After our Praslin getaway, we headed back to the main island, Mahé, via that same catamaran-type ferry. Although this time, the seas were not so calm. A storm came up just before our departure which resulted in some very motion-sick passengers. Luckily we skipped lunch.
Once on land again, J opted to make his left-side driving even more challenging by renting a manual left-hand-shift vehicle. It’s likely the driving would get us last place in the Top Gear hot lap, especially since the windshield wipers kept getting confused for the turn signal, but hey. It’s all about the journey.
overlooking Victoria Port
As Mahé is the largest island in the archipelago, there’s a bit more to do here. The capital city of Victoria is the center for activity and large grocery stores (think Costco size), so we opted to stay a bit away from this main port and head inland. There’s several hiking trails in the Morne Seychelles National Park, numerous shorelines for catching some beach time (although watch the tides on the west side, they may sweep you away) and plenty of spots for snorkeling.
spice islands
Thinking it would be good to learn about local spices and the history of spice trade in these parts, we headed to Le Jardin du Roi for some local flavor education. At the top of a hill and tucked away a bit is a spread of land where several varieties of spices and other plants are grown. Upon arrival we were greeted with the sweet smell of various spices, fruits and the local restaurant. All of which were pleasant, but what was not pleasant was the invisible bugs making meals of our arms and legs. As a result, we hastened our retreat and headed on to other parts of the island.
sandy shores and squally seas
We made our way to the south western part of the island to check out what the beaches had to offer. We soon figured out what those funny little symbols in our map with the big X over the stick-figure swimmer meant. But not before we did some off-roading in our tiny vehicle over some bumpy and mud-puddle terrain. When we found the path to the beach we were met with gigantic crashing waves just off the shore. Not advisable to go for a swim in these parts. Which explains why most people weren’t in the water and rather enjoying the sunny rays on the shore.
saaaaay tea!
This island has a lot to offer in regards to lush tropical plant vegetation, given its proximity to the equator. So what better place to set up a tea plantation, with a superb view nonetheless, than the top of the hill in the middle of Mahé? Welcome to SeyTé.
And if you show up here early enough (before noon) you can see the workers throughout various tea-making processes.
We caught the packaging day, and boy are these ladies fast. Too fast for us to capture on our cameras, so just use your imaginations. But here’s some video of the sorting machine:
clambering climbs
Since we were already up near the highest point on the island, we decided to go even higher and get a view of the surrounds. We took the Mont Blanc trail which passes through various tropical trees and plants, with some rocky terrain and not enough breeze which makes for some very sweaty, stinky hiking. But once at the top we were provided with the much-worthy prize:
We give this a Reddy & Clark Trails 4 thumbs up and a must do if you are in the neighborhood.
snorkels and sunsets
To top off our Seychelles-cation, we finished our time kayaking and snorkeling just outside our bungalow accommodations. Although it wasn’t over water, we only had to walk 10 feet to the sea. The first couple of days here were a bit stormy (remember that vomit-inducing boat ride we experienced getting to this island?) so one would have become a pulverized piñata if stepping into the seas during this time, but when things calmed down after a couple of days we were excited to learn we could actually take advantage of the now serene surf.
seychelles sunset
We took a highly rated (as by us) sunset kayak trip (also guided by us) to view the giant orb descending out into the middle of nowhere, coloring the skies with lovely pastels {insert flowery goo poetry here}. It really was gorgeous.
We also got some snorkeling in and saw a variety of creatures who call this place home, including stripey fish and pokey things you don’t want to step on.
We have more islands to explore before settling onto the mainland, so we must exit. Seychelles was a most pleasant (albeit expensive) getaway and we can’t stop thinking about those gorgeous beaches. But be prepared to empty your pockets if coming here, it’s quite a bit more spendy than some of those SEA islands we visited. But in our opinions, still very worth it.
More Mahé scenes here.
