Seychelles

Komman sava, my young friends? That means, “How are you?” in a language called Seychellois Creole. I’m Tomas, a giant tortoise from the Seychelles.

Zeb and I met for the first time last year, when he landed his light aircraft on Bird Island, my home. He had meant to fly to the island of Mahé, but when he and his companion Oki Oxpecker saw Bird Island they wished to visit at once. I understand that. It is a beautiful island!

I saw Zeb and Oki land, and I decided I would greet them. I learned that they were on a very long vacation, travelling from their home in Kenya across much of eastern and southern Africa. I was amazed! And now, they had come to the Seychelles and they were looking for someone to show them around.

I said I would be happy to do this. Zeb clapped his front hoofs together and Oki danced for a while. It was all very pleasant. And now I am writing about the highlights of our trip. We began by flying to Mahé.

The flight from Bird Island to Mahé took just 25 minutes, featuring lovely views of the sea. Mahé is south of Bird Island and it is the largest of all the 115 islands that make up the Seychelles.

Mahé belongs to a group known as the “Inner Islands” and has all sorts of places where visitors may stay – guesthouses, hotels, and resorts. And it has beautiful beaches where you can swim and play. Here are Zeb and Oki building sandcastles together. I was having my afternoon nap at the time.

Other activities you might enjoy on Mahé include snorkelling, kayaking, fishing, and sailing. Many of the resorts have a “Kids Club”, with things to do especially for you. These include treasure hunts and theme days!

You can also take hikes in the island’s forests. And the capital city, which is called Victoria, is well worth a visit, I think. It has a museum, a market, the famous Clock Tower, and gardens full of interesting plants and spices. Yum!

After a week on Mahé, we flew 44 kilometres north-east to Praslin. This is another of the inner islands and the second largest island overall. Like Mahé, it has plenty of places where you can stay. It also has forests that are excellent for hiking, and wonderful white-sand beaches too.

In fact, Praslin is sometimes described as “mini-Mahé” because it is so similar to the larger island. All the watersports you can enjoy on Mahé are possible here.

However, Praslin does have something special, all of its own. That is a nature reserve! It is called Vallée de Mai, which is French for May Valley. Here you can spot the Seychelles black parrot, blue pigeon, and sunbird, as well as snakes, lizards, and frogs. But the park is best known for its sea coconut palms and the nuts they bear. These nuts grow in pairs and perhaps for that reason they are called “love nuts”. How charming!

The next stop on our tour was an island called La Digue. This is a very short distance from Praslin and we chose to take the ferry service. This was a journey of just quarter of an hour.

La Digue has a different feel from Mahé and Praslin. Very few cars are allowed here, but there are plenty of oxcarts. Having a ride on an oxcart was just one of many things that Zeb, Oki, and I enjoyed. We visited the main village of La Passe and the Union Estate. The Estate was a coconut factory and it has been turned into a theme park. You can take a tour of the old Plantation House, go horseback riding, play on the local beach, and see some giant tortoises. Huzzah!

The island has a nature reserve too. This is a real treat for birdwatchers. Here is one of the birds we saw. It’s a black paradise flycatcher.

Our trip to the inner islands was the first part of our vacation. The second part was visiting the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. We got back into Zeb’s light aircraft and flew to Frégate, Desroches, North, Cousine, Denis, and Bird, in that order.

I hope Zeb will not mind, but I must mention that our best days were spent on Bird Island. The birdwatching here is excellent, and there are a lot of sea turtles too. The female sea turtles climb up the beaches to lay their eggs in the sand. When the eggs hatch, hundreds of tiny turtles come out and race down the sands and into the sea. It is absolutely thrilling.

If you look at the top of this page, you will see a picture of Zeb, Oki, and me helping the tiny turtles down to the water. Zeb and Oki told me that this was a huge vacation highlight for them. It was a magical end to our time together in the Seychelles.

I DO HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED READING MY THOUGHTS ON MY ISLAND COUNTRY, DEAR CHILDREN. IT REALLY IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO BE. IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE ZEB AND OKI’S STORY, FOLLOW THEM TO MAURITIUS OR FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GIANT TORTOISES BELOW.