Seychelles

No question about it: The island nation of Seychelles is one of Africa’s most swoon-worthy destinations. This remote archipelago lies some 1,000 miles east of the Tanzanian coast in the aquamarine vastness of the Indian Ocean, serving up some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches and coral reefs, as well as truly one-of-a-kind flora and fauna.

The 100-plus Seychelles islands, most of which are uninhabited, owe their scenery to two different geological identities. The Inner Islands are unique among oceanic islands for their granitic character, whose tough, ancient rock makes for some splendidly rugged scenery. By contrast, the Outer Islands are a spray of flat coral atolls, cays, and limestone islets.

A sense of discovery pervades Seychelles, and the wealth of jaw-droppingly gorgeous beaches have an untouched feel, as where Inner Islands granite tumbles down to a golden seashore, or where dense coconut palms shade a blissfully out-of-the-way limestone cay.

Nothing so strikingly expresses the geographic isolation of Seychelles as its lineup of endemic plants and animals. Though these also include such remarkable organisms as the jellyfish tree, the Seychelles wolf snake, and the black parrot, the two best-known endemics are the coco de mer, or “double coconut,” a palm producing the world’s heftiest fruit, and the Aldabra giant tortoise. You can look for the double coconut—and the black parrot, Seychelles fruit bat, and blue pigeon—in the precious tropical forests of the Vallée de Mai Strict Nature Preserve on Praslin in the Inner Islands. And the giant tortoises—some 150,000 of them—lumber the coralline scrub of Aldabra Atoll, one of the Indian Ocean’s standout ecological treasures. Below-water, meanwhile, there’s world-class diving to be had among the shark- and turtle-cruised Seychellois reefs.

Pristine beaches and marine gardens as well as exotic wildlife are Seychelles trademarks, but spare some time for the human side of things, too. Though the islands were without human habitation until the 1600s, when European occupation—first France, then Great Britain—first appeared. The present day population reflects strong European, African, and Asian heritage; you’ll hear a lot of French-inflected Seychelles Creole (or Seselwa) as well as straight French and English. One of the best places to soak up the culture—which includes some distinctive musical styles such as montea and contombley—is the Mahe-based capital, Victoria, also well-known for its botanical garden.

To complete the sweeping overview of transfixing Seychellois attractions, let’s not neglect the irresistible regional cuisine, which takes many cues from Indian and Southeast Asian cookery and showcases the archipelago’s native riches (from coconut and tropical fruits to local seafood).

It’s not hard to get hooked by the rhythm of Seychelles. From fraternizing with vibrantly colored reef fish to classic beach-lounging to hiking in rugged rainforest, this is, if you’ll excuse the cliché, a genuine tropical paradise.