Inhabited by humans barely 200 years ago, the islands remain fragile and priceless sanctuaries where relics from a lost world survive in safe seclusion. How this living Paradise came to be is an extraordinary tale:
Two hundred million years ago the earth was divided into two great landmasses, Laurasia and Gondwana. The southern supercontinent Gondwana included present-day Africa and India. Then during the middle of the Jurassic period, Gondwana began to split up. The sea filled a rift between Africa and India to form the early Indian Ocean. The fragments of this ancient landmass left behind the central granite islands of the Seychelles leading to the islands’ famous startling rock formations that towers over beautiful white sandy beaches.
On these islands, species separated from their ancestors grow into new and exotic forms. Rare birds and other endemic animals such as the giant land tortoises show little fear of humans and can be approached within a few feet.
Today tourism in the Seychelles is carefully managed to preserve the islands’ precious natural heritage. Some 452 square kilometres have been designated as national parks, reserves, or protected areas, while a further 228 square kilometres of marine parks offer highly rewarding diving and snorkelling.
One of these include the mystical Vallee de Mai on the island of Praslin, a Jurassic Park of palms dating back to an age when dinosaurs roamed and all life grew much bigger. In the sheltered quiet of this ancient valley, the coco de mer tree reigns supreme. Like us, the tree exists in both female and male forms with a striking resemblance to our own reproductive organs. No one knows exactly how the male pollen reaches the female coco de mer but an old Seychelles legend says that the trees consummate their union by swaying together on stormy nights.
The other World Heritage Site is Aldabra – the largest raised coral atoll in the world with a central lagoon big enough to be called a sea. Some say that the shallow turquoise waters of the lagoon reflect in the clouds overhead and create a luminescent glow that can be seen from miles away. It harbours a profusion of wildlife, sharks, frigate birds with seven-foot wingspan, rare robber crabs, spectacularly-coloured parrot fish and the world’s largest colony of giant land tortoises numbering some 150, 000.
These are but a few enchanting jewels, which, we at Creole Holidays cannot wait to unveil to you and your clients. We promise to take you on a spectacular voyage of discovery where you will re-live the adventures and awe which the early explorers have for so long spoken about.