Day 72 - March 16, 2025 - Sunday - Victoria, Seychelles Islands

 

Seychelles is an island republic in the western Indian Ocean, comprising about 115 islands, with lush tropical vegetation, beautiful beaches, and a wide variety of marine life and a large number of endemic species.  It lies between 4 degrees and 11 degrees south of the equator.  The major islands of Seychelles are located about 1,000 miles east of Kenya and about 700 miles northeast of Madagascar. The capital, Victoria, is situated on the island of Mahé.

Seychelles, one of the world’s smallest countries, is composed of two main island groups: the Mahé group of more than 40 central, mountainous granitic islands and a second group of more than 70 outer, flat, coralline islands. The islands of the Mahé group are rocky and typically have a narrow coastal strip and a central range of hills.  Our visit is to the island of Mahé which is one of the rocky islands.

In a recent report by Global Finance Magazine, Seychelles has been ranked the richest country in Africa, securing the 56th spot among 193 nations globally in 2023. The key indicator for this ranking is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, which stands at $39,662.

Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa (and one of the smallest in the world) as well as the least populated sovereign African country, with an estimated population of 100,600 in 2022.

Victoria, the capital has only about 25,000 persons and is the smallest capital city in the world.  In 2023 the city had only two stoplights!

The official languages of Seychelles are French, English and Creole.  We found most of the people speak excellent English, but the primary day to day language is Creole.  On Kay's excursion she was told it is quite different from New Orleans Creole and that they actually could not understand one another.

We arrived on time at 8:00 AM

We were greeted with a small band and dancing.  The music was a Calipso and was very pleasant.

We originally planned to all go on an excursion to hike the Copolia Trail.  It is a short trail, less than two miles round trip, but was rated moderate with some steep areas and a ladder to climb at the end.  Kay decided she did not want chance it being too difficult, so she opted for a city tour which included the Botanical Gardens and a beach.  Carl & Janet decided to do a long 7-hour tour which included several beaches, a hike thru a National Park Island and a glass bottom boat tour.  As a result, I did the hike with 21 other brave Viking passengers.

This is the summit of the Copolia Trail as seen from the ship.  In the foreground is the islands petroleum based power plant.

We arrived at the trailhead and our park ranger guide was waiting for us.

I have hiked my entire life and trails like this are not unusual.  What was unusual was that this was the normal for almost the entire hike!  There were never more than a few feet of level travel, the remainder was either steep up or steep down.

The jungle scenery was beautiful, and our guide was excellent at point out various trees and plant life.  The island once was a major producer of spices, and we saw forests of cinnamon and clove trees.

Considering that our group was almost entirely seniors, other than Jamie, who is traveling with her mother, and I would guess is in her 30's and Anna, a Viking crew member in her 20's who was along to observe and obtain a survey of our impressions.  Seychelles is a new port for Viking, so they are anxious to obtain information about the tours and the island from the traveler's perspective.

Our guide

This palm tree's trunk doesn't touch the ground, it extends roots which eventually lift the trunk and keep it suspended.  There is also a much larger tree which does the same thing.  Our guide said the older islanders called them the walking trees, because they would actual 'move' around an obstacle such as a large rock.  Of course this could take years.

Finally, we are reaching the summit.

The views were specular.

Eden Island Resort (with the red roofs).  Saint-Anne Marine National Park is the large island in the top left.

Here you can see our ship just right of center.

Yes, I actually made it!

Anna, of the Viking crew and the youngest of the group, just after she made it back.

Bird of the Day - Red Fody

When I returned to the ship, Kay was at the World Cafe, I grabbed a shower and when she returned, we decided to walk to the little port side market.  

There was a very nice, covered walkway with painted murals to lead us along.

Since it was Sunday, there were only a few stalls open and the town stores were all closed, other than supermarkets and restaurants.

We did find this one stall, operated by a lovely brother and sister pair.  I purchased a T-shirt and a small painting.

He explained his father did the paintings.  His sister was busy asking Kay questions about where we were from and what her profession was.  

Kay doesn't take many photos, but she did get some of the giant turtles at the Botanical Garden.

Her guide said there were more giant turtles on the Island than there were people.  Seychelles, like the Galapagos Islands, were cut off from humans as well as other land masses for millions of years and as a result developed many unique species and currently has an enormous number of endemic species of both plant and animal life.

In summary, we all enjoyed the Seychelles Islands.  It is definitely a place where I wouldn't mind returning.  It was such a contrast to the Maldives which get a lot of attention, but I have no desire to see again.

We now have another two days at sea with Mombasa, Kenya our next port.