National Geographic Special - The World\'s Most Beautiful Places

seychelles

AFRICA

Beaches in the Seychelles—155 islands in the

Indian Ocean almost 1,000 miles (around

1,500 km) from the African coast—are some

of the most photographed in the world,

and no wonder, given their matchless azure

seas, teeming coral reefs, and fine, pale pink

sands. They are made all the more beautiful

by the rounded boulders that character-

ize much of the archipelago, wave sculpted

from granite that formed 700 million years

ago, making this some of the most ancient

rock on Earth and the Seychelles the oldest

islands of any ocean.

DON’T MISS

Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue is the finest

among many fine beaches, but don’t overlook the

islands’ interior beauty, notably the Vallée de Mai on

Praslin, a habitat for the coco-de-mer, a palm with

the largest seed in the plant kingdom.

Granite-strewn beaches in the Republic of Seychelles

59 RIVERS & SHORES