Mahe Private inland tour
Overview
Mahé Island, the largest island of the Seychelles archipelago, the island is 4 miles wide and 16 miles long. It is granitic in origin and mountainous, the highest peak is Morne Seychellois, which rises to 2,969 feet.
Almost 90 per cent (Approx. 90,000 people) of the population of the Republic of Seychelles live in Mahé, which is the site of the tiny capital Victoria where family-run rum distilleries, botanical gardens, and artist studios are scattered around the mountainous interior of Morne Seychellois National Park. Sainte-Anne Marine National Park is in Victoria Harbour to the northeast.
Port Launay Marine National Park is also nearby on the north-western side of the island.
On this private, guided tour of the island, you can take in the sights and finish at Anse Soleil, a secluded cove backed by nothing but almond trees and coconut palms.
You will begin with a walking tour of Victoria. In Sir Selwyn-Clarke Market nutmeg and vanilla pods are piled high, alongside spiky yellow jackfruits the biggest fruit in the fruit category in the world and other tropical fruits.
You can step inside the vibrantly painted Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar (Elephant faced deity) the only Hindu temple on the island and there is an immaculate Cathedral nearby.
On the outskirts of the city are the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens, where samples of the country’s flora are being carefully preserved.
From here, you’ll drive along the twisting roads that lead into Morne Seychellois National Park, which takes up around a fifth of the island. Stopping at Mission Lodge. You can look out across the undulating hills to the ocean below. There is a national monument, the site was once a 19th-century school for liberated African slaves.
Heading south, you’ll stop at Takamaka Rum Distillery, started in 2001 by two local brothers using their grandfather’s spiced rum recipe.
Next door is La Plaine St Andre, a renovated plantation house that once housed copra kilns and cinnamon distilleries. It’s now a restaurant and an ideal spot for lunch.
The next stop is Jardin Du Roi, a spice garden. Compared to the manicured beds of the botanical gardens, this is a part-garden-part forest, with the edges of the nutmeg and cinnamon groves blending gently into the surrounding jungle. Your guide can explain the uses of some of the medicinal plants and suggest which berries and fruits you might like to sample. There’s also a small one-room museum that introduces the history of Seychelles’ spice trade.
Continuing south, you can visit the studio of Michael Adams, a Royal College of Art graduate who relocated to Seychelles in 1972. He has a small gallery in his plantation-style home, where many of his bright screen prints and black-and-white painting are hung. Inspired by his surroundings, many depict scenes of local life or Seychellois landscapes.
Before returning to your hotel, you’ll visit Anse Soleil, a secluded cove backed by almond and coconut trees. Right on the beach, Anse Soleil Café is a good place to stop for a coffee.
LE JARDIN DU ROI
Le Jardin Du Roi is a well-known spice garden on the Seychelles island of Mahe. It is about two kilometers from the popular seaside destination, Anse Royale Beach, and is located on the hills overlooking the beach. The 35-hectare plantation with local forestation is modeled after 18th century French Spice Garden designs for growing rare spice-producing plants in tropical colonies.
