Christmas in Seychelles

Christmas in Seychelles is the time for sumptuous feasts and family gatherings. On this festive occasion, every family member usually hosts a lavish dinner which is then followed by gift-giving and evening parties. With delicious food, games, and fun-filled activities, the celebrations in Seychelles are no less exciting than that in any other part of the world during this festival.


Christmas Celebrations

Beach parties:
Seychelles is known for its wonderful beach parties which are just ideal for adventure lovers. Whether it is sailing, diving, or fly fishing, you can actually indulge in a lot of activities while celebrating Christmas in this island country.

Colorful decorations:
The festive celebrations in Seychelles include decorating the interiors and exteriors of the malls, stores, homes, and commercial buildings with colorful lights. Even the pubs and restaurants are adorned with such lights. Homemade crafts and decorative items are widely used during Christmas celebrations in Seychelles.

Sight seeing:
On this festive occasion, people in Seychelles go sightseeing to catch a glimpse of the popular tourist locations in this island nation. Some of the places worth visiting here are Anse Lazio, Valle de Aldabra, and Valle de Mai where the coco palms grown in their natural state offer a spectacular sight to watch.

Anse Lazio is a crystal water lake with white sandy beaches and quiet waves. Aldabra is considered to be one of the largest coral reefs in the world, and it extends for 22 Km. Visiting these tourist attractions, especially during Christmas, will let you experience the joys and wonders of this festive season.

Shopping during Christmas: If you shop around, you will find unbelievable discounts and deals. Such deals will help you save more while you go shopping to celebrate Christmas in a very special way.

Should you wish to visit the Seychelles, at Christmas or any other time, contact us here, on Facebook, Twitter, or at www.seychellesyachtcharter.com

Season's greetings from all of us at Seychelles Yacht Charter!


Photos of Christmas time in Seychelles

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silhouette Island

Silhouette is Seychelles' third largest island, lying 30km off Mahé's western coast and in close proximity to North Island. Despite being Seychelles' largest island, it only a population of around 130 people. Silhouette’s verdant, mountainous profile dominates the view from Mahé’s Beau Vallon beach.

The Arabs used Silhouette as a base for their dhows, probably as early as the 9th century, a fact attested to by the ruins of Arab tombs at Anse Lascars.

Silhouette, together with North Island, was the very first Seychelles' island to be seen by the ships of the Sharpeigh expedition of 1609. It would have to wait until the early 19th century for a permanent settlement.

Protected by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles, Silhouette remains an untouched, living museum of natural history featuring many unique species of plants and trees.

Among these can be counted rare hardwoods, the amazing incense tree as well as the carnivorous pitcher plant. Silhouette is the only other island apart from Mahé to have a mist forest on its lofty 731m peak, Mont Dauban.

Silhouette’s primitive beauty is the ideal backdrop for hikers and walkers wishing to penetrate the mysteries of an island once reputed to be the home of the notorious pirate, Hodoul, whose hidden treasure may well lie there still.

A 116-room 5-star hotel – Labriz Silhouette – replaced the island’s original 12-room lodge.

Things to do

Dauban Mausoleum

The Dauban Mausoleum is built in a serene and secluded spot of Silhouette amid luxuriant vegetation of mainly coconut trees.

This imposing architecture, a special landmark of the island ranks high among the work of its kind in Seychelles.

One of its most distinct features is a set of six proportionally massive columns which are aligned on the façade and on part of the lateral sides. Besides its appealing structure, the mausoleum gives an insight into a series of social and economic aspects highlighting both the status of the Dauban family and the level of economic prosperity of the island at that time.

Plantation House

The old plantation house at La Passe is a building of great dignity and grace typifying the Creole architectural style of always including a spacious verandah extending all around the building, and a flight of steps on all four sides, affording more than one entrance or exit.

The plantation house at Silhouette was probably constructed around 1861 as the family home of Mr Henri Dauban, Sr, owner of the island who employed around 250 labourers on his 2,000 acre estate. At that time, copra was the main source of revenue for Seychelles, along with cinnamon oil, vanilla and hawksbill turtle shell.

Silhouette Marine National Park

Standing at a height of 740m, Silhouette Island has managed to escape the ravages of deforestation, which has sadly affected some islands.

Silhouette was designated as a Marine Park on 26th October 1987. It is the only “paper park” left in Seychelles and efforts are being sought to establish funds to effectively protect and manage the area.

Silhouette National Park

The Silhouette National Park was opened on the 07th August 2010 by the President, Mr. James Michel.

Silhouette Island is the third largest island of the inner granitic group of the Seychelles’ archipelago of which the government has designated 93% of the island as protected area.

Silhouette Island is known for its dramatic mountain peaks, Mont Dauban (740m), Mont-Pot-a-Eau (621m), Gratte Fesse (515m) Mont Corgat (502m),Mont Cocos Marrons (500m) and for being one of the richest biodiversity hot-spots in the western Indian Ocean. It is home to many endemic and threatened plant and animal species and has large areas of primeval forest, mist forests as well as breathtaking viewpoints. It is also home to last known Seychelles sheath-tailed bats.

The declaration of the Silhouette National Park reflects the importance of the survival of this important domain and its critically endangered species.

Photos of Silhouette Island...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: www.seychelles.travel.sc

 

 

 

 

Praslin

Praslin, with a population of 6,500 people, is Seychelles’ second largest island. It lies 45km to the northeast of Mahé and measures 10km by 3.7km. A leisurely tour around the island by car will take approximately 2 hours.

Praslin is the site of the fabulous Vallée de Mai, one of Seychelles’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The island features truly exquisite beaches such as Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, both appearing on the top-10 list of world’s best beaches in recent years.

Prior to settlement of the islands by the French in the mid-18th century, Praslin's Côte d'Or was a favourite haunt of pirates.

The island was named Praslin after the Duc de Praslin, the French minister of marine in 1768 when the original 'Stone of Possession' was erected on the island in what is still known as Anse Possession.

Almost a century and a half later the visiting General Gordon (of Khartoum fame) became convinced that the Vallée de Mai was the original site of the Garden of Eden. This is where the legendary Coco-de-Mer, the world's heaviest nut, grows high on ancient palms in a primeval forest. The Vallée is host to six species of palm to be found only in Seychelles.

Praslin stands at the forefront of Seychelles’ tourism industry with a strong tradition of hospitality and wide range of accommodation facilities. It also provides a base for excursions to neighbouring islands, some of which are important sanctuaries nurturing rare species of endemic flora and fauna.

Things to do

Vallée de Mai

Praslin's World Heritage-listed Vallée de Mai is one of only two places in the world where you can see the rare coco de mer palms growing in their natural state (the other being nearby Curieuse Island). If the entry price seems steep, remember this is a unique chance to experience a slice of Eden.

Three trails lead through the park, of which the longest takes around three hours. Signs indicate some of the other endemic trees to look out for, including several varieties of pandanus (screw pine) and latanier palms.


Nature Seychelles

About 2km southwest of Praslin, Cousin Island is run as a nature reserve by Nature Seychelles . The bird population is estimated to exceed 300,000 on an island measuring just 1km in diameter. It's an amazing experience to walk through thick forest with birds seemingly nesting on every branch.


Jungle (Nightclub)

 Nightlife in Praslin? No, really? It usually comes as a surprise to many visitors that the island rocks (by Seychellois standards) on Friday and Saturday evenings. Shakers and movers head en masse to the Jungle .

George Camille Art Gallery

Camille's work is inspired by the beauty and nature around him, incorporating stylised fish, geckos and coco de mer palms in his works, as well as more conventional scenes of rural life.

Photos of Praslin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources: www.seychelles.travel.sc

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