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St Anne Marine National Park
Some of the worlds best snorkeling can be found at the St Anne Marine National Park which comprises five islands, Cerf, Long, Moyenne, Round and St Anne. Other excursions include underwater viewing from a glass-bottomed boat and island-style barbeque lunches.
Praslin Island
Praslin Island is home to the wondrous coco de mer palm, which grows only in the Vallee de Mai National Park and nearby Curieuse Island. These 14 meter-high palms produce the largest seed in the plant kingdom, weighing up to 18 kg.
La Digue Island
La Digue is just east of Praslin and has some of the most stunning beaches of the whole archipelago. But Praslin and La Digue are surrounded by a number of smaller islands
- St Pierre, Cousin Island, Curieuse Island, Felicite, Coco, Grande Soeur and Petite Soeur. They offer pretty beaches, bird watching, giant tortoises, snorkeling and fishing.
Bel Air Cemetery
You will find the cemetery at the beginning of the Sans Souci road in Bel Air, not by spotting the Gravestones, but by the washing laid out, to dry upon them and the surrounding overgrown grass. The cemetery, said to be the first on the islands, is not a standard tourist attraction and has been neglected by authorities. It said to contain the grave of a teenage Seychellois giant who was over 3m tall. His memorial stone is the obelisk of the same height. He was gentle and handy for carrying fishing pirogues to and from the water, but the local people feared him and believed he would grow bigger and terrorize the island. He was poisoned in the 1870s, so the story goes.
The pirate Jean Franqois Hodoul was also buried here among the remains of the family tombs on the higher level of the cemetery. But the stones are so old and worn that no inscription is legible.
Cappucin Friary
The friary, next to the cathedral on the north side of town, was built in 1933 according to a Portuguese design. It is home to several friars. They used to run the mission school across the road.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
This Roman Catholic cathedral next to the friary is more to be heard than seen. It has a clock, which chimes twice for every hour and has always done so.
Monuments
A statue of Pierre Poivre stands outside the courthouse opposite the post office. Poivre introduce spices to Mauritius and the Seychelles back in the 18th century.
Sir Selwyn Clark Market
Despite what the tourist brochures say, the central market is not the bursting colorful place it used to be. Products and prices are controlled by the Seychelles marketing Board and most people buy from the SMB store. The products also attract flocks of cattle egrets, known to locals as Madame Paton, which perch on the stalls and pick off unattended morsels.
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