Seychelles travel guide

The only place in the world where you can walk in a Coco de Mer palm forest is the UNESCO World Heritage enlisted Vallée De Mai. Coco de Mer palm is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse and produces the world's largest and heaviest nut, the fruit (green one) can weigh up to 40 kg and the seed (brown one) up to 18 kg. The outside world actually knew about the Coco de Mer before the Seychelles were discovered, as nuts had been carried by the ocean currents to distant shores on the Maldives, India and Indonesia. Seamen thought they were from an underwater forest, therefore the name "coconut of the sea". The double nut is the national symbol of the Seychelles and even the passport stamp is shaped like a Coco de Mer nut. Every single Coco de Mer palm is owned by the government, even if it grows on private land, and heavy fines and prison terms apply for stealing one. However, it's possible to buy a nut (with export permit) at the souvenir shop on site.

You might wonder why a third of the Seychelles' population live in uneventful Victoria, when there are so many other pretty places. But Victoria is the centre for business, education, transport... well, pretty much anything not related to beaches. The pace is adorably slow and even the main shopping street is a calm affair. There are a few historical buildings and a small local market, but else the prettiest thing is the setting at the foot of jungle covered hills.