartbreaking part of his job, to remove it all would pull out all of the birds feathers, putting it through excruciating pain, and it would probably die anyway. This made me a little sad and a little angry, surely there was something they could do for this beautiful bird?
We came across a few coffee plants planted by the French family that originally stayed here, and Sky rescued a fairy fern from the evil Pisonia. He also showed us a banyan tree, and found a bronze eyed gecko in another banyan tree.
We ended near a large tortoise and Sky told us how to tell their age (count the rings from the centre to edge of a section of shell), how to differentiate males from females (males have humps in their shell, longer tails and shorter back nails) and told us about Esmeralda, one of the oldest tortoises on Aldabra, approximately 215 years old. They lay their eggs in the mud, while turtles lay theirs in the sand.
The tour ended there, Sky said we could swim and we were annoyed as we were told by our crew it was prohibited! So we hadn’t brought swimming gear. Instead we waited another 30+ minutes before the guides called Sea Pearl and we could hop onto the transport back to our boat. On arrival I begged Reggae to let us swim, which he did, we dived into the electric blue water, clear as vodka and cooled off. The current was quite strong but it felt amazing.
Lunch consisted of baked fish salad (bek bek fish) - delicious, another salad, chicken casserole and rice, steamed veggies, and bread. We then prepared to visit Anse Lazio which many said was the best beach in the Seychelles.
On arrival at the far end of the beach, we walked the full 600m length of it, through various “sections” separated by rocks. Every part of the beach was incredible, with super fine white sand, clear turquoise waters, lounging palm trees, plenty of shade, and beautiful granite rocks. There were a few bars along the beach and places you could rent sun loungers, it was busy but not unpleasantly crowded.
Next we enjoyed a WELL earned swim, the water was perfect, and Werner even caught some body surfs on the small waves, returning grinning each time. We didn’t want to leave the water. But we were running out of time and Werner still wanted to snorkel. I lay on the beach in the shade while he explored what was under the water around the rocks.
The crew returned to collect us but they granted us another 30 minutes so we went back and continued swimming :) eventually we had to leave, I was sad again.
Back on the boat we showered, chilled, and watched the sunset, then set off for our spot for the night.
Tues 22 April - Vallee de Mai Praslin, Cote D’Or, St Pierre dive & night dive
Woke up to another perfect day in paradise, already warm and sunny on deck. Realized it was already half way through our vacation, wished I could stop time and just stay here indefinitely. Breakfast was boiled eggs, bacon, beans, mushrooms, toast etc. Around 8:30 all the guests boarded the tender boat which ferried us to the nearby Anse Possession where we boarded a tour bus. The friendly guide introduced herself as Chakira and informed us we would be driven to Valee de Mai in the national park. The bus had to compete for space on the narrow roads but we traveled fast and passed lots of holiday accommodation along the way. We reached the main ferry terminal and Chakira pointed out a hospital and school. As we drove the vegetation became ever more dominated by the towering palm trees. We arrived at the entrance, made our way inside and waited for the tour to start. Tried to connect to the Wi-Fi but there was no internet. Soon enough we proceeded along a sandy path flanked by palms as far as the eye could see.
Chakira stopped us to explain that the Coco de Mer is the only palm species with male and female plants and pointed out some examples nearby. Males grow catkins, which looks like a long large hanging cucumber covered with little yellow blossoms. We smelled some of the blossoms that had fallen and Chakira challenged our group to identify the scents, we guessed honey, popcorn, toast. The blossoms attracts geckos & insects which pick up the pollen. The female bears the enormous nuts. The nut starts as an ovule on a special stalk. The ovule opens for pollination for just a few hours and then takes a further 7 years before it develops into the Coco de Mer nut. The nut is covered by a husk, which when removed yields the characteristic double lobed nut that vaguely resembles a human derriere. The coco de Mer originates from Praslin and only grows in the Seychelles. It is strictly protected and controlled to prevent it from being grown somewhere else and undermining their market. When sold as a souvenir, the nut is hollowed out. The coco de Mer is mainly used for making perfumes and cosmetics. The fruit can be eaten but it is obviously expensive. When old palms die, they plant new ones from the nuts collected, while the rest are used for commercial purposes. We took some time to pose for photos with the nuts before proceeding on the tour.
Interesting side note I picked up somewhere. The name Coco de Mer stems from sailors who found the nuts washed up beaches around the Indian Ocean but could not identify the palm it came from. The legend grew that the nuts came from an underwater forest and hence the name coconut of the sea.
We heard some birds singing and the guide explained the different birds, which include black parrot and Seychelles bulbul. She went on to explain the different types of palms that grow only on the Seychelles namely latannyen milpat, lat, fey, oban, palmiste and the coco de mer. The lat grows several roots down from its trunk, similar to a mangrove tree. Spiders like to nest in the roots and the geckos love to eat the spiders. Chakira pointed out a green gecko just sitting on a tree and also told us about the millionaire salad which is made with the palm heart of one of the palm species, apparently the palm dies as a result and hence it's really expensive to make this salad. One of the other palms has needle like black spikes when young to deter hungry tortoises from eating them. Another palm has leaves that are ideal for roof thatching as it is completely waterproof.
The walk through the palms was shaded and cool, a nice change from the heat. Chakira stopped to explain that the age of the palm in years is determined by counting the number of horizontal rings on the trunk. It takes about 40-50 years for the coco de Mer to reach maturity before it starts bearing fruit. She pointed out a coco de Mer that is taller than all the others by far and explained this is oldest one here, estimated to be 200-250 years old. Each coco de Mer is painted with a unique number for record keeping as the rings can fade with age. When the palms drop their leaves or die, the remains are left on the ground to decompose and also provides a habitat for insects. When the palm falls down, the concave root bowl is left in the ground and takes longer to decompose because it is harder. According to the guide the coco de Mer swings in a circular motion when there is wind, due its unique root bowl, while other palms only swing back and forth (not convinced). Several times we stopped to watch geckos sitting up high in the palms, we could only just see them. The guide explained there are green, bronze eyed and giant bronze eyed geckos.
After the tour to the Valee de Mai the bus took us back to the beach Cote de Or. We stopped at a supermarket and bought some coke and vanilla coke cans and a bottle of Takamaka coco rum. We explored the beach and found a horizontal palm tree but there was a tout selling souvenirs so we didn't take any photos. We found a nice shady spot on the lawn adjacent to the beach and laid out our towels and then headed into the sea to cool off. The sand on this beach was extremely fine, like flour, and it tended to get hard packed. The water in the shallows was really hot and so we waded deeper to the colder water. I noticed something in the water and it moved, and then we remembered the crew had warned us about string rays on this beach. Needless to say we swam very carefully back to the shore. We lay on our towels and snoozed for a while and just enjoyed the beach life. It was soon time to rejoin the group on the bus and then we were on our way back to the tender boat waiting at Anse Possession to take us to the Sea Pearl for lunch of spinach and fish soup served with rice, bread fruit, pumpkin chutney, grilled fish salad and regular salad.
Wed 23 April - Ave Maria dive, Grand Soeur BBQ & Cocos island dive (best diving day)
Slightly earlier start as we were diving in the morning, we woke up at 5:30 but snoozed til 6:00. Grabbed a cuppa, got our wetsuits on on headed in the tender boat to Ave Maria dive site. Even from the boat we could tell the visibility would be amazing, we could see right to the bottom!
The morning was already warm and it felt great getting into the water. The vis was indeed fantastic, 25m plus and the water was clear and warm. The dive site was a great combination of fascinating massive granite rocks, and coral. The rocks have enormous grooves or striations on the, which the coral grow in and the fish hide in. It felt like we saw everything on this dive: small white tip reef shark, many small eagle rays flying over the sand, a huge marbled ray swimming away, three hawksbill turtles, one of which came right up to me, an octopus nudged out by Reggae and further chased by Alex the Russian (poor thing), big shoals of fish including milkfish, longfin bannerfish (beautiful yellow ones) and even unicorn fish with their long “noses” and puffers. What more could you ask for?
After diving we tucked into breakfast, compared diving notes with Reggae and Alex, showed videos to the Germans, who were pretty friendly at this point (and feeling better), and then got ready for the next part of our adventure.
We hopped into the tender and 6 of us were taken to Grand Soeur (Big Sister) private island. Arriving on the beach we were the first ones there, it was a typical Seychelles dreamy beach with huge granite boulders, white sand and turquoise seas, but deserted, wow. A table under the trees had already been laid out for our group, for our beach BBQ later, wow.
We were told we could take a short walk to the other side of the island, to see the other beach. We headed off with the Germans, passing chickens, a small slightly swampy pond with a bridge and small heron, the owner’s house (wow) and some palm trees. Finally we reached the beach. There was no shade but I’d definitely say this beach could compete with Anse Lazio, it had quite a wide expanse of absolutely perfect white soft sand, incredible turquoise waters that changed colour the deeper they got, small waves and stunning boulders and palm trees on either side, and the best part - there were only six of us on it! The water felt AMAZING, and we watched small white fish swim past us, and beautiful white tropicbirds fly over head.
After swimming and LOTS of photos, we found a spot on the other beach, in the shade near our BBQ. We napped, read and wrote about our travels. Gradually more tourists arrived including the rest of our group, that had been diving and fishing.
Lunch consisted of barbequed chicken, job fish and sausages, with noodles, fried rice, baked potatoes, garlic bread and smoked fish salad. It was delicious, and it was really nice eating somewhere different, and sitting with all guests together instead of our own separate tables. We asked Eve to take a photo for us, and then tucked in.
After lunch we went for one last swim at the amazing beach on the other side of the island, it was sheer bliss. I was so sad to start preparing to leave… the tender picked us up at 2:30 and we headed back to the Sea Pearl to prepare for our next dive at Cocos island.
At 4pm we did our dive, we could see bats from the tender, apparently there are fruit bats on Cocos. The dive started boring but towards the end, we saw a turtle, followed by two enormous marbled/blotched stingrays swimming around us. A little later, massive shoals of fish started swimming around madly, huge yellow and blue trevallies and smaller blue fusiliers and emperor sweetlips. Then sharks, one or two at a time. White tip and silver tips. One swam right at Werner (wasn’t big enough to be frightening). A nurse shark went close enough for Alex to touch it. It was all very exciting and frenzied. The current really picked up too. Back on the boat we debated whether the morning or afternoon dive was the best of the trip. It was definitely one of them…
Back on the boat we celebrated with rum and cokes and took photos of yet another amazing sunset. Dinner was lasagne, crumbed jobfish, chickpea salad, steamed veg and rice.
Thursday 24 April - Fishing & La Digue (no dives)
After waking up at 6:00, we got ready to go fishing and made some coffee. At 6:30 we joined the divers on the tender boat and after a short ride we reached channel rock. The water visibility was crystal clear, we could easily see the reefs and fish below. The divers descended and we started casting the line out from our solitary fishing rod. It took us a while to get comfortable with casting. The lure got stuck a few times on the reef below and Eve had to help us get it loose. Nicki was casting and the line got stuck again and Eve stepped in get it loose. He struggled for a while and then started reeling in. We got ready to take the rod when to our surprise we saw a small fish on the hook. It turned out to be bright red grouper. It hung very still and we assumed it was dead. We took some photos and then removed the hook and put the fish back in the water and to our surprise it swam straight down back to the reef. We carried on fishing but unfortunately we got no more bites and soon the divers resurfaced and we collected them. We jumped in for a swim to escape the early morning heat. Next we headed back to the Sea Pearl for breakfast.
The tender boat left for La Digue by 9:30 and we disembarked onto a jetty in a sheltered bay. The crew lead us to the bike hire and we selected two mountain bikes and handed over 200 Rupees each, and put our bags in the baskets. We set off for Anse Source d’Argent, joining the stream of bicycles, it felt good to be moving. La Digue felt very laid back and unpretentious. We passed small houses and quaint holiday accommodation. It didn’t take us long to reach the entrance of L 'Union Estate. A courteous but firm guard stopped us and told us to park our bicycles and pay the entrance fee which we duly proceeded to pay. We proceeded inside and cycled past a working farm, a massive granite outcrop with a tortoise enclosure in front, vanilla plantation. A bike parkade came into view and we found a spot to park. We proceeded on foot to the beach on a shady path flanked by palm trees and granite boulders. Glass bottom kayaks were offered for rent but we decided not to as we got much better views when diving. We found the main Anse Source d’Argent beach and found a spot to lay our towels before heading into the sea. The water was shallow and a mix of sand, coral and sea grasses. We swam, waded and stumbled around exploring. We decided to go explore the granite rocks that flank the far side of the beach. We found interesting caves and passageways through the rocks and explored a bit further. We discovered some crabs scurrying over the rocks and spent time making some videos with the GoPro. Once we had finished exploring we headed back to the beach and dried off and made our way back to the bicycles. We explored the estate a bit more and found the copra kiln and mill.
Exiting the estate and making a quick right turn, we set off for Anse Grande. The way was nice and shady with lots of trees. The road became gradually steeper and we passed several farms and larger properties. There was a Cafe on route, and a few guesthouses, but otherwise there was little tourism activity here. A tree caught our eye that made vibrant pink flowers and carpeted the ground all around it. We reached the highest point and then cycled down through a lush tropical forest to the beach below. The sand was getting hot already, we surveyed the impressively wide beach with its fine sand and beautiful multi hued blue waters. Waves crashed onto the beach which was expected as this beach faces out to the Indian Ocean. There were less visitors and even less shade at this time of day. We ordered a pair of slow turtle ciders at the restaurant and sat for a while enjoying the views. After we finished our drinks we went for a swim to cool off from the heat and took photos to remember this beautiful place.
Back on our bicycles we struggled up the steep road leaving us out of breath. We were on our way to a viewpoint. On route we stopped at a small shop for water but ended up buying ice cream cones as well, so we sat in the shade enjoying our treat. A local passed us and even commented how hot it was. We pressed on to the viewpoint and found the turnoff, but it became so steep we had to abandon the bicycles and continue on foot. The heat was overpowering and eventually we decided to abandon the search for the viewpoint and simply took some photos from where we had ascended to. We walked down with our bikes until we felt safe to ride and then made our way to Anse Severe in the North of the island.
This beach had lots of shade and we settled under a tree on our towels and ate our packed lunch consisting of a sandwich and some fruit. We napped for about 20 minutes before deciding to go snorkeling. We dived in near the granite outcrop flanking the beach and started scanning for fish. The visibility wasn't great due to the currents but we managed to spot angelfish, parrot fish, surgeonfish and other species. There were not really corals to look at, but the granite rocks were interesting to explore with little caves and overhangs. Once we got tired we swam back to the beach, dried off and got back on our bikes to explore the east side of the island further.
We passed some colorful beach shacks playing cool music before the road curved around the Northern tip of the island. There were a few hotels on the route but gradually it became ever more undeveloped and natural. The sea was a beautiful blue color in the afternoon light and the waves broke on the shore. The sea was rougher on this side of the island and there were less people swimming. The road was pleasantly shaded and there were tall trees and lush vegetation all around. We cycled all the way to the end of the road and parked our bikes. There was sign to a beach bar we could just see up ahead, it would be a 20-30 minute walk and we realized we would never make it in time to get back to the ferry terminal. Feeling hot we pulled off our shirts and cycled back making GoPro videos as we went along. We eventually got back to Anse Severe and stopped at one of the beach shacks in the hope of getting an ice cream cone but failed. It seemed ice cream in a cone was just not a widely known or supported option. We took some photos instead and then headed back to the bike rental.
The bike rental was just closing down when we arrived and returned our bikes. We found a souvenir place and Nicki bought a lovely shell ankle bracelet. We also bought some ciders to drink later, and bitter lemon which we drank right away to quench our thirst. We made it to terminal at exactly 17:00 and got on the boat, joined a few minutes later by Alex the Russian. The Germans had left earlier as they had got tired of the island and the heat. Alex proudly showed off the jack fruits he had harvested on his hike to the hill tops of the island. He extolled the virtues of this fruit describing its flavors and how he had eaten it many times before in other Asian countries. I simply could not fathom why someone would come all the way to the Seychelles with its extraordinary beautiful beaches to go on a long hike in the sweltering heat looking for exotic fruit, different folks different strokes.
Back on the boat we showered and then had dinner. We got to know Mandy and Mike the Germans a bit better and they shared a delicious Irish honey liqueur. We exchanged travel stories, they told us all about Canada, the Azores, fishing in Germany. It was late when we finally got to bed but it had been an amazing day we would always remember.
Friday 25 April - Back to Mahe, St Anne
I woke Werner up with a cup of tea at 6:45 and then we sleepily walked up to the deck, we thought we were going to take a photo with everyone, before Captain Cally left us, but it turned out Mandy the German had already taken a photo of the crew which she promised to send me. So we hugged Cally goodbye and off he went, to be replaced by Captain Aubrey with no explanation for the switch. We assumed it was logistical, maybe Cally needed to be in La Digue for something, and Aubrey needed to be in Mahe?
The crew put up the main sail, with MUCH effort, sadly that was the only sail which went up even though there was good wind.
Breakfast was the same as usual but with the addition of avocado, which made everything better - avo on toast with fried egg and bacon was super yummy! After breakfast we sat in the shaded chill out area and watched the islands go by. The breeze made it feel very pleasant. We reached the island earlier than expected as the wind aided us, so we had lunch at 12:30.
After our stomachs settled we headed for our last dive of the trip, to Ile Seche. It was another good dive, with some good coral. The highlight was a white tip reef shark lying on the reef. We approached cautiously and he didn’t move. Only when we got very close did he swim off and find a new spot nearby to resume his nap. This was then repeated before we also found a really cool porcupine stingray, something we’d never seen before! He was large, at least a meter in width, lying on the sand floor eating, sending up plumes of “dust”. He had small spikes on his back. He was pretty relaxed, eventually he drifted off, and we could see just how light his colour was, against the dark granite under water.
After our dive we visited St Anne island. This is the same island Club Med is on, and we were dropped right in front of the hotel. We walked the beach, which we decided was decent but not the best we’d seen - nice white sand, shady, not very wide, but long. The sea was nice but had quite a lot of seaweed/kelp growing right in front of the beach. We walked to a few nice rocks at the far end.
It was already after 4:30, we decided to snorkel before the sun started setting. The snorkeling was over kelp beds which has grown into the coral, wasn’t as nice, but the fish life was really good, and we also saw a turtle very close, some small barracuda, and an eel moving around which blended so well into its environment, I was surprised Werner spotted it.
After snorkeling we explored the rocks a bit, and the small beach on the other side, then rejoined our German friends where we’d been dropped off. Before long the skies turned gradually pinker and we were delivered a beautiful sunset, Mike took photos of us and then we took of the whole German group, each couple kissing, very cute :D
Just then, the crew arrived in the tender to pick us up, and we went back to the boat, where we found the rest of the crew in a jolly mood, listening to reggae music and barbecuing on deck. We chatted to the new captain Aubrey for a while, then had our showers before dinner.
Dinner was delicious as always - we had three barbecued fish - the usual jobfish, plus a grouper and one other reef fish that Ullie the German had caught. All were amazing! Chicken, beef, rice, two salads and potatoes baked in the coals were the other options. Yum. The captain told us the plan for the next morning (6am move to jetty, 7am breakfast, 8am disembark). Dessert was crème caramel.
After dinner we offered Mandy and Mike the Germans a try of the rum we’d bought in Praslin. Mandy loves rum so they were keen. It was a Takamaka Seychellois coco rum, small bottle. We each had a try, it was very sweet, more like a liqueur, but delicious and totally good to drink with no mixer! I offered Stefan the Frenchman and Alex the Russian and they joined too. We chatted about our highlights of the trip amongst other things. Then we packed and finally passed out, sad our boat trip was coming to an end!
Sat 26 April - Disembarkation, Beau Vallon
The Sea Pearl raised anchors at 06:00 and started making its way back to the silhouette cruises dock. Breakfast was at 7:00 featuring the usual hot breakfast, fruit and cold cuts. Afterwards we packed up the last of our belongings and cleared our cabin. We moved up to the deck and watched the activity on the docks, the next group of tourists was already arriving, and the crew was already busy with preparations. At around 8:15 the captain saw the taxi driver he had called to transfer us to the Savoy. We said our goodbyes to the crew and our new friends, sad that our time on the Sea Pearl was finally over. The tender boat took us to the jetty, we disembarked and got into the air-conditioned taxi with Jonathan. Jonathan asked us where we were from but then proceeded to talk non-stop the whole way to the Savoy about various topics he thought we should know about. He was somehow associated with Savoy as one of their taxis. After arriving we tried to sort out the payment for the taxi ride but we didn't have the right change, so we agreed to use Jonathan for the return trip to the airport the next day.
The Savoy was a beautiful hotel, with lovely gardens and plants everywhere. We were too early to check in so we left our bags at reception, explored the resort and then headed for the beach. Beau Vallon bay was a wide bay, with calm water and had no granite rocks like so many other beaches in the Seychelles. We swam in the beautiful cool water and surveyed our new paradise. After swimming we decided to explore the beach and walked to the west end passing some very nice hotels and resorts. We walked as far as the fisherman's cove before turning back and walking back all the way as far as the beach shack, which looked like a good place for sundowners, on the other end of the beach. We also explored a few souvenir shops & restaurants on the road running parallel to the beach. At this point we were hoping the room might be ready so we headed back to the hotel reception but they disappointed us, and we went to wait at the pool. The pool was awesome, we found a pair of loungers and went for a swim to cool off and then ordered some Seybrew beers. The beer was tasted amazing and was great for cooling us down. Around 13:00 we finally got our room key and we happily settled in and unpacked a bit. The room was a lovely cool temperature and we took a nap to recover from all the mornings activities.
We had decided to go to Marie Antoinette restaurant in Victoria in the evening after we managed to negotiate Jonathan for a reduced taxi fare of 500 Rupees. In the late afternoon we went back to the beach to get an ice-cream as we had finally found a place that offered cones. We each selected a scoop and quickly ate it as it melted so quickly in the heat. We explored a bit more and looked at souvenirs and also found some food trucks we thought we might be able to eat at the next day. We went back to the hotel beach and watched the sun set, the beach goers silhouetted by the golden glow, taking selfies and enjoying the last swim before dark.
We showered and dressed for dinner and we met Jonathan at the hotel reception and got in his taxi. He was playing old music classics like Jolene by Dolly Parton and commiserating about the high cost of living and challenges of being a taxi driver. Not long and we arrived at the restaurant and found our reserved table. We ordered some Seybrew beers and ogled the menu. The set menu options were exactly what we were looking for, so we could taste and experience a variety of flavors. We selected the signature menu and the garden menu to share. The restaurant was in a traditional old home, wooden floors, decorated with old photos and memorabilia. There were not that many tables available and most were occupied by hungry diners this evening. We didn't have to wait long for our delicious set menu to arrive. All the dishes were amazing and flavorful from the eggplant & parrotfish fritters, breadfruit croquettes, mango and green salad, lentils, vegetable and chicken coconut curry, papaya and coconut chutney, grilled fish, tuna steak with creole sauce, accompanied with rice and chilli garlic sauce. We agreed we could easily eat this food everyday, it was so delicious. We decided to share a desert to round off the meal and settled on the coconut nougat (grated coconut cooked in brown sugar and bananas) with vanilla ice cream. The staff were in no rush to bring the bill, so we lingered enjoying the evening chatting, until it started to get late and eventually got up to request the bill. Outside the restaurant, Jonathan was already waiting in the taxi to take us back to the Savoy.
Sun 27 April - Beau Vallon
We woke up with no alarm and had slept fantastically in a real bed that didn’t rock. We decided to try a pre-breakfast SUP (Stand up paddle board) and headed to the beach. The sea was beautifully calm as we headed into the water. Standing up on the SUP took some practice, even though we’d done it before, but soon we were paddling out towards Silhouette island. The water was so beautifully clear we could see easily to the bottom even though it was about 10m deep. There weren’t many reefs or fish but we did see tiny blue shiny specks which we could only guess were jellyfish… After a good amount of paddling, and a few good falls, we headed back to the beach. Quick shower and then down to breakfast around 9am.
We debated whether to sit inside or out, at the breakfast restaurant, but in the end aircon trumped views and atmosphere. The buffet was huge and we tried tropical fruit, omelets, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, donuts, a variety of breads and cheeses, and pastries. Washed down with delicious cappuccinos and then a glass of Prosecco. For the last part we moved outside by the beautiful water features and couldn’t resist when they offered us some tea.
The airline (Kenya airways) notified us our flight was cancelled. This is always
a concerning message to receive. We were assured an alternative was being worked on, but heard nothing further. The app indicated we were on the 17:20 flight (instead of 03:15) so we re-arranged our plans accordingly, annoyed that airlines were so fickle.
The rest of the day was exceptionally lazy, just what we needed. We alternated between the beach and the huge pool, and rested, read, wrote and compiled all of our diving videos. After that big breakfast we had absolutely no need for lunch. Just a cheeky Slow Turtle cider :)
We headed up the beach again around 6pm to watch the sunset. I wasn’t convinced it was going to be a good one, as there weren’t many clouds. Large crowds had gathered to watch it. As the sun went down the sky turned gold and I concluded it was pretty good. We walked a bit towards the restaurant part of the beachfront and decided on a more local (read affordable) option that still had tables, and a view of the beach/sunset. I think it was called K Food. Werner went to order while I kept the table, as the minutes passed the sunset just got more and more beautiful. Gold turned to orange, then red, it was captivating.
Dinner consisted of two large Seybrew beers, along with a creole fish curry with rice, and a salted shark “chutney” with noodles. It’s hard to explain what a chutney is but effectively the fish is flaked and fried a bit with a variety of flavourings. Both dishes were truly delicious and satisfying. We headed to the room early, a bit tired of the biting insects that seemed to follow us around.
Mon 28 April - Hiking and home
We got up before 5:30, as we’d decided to tackle a hike on our last day. Thanks Kenya airways… We left the hotel in the dark, and walked all the way to the starting point of the hike, about 3km away. It was steep uphill all the way, and already warm. I enjoyed walking through the town a bit, seeing the houses and the way people lived. Most seemed to live relatively simply although there were one or two flash places on our route. The sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking filled the air.
We reached the starting point and found ourselves climbing ever more, first up a concrete “road” and then on a more narrow trail, into the jungle. The hike was truly wonderful - through beautiful vegetation, towering palms, trees, ferns and massive granite rocks. We saw and heard lots of birds. It was mostly shady, which we were grateful for, but still the sweat was literally pouring out of us… our hearts were pounding as we climbed up steep inclines, around and through rocks and over roots.
We reached a viewpoint with a shelter structure, and rested a moment, drinking our water and admiring the view of Beau Vallon, now far below us.
We continued walking, even further into the steamy jungle, past palms with hectic spikes on their trunks, and towering trees. It felt a bit like Jurassic park again. The sign told us we had 500m to go and we could barely believe it.
We climbed a metal staircase as the route grew even steeper. Then we climbed over some big rocks and eventually there was a metal railing to help us up over the last part. We reached the summit and drank in the views as we caught our breaths, it was so worth it. We could see Beau Vallon on the West side of the island, and the capital Victoria on the East, we’d climbed 600m to achieve this view!
After a short rest, we needed to head back, we had little time to get to the hotel, have breakfast, and check out. It took us just over an hour to get back, reaching the hotel just after 9am. We played with a friendly dog on the way down, cooed at some kittens and otherwise motored it. Total distance: 10.8km, time: 3h15. What a workout!
Back at the hotel I negotiated a 30 minute delay in our checkout time, and then we showered quick before heading to our last breakfast in paradise. We tried the daal and naan for a change, and some flapjacks and pastries, yum! Then packed, checked out, and headed to the beach to while away some time.
I did some shopping and found a fruit seller on the way, with two “pet” fruit bats. They seemed happy to stay with her, and enjoy her fruit. She asked me to buy fruit, to take a picture but I didn’t have any cash. She said it’s ok, no worries, she was pretty sweet and was there with her two kids. I decided to buy them a cold drink at least, it was turning out to be a super hot day!
Finally we headed back to the hotel to retrieve our luggage, and Jonathan took us to the airport. As soon as we arrived we realised there was a problem. Check in was not open, it seemed the flight was delayed again, by two hours. Luckily there was a lounge outside the terminals, and my visa card could get us in. The lounge was an oasis of cool in a very hot airport. We were practically the only ones there and the attendant looked after us so nicely, bringing us drinks, pastries and tea.
Finally we were able to check in, but we were worried about missing our connecting flights so before going through to the gates, we stopped by the Kenya airways office for the third time. This time it was manned, and a lovely man named Joseph assured us the airline would give us a hotel if needed, and gave us his card.
We boarded the plane, thinking we were home free when an announcement indicated all was not well. Again. There was a mechanical issue on the plane being worked on. We were told to sit tight. After two hours we were served drinks (still on the ground). After another hour, dinner. Still told to hang in there… eventually the announcement came after 10pm, we thought we were about to take off but instead we were told the plane was not given clearance to fly, and we needed to get off the plane.
Back in the terminal there was concern and confusion. I took the opportunity to message Joseph, asking if we could rather take the direct Air Seychelles flight home the next day, rather than flying via Nairobi. We were told we’d be given hotels, but it was challenging due to the beach soccer World Cup starting that week! Most hotels were full… Werner asked again about the direct flight to Johannesburg, and others going there jumped on the band wagon… Werner tried to sort out our flight swap, while I stood in the queue to get the hotel voucher and transport.
Eventually we were told to follow some crew, to a bus to the hotel. We grabbed our bags, got squashed into a car with a screaming child and exhausted mother, and were driven 30+ minutes to the Kempinski hotel, arriving around 1am. We still had no idea what the next day would hold, but the driver told us the transfer back would be 4am. The hotel was beautiful but the staff were overwhelmed, with 50+ frustrated tired airline passengers being dumped on them. Checking online, we realised this hotel was R25000 per person per night!
Finally we got a beautiful room and had a super quick shower. We celebrated when we realised an email had come through confirming a change, to the Air Seychelles direct flight to Johannesburg. We checked in and felt better. Since that flight was only 9:25, we decided to skip the 4am transfer, sleep a little longer and pay our own way back to the airport.
The next morning we checked out, grabbed a juice and pastries and paid a ridiculous 70 Euros to get back to the airport. From there, everything went smoothly and we finally landed back in Johannesburg, tired but relieved. We felt so sad that an amazing holiday had come to an end, but grateful for the awesome experience.
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