Seychelles, a haven of luxury within easy reach

The Seychelles are one of the most spectacular archipelagos of the world, with surprising variety and vastness, a rare example of an island state. They are, in fact, made up of 115 islands, but some say the number is even higher if you include all the islets, atolls and rifts. All islands to the north of the coast of Africa and east of Zanzibar crown the main island, Mahé, which is home to the country’s airport and capital city, Victoria, with its typical colonial houses with sloping roofs, phantasmagorical Hindu Temple and Clock Tower, an exact replica of London’s Big Ben and reminder of the British presence of the past. Divided into the so-called Inner Islands, which include Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and the Outer Islands, the Seychelles offers not only some of the most spectacular beaches in the world, but also extraordinary treasures of history, art, architecture, folklore and fauna. From Mahé, necessary arrival point, you could head directly to La Digue, an island suspended in a sea of tranquillity where you can immediately forget the rest of world, relaxing on the beach of Anse Source d’Argent, called by some the most beautiful on the planet, with its enormous boulders of pink granite, or exploring the island’s paths on foot or with one of the ox taxis, carts pulled by oxen. Among the beautiful places of the archipelago there are two that have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the legendary Vallée de Mai, on Praslin, considered for centuries “The Garden of Eden”, where the rare and gigantesque Coco de Mer grows, and the mythical virgin forest of Aldabra, on the largest coral atoll in the world, which was first noticed in the far-off ninth century BC by Arab sailors. In the past, the Seychelles were crossed by intrepid seafarers from every corner of the