Seychelles National Parks
The Seychelles are unspoiled islands which have a charm all their own, complemented by the genuine friendliness of the people. The beauty and variety of the islands make the Seychelles an excellent add-on to any safari, or a vacation in itself. These romantic islands are certainly a fabulous place for a honeymoon! In order to help maintain the unspoiled nature of the islands, construction of new hotels (additional beds) will be strictly limited.
The Seychelles is comprised of 115 islands spread over more than 155,000 square miles (400,000 km 2 ) in the Western Indian Ocean, situated northeast of Madagascar and approximately 1100 miles (1800 km) east of Kenya . Mahe, the largest of the islands, is located 5° south of the Equator.
Forty-one granitic and 74 coraline islands make up the Seychelles . The granitic group are rocky islands with peaks rising up to 2970 feet (905 m) with narrow coastal strips, and they include the "inner islands" of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Felicite and Fregate are all smaller granite islands which have only one lodge on each island.
Many of the islands in the coraline group, or "outer islands," are only about three feet (one meter) above sea level. Visitors should consider including at least one granite and one coral island in their stay. The people of the Seychelles are a mixture of African, Malagasy and French cultures. About 90% of the population resides on Mahe, the largest island. About 89% of the population is Roman Catholic, 7% the Church of England, and the balance divided among Pentacostal, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus and Muslims.
Creole cuisine, a mixture of French, African, Chinese and English, is well worth sampling. The locally brewed beer Seybrew is quite good. Accommodations include comfortable hotels as well as less expensive Relais des lies — small, simple hotels and guest houses, most with fewer than 15 rooms.
The Seychelles have a tropical oceanic climate with relatively consistent temperatures year 'round. The "hot" season is December - May and has higher humidity and rainfall than the cooler dry season, June - November. The mean daily maximum temperature for Victoria (the capital) in January is 82° F (28° C) and in July is 81° F (27° C). The mean monthly rainfall in January is 15.2 inches (386 mm) and in July is 3.3 inches (84 mm). Cyclones are rare.
The Seychelles were probably discovered by Arab traders about 1000 years ago. Vasco de Gama touched on the islands in the 1500s. In 1756, the French were the first to colonize the islands, on which they established spice plantations. The English conquered the islands in 1794. Slavery was abolished in 1835, and in 1902 the islands became a dependency of Mauritius , and they became a British Crown Colony in 1903. Seychelles became independent in 1976. Tourism is the major foreign exchange earner.