Seychelles Islands

At roughly 65 million years old, the Seychelles Archipelago has the oldest islands on earth. The pristine collection of 115 emerald-green islands of the Seychelles are scattered across 700km in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles' islands are hidden some 1,600km off Africa's east coast, north-east of Madagascar.

The Seychelles can be separated into two groups of islands: the granitic clusters of the inner islands and the coralline atolls that make up the outer islands.

Inner Islands

Inner Islands is the collective term for the 42 islands that lie closest to Mahé, the largest island in the archipelago.

Set on a relatively shallow plateau shelf beneath the ocean, the inner Seychelles' islands are characterised by large granite boulders and forested mountain peaks. The inner granitic islands are the main hubs of activity, where you will find most Seychelles accommodation.

Outer Islands

The outer islands are generally flatter and are composed of corals and volcanic material. Most of the outer islands are uninhabited, making them pristine paradises. As the largest of the coralline islands and a World Heritage Site the Aldabra Atoll is probably the most well known. Aldabra is also the original home of the giant tortoises which are now commonly found across the Seychelles and in Mauritius.

Public & Private Islands

Besides inner and outer islands, there are two important kinds of Seychelles islands; those that are public and those that are privately owned.

The public Seychelles islands are Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. These islands feature the main towns of the Seychelles and are home to most of the local people. The majority of Seychelles accommodation can also be found on the public islands.

Seychelles' private islands, such as North Island, Frégate Island, Sainte Anne, Cousine Island usually have only one luxury resort, allow access to guests only and are the ultimate in exclusivity.

• Mahe
• Praslin
• La Digue
• Sainte Anne
• Denis Island
• Desroches Island
• Fregate
• North Island
• Bird Island
• Cousin, Cousine and Aride Islands
• Silhouette

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