Sea shells in the sunny Seychelles
Getting to the most beautiful beach in the world isn’t easy. You need to fly a lot, take a ferry, hop on a push bike, pass mating giant tortoises (I’m not making this up) – then you emerge through towering boulders to reveal all: Anse Source d’Argent.
This beach, in Seychelles, is consistently named one of the most beautiful in the world.
So how does it compare to what we have in New Zealand, and is it worth the trip?
The Seychelles is a cluster of 115 islands off the coast of Africa, covered in lush jungle that dates back 200 million years to when it was all part of the super-continent Gondwana.
Everything is on a grand scale: you’ll find the biggest nut in the world, the coco de mer, which can weigh up to 25 kilograms. There are more than 120,000 giant tortoises, which weigh up to 350kg each.
And there is a beach that is so beautiful, devotees journey from all over the world to visit it. I made a somewhat irrational, and expensive, decision to be one of them.
Getting to Seychelles isn’t easy, especially from New Zealand. The most direct route is via Dubai or Qatar, which will see you zigzagging across the world. I happened to be in Mumbai at the time and, thankfully, the flights are pretty cheap from India’s biggest city.
The Seychelles is a playground for the rich and famous, and landing on the main island of Mahe was a little disappointing. I expected instant, unworldly beauty, but it just felt like a giant version of the Cook Islands.
But my journey was far from over: it’s an hourlong ferry ride to the neighbouring island of Praslin, before getting another boat to the tiny island of La Digue.
There, it finally feels like we’ve landed in paradise. La Digue has one main form of transport: push bike. You also need to watch out for giant tortoises that like to sunbathe on the warm tarmac.
From the ferry terminal, it’s another 15-minute bike to a coconut and vanilla plantation called L’Union Estate, which you need to pay $10 to access and cross to the beach. The fee is well worth it; the grounds are immaculately landscaped – complete with a bunch of amorous giant tortoises doing their best to increase the population.
Why do I mention this? Because you’re sure to notice the grunting when walking to the beach. It sounds like a hippo having an asthma attack.
The walk eventually leads to a series of imposing boulders, some more than 20 metres high. The path winds around the coast to finally reveal Anse Source d’Argent.
With a giant lagoon, a palm-fringed strip of sand – all framed against colossal boulders and lush rainforest – I can see why it’s been named the most beautiful beach in the world.
But is it really better than Mt Maunganui, which has been rated the best beach in
New Zealand? Or Ma¯ tai Bay in the Far North? The answer is simple: yes, it certainly is. Legend has it, when early explorers arrived on La Digue, they thought they’d reach the Garden of Eden.
I sat on a rock absorbing its immense beauty before I could even get in the water, where curious tropical fish then surrounded me.
The author travelled at his own expense.