Overview
of Seychelles
A paradise
with dreamy palm-fringed beaches with soft
white sand lapped by turquoise waters and
plenty of sunshine. It is made up of over
100 tropical islands, scattered over a million
square kilometers in the Indian Ocean. 40
of these islands are granitic and the rest
are coralline.
The Seychelles is home to two
National Heritage sites, The Vallée
de Mai and Aldabra.The largest island is
Mahé, where about 90 percent of the
population is based. It is 27 kilometres
long and 8 kilometres wide and is the country's
political and economic center. Mahé has
many fine hotels and wonderful beaches together
with an abundance of unspoilt rain forest.
Praslin-about 15 minutes by air from Mahé -
is even more relaxed than Mahé and
is becoming increasingly fashionable. Some
of the world's richest marine life can be
found in the warm waters around Seychelles.
Over 950 different species of fish are estimated
to be present in local water. Of particular
interest is the whale shark, which is present
in growing numbers.
In the past few years
there has been a trend towards the development
of otherwise deserted outer islands, with
new hotels being constructed and others refurbished.
Bird, Desroches, Denis and Frégate
islands are all popular with those seeking
a truly isolated yet upmarket location. It
is hot and rainy from November to April and
drier and cooler from May to October. The
islands are situated completely outside the
cyclone belt. The people of Seychelles are
a mixture of African, Malagasy and French,
which came to be known as Seychellois after
slavery was abolished in 1835.The cuisine
has been influenced by the islands' many
different cultures. Creole cooking consists
of varied seafood, coconuts and curries and
more.
The Seychelles rupee is divided into
cents and you can change your money at
the airport on arrival. Banks are open from
08h30 - 14h00 on weekdays and upto 11h00
on Saturdays.
The official languages are English,
French and Creole. |
