Experience the best of Praslin

Praslin is the second-largest island of the Seychelles, about forty kilometres north-east of Mahé, reached by ferry or a short flight. Its coast is a string of white-sand bays framed by granite boulders, among them Anse Lazio and Anse Volbert, and its interior is steep, forested hills.

The Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a forest of coco de mer palms, whose enormous double nuts are the largest seeds in the plant kingdom, and a home of the rare black parrot. Boat trips go to Curieuse Island, where giant tortoises roam among mangroves, and to Cousin Island, a nature reserve for seabirds. La Digue, a small island of bicycles and ox carts, is a short ferry ride away.

Creole cooking mixes African, Indian and French influences: fish curry with coconut, grilled red snapper, octopus salad and breadfruit chips. The sea is warm throughout the year, the south-east trade winds blow in the cooler, drier months, and the north-west monsoon brings warmer, wetter weather.