It’s hard to believe that these islands were once places of exile. This is where the British colonial power sent militant supporters of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in 1937 and the militant Cypriot Archbishop Makarios 20 years later. At that time, the Seychelles at the end of the world. But Siberia is something else.
Today, the heirs to the British throne are spending their honeymoon in the now independent republic. And on the highest point of the main island of Mahé, the Emir of Abu Dhabi has built a huge palace that is illuminated at night. The world’s rich rival each other in building luxurious residences and resorts on these 115 dream islands off the east coast of Africa.
Unlike the coral atolls of the Maldives on the other side of the Indian Ocean, the granite islands of the Seychelles are not threatened by flooding due to rising sea levels. But if you want to see it before the land grab by the super-rich and upmarket mass tourism swamps it, don’t wait too long. And yes, that makes you part of the problem.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to get caught up in the stress of restless island hopping in search of the loneliest sandy beach and the photos that look most like the vacation brochures. Nor do you have to fall for the promises of ultimate luxury and total relaxation in secluded exclusivity. You can also enjoy relaxation and luxury in one of Germany’s many wellness temples, including three-star chefs, and in our latitudes the wine stays cold for longer.
And as many islands as you may have seen, in the end it’s always the one you haven’t been to that some know-it-all declares to be the only true one. But the azure blue sea teeming with colorful fish, sandy beaches, palm trees and the sultry, heavy, lazy air of the tropics can be found everywhere in the Seychelles.
Mahé offers more than beaches
Like 90 percent of the population of this paradise, you can stay on Mahé, the largest island, where there are also some less expensive hotels and where you can discover fauna and flora, cuisine and culture as well as some amazingly empty beaches.
To start with the culture: It is young. The islands were not settled until the end of the 18th century. And it is Creole, which means a mishmash of European, African and Asian elements: the beautiful multicultural legacy of imperialism. French and British adventurers, pirates, colonial officials and plantation owners, slaves and freed slaves from East Africa, Arab, Indian, Chinese and Malay traders brought their languages, cultures, religions, foods and traditions with them.
The most sensual way to experience this colorfulness is in the Catholic or Adventist churches, the Hindu temple or the mosque in the capital Victoria. During particularly important festivals such as Christmas or the Feast of the Assumption (“Lafet La Digue”) on August 15, it is quite common for members of all religions to celebrate together – and during secular festivals such as the “Carnaval de Victoria” at the beginning of March, the “Festival Kreol” at the end of October and the Subios Sea Festival at the beginning of November.
At times, however, the celebration of Creole, especially under the influence of tourism, degenerates into a kind of Disney World, where, with all the rum punch, Hawaiian shirts, flower garlands, pirate romance, bands playing variations of “Island In The Sun” and dancers performing hard on the edge of soft porn, you no longer know whether you are in the Caribbean, the Pacific or perhaps at the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin.
Some of the musicians who mix traditional Sega songs with reggae, calypso and salsa for the tourists are excellent. The best thing to do is to ask them where they are performing at a village or town festival or in a smaller club. You can still make real discoveries there – even at the big “Country & Western Jamboree” in July, because for some reason this original American music has an enthusiastic following here on Mahé. As in any country that thrives on tourism, kitsch and art go hand in hand.
Creole cuisine is based, as it should be, on fish in all its variations. Curries, sweet and spicy coconut sauces, deep-fried vegetables and desserts that quickly clean up the body’s beach compatibility are among the standards. The resorts serve a Europeanized form of this cuisine: not so spicy, not so sweet, not so greasy – not authentic.
If you want to get a first impression, we recommend the traditional restaurant “Marie Antoinette” in Victoria; afterwards, you might dare to try one or two things at a stall at the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market or in smaller restaurants, for example in the rural south of Mahé.
Of course you have to dive or snorkel in the Seychelles. Just a few meters from the beach, you feel like you’re in an aquarium. However, once you’ve had your fill or got a good sunburn, you should devote yourself to exploring the island. If you’re feeling adventurous, take the bus (all Seychellois speak English and French as well as Creole), otherwise hire a car.
But you should always get out and walk. As there are no dangerous animals on Mahé, you can make your own way through the jungle on hiking trails, for example to the remote Anse Major beach, where you might spot a sea turtle, to the Cassedent waterfall or through the Morne-Seychellois National Park, where carnivorous pitcher plants grow between the granite rocks.
In the late afternoon, treat yourself to a cup of tea in the tea plantation tavern and watch the fruit bats emerge from the trees in search of food, or enjoy a picnic from the “Mission Lodge” on Mont Fleuri while watching the spectacular sunset.
In the 19th century, missionaries built a school here to educate former slaves who had been freed by British warships from the hands of Arab slave traders and then abandoned on the nearest islands, which these exiles did not consider to be paradise.
Not far from Mont Fleuri, just below the ostentatious palace of the Emir of Abu Dhabi, a village is called La Misère – misery. US drones are parked at the island’s airfield and warships are moored in the harbour – deployed against the Somali successors of those pirates romanticized in folklore.
In short: sun, sand and sea, drinks by the pool and palm trees in the evening breeze are also available elsewhere. But if you are curious, you will find much more on Mahé than the vacation brochures promise.