Favorite Islands of the Indian Ocean

Seychelles

The beauty of the Seychelles Islands is legendary. There are one hundred and fifteen of them and each one is unique.
Getting to know the country begins with the capital and only city – Victoria.
Despite the fact that it is one of the smallest capitals in the world and its central part can be easily walked around in ten minutes, there is a lot to see here: the National Historical Museum in the oldest building in the city, Little Ben, erected in 1903, colonial architecture and a century-old botanical garden. Hiking enthusiasts will find themselves in their element in the Morne Seychellois National Park with its many panoramic trails.
The Seychelles Islands are filled with stories and legends. This includes the idyllic island of Moyenne, or “Seychelles in miniature”, so nicknamed for the variety of endemic species. Its restoration became the life's work of British reporter Brendon Grimshaw and his companion. The island is one of the places where you can see Aldabra tortoises. It is now part of the Sainte Anne National Marine Park.
Many mysteries are associated with pirate treasures, and the fact that the treasure has not yet been found only fuels the curiosity of seekers and serves as an idea for quests. In the Seychelles, you can dive in semi-submarines, fly in helicopters and descend with a parachute, play golf and ride horses, visit tea plantations and ancient estates where rum is produced, see with your own eyes the coco de mer, for one fruit of which in the old days they gave a ship.

But nothing compares to the underwater world of the Seychelles. Of the seven species of sea turtles living in the wild, five live here. You will also meet twenty species of whales and eight species of dolphins. For expedition lovers, we recommend visiting the Outer Coral Islands, in particular, the Cosmoledo Atoll, the so-called “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”, the natural diversity of which amazed Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The atoll is huge, and dive safaris here last all day.
Near the Alphonse Island of the atoll of the same name, you will see humpback whales with calves, a variety of sharks, including bronze hammerhead sharks, which gather in schools of up to a hundred individuals. And in this remote corner of the planet, you can also meet dugongs and the fastest fish on the planet - the sailfish. Near the Astov Atoll, there is a steep wall, which is called the oceanic Grand Canyon. The Aldabra Atoll is home to 100 thousand giant turtles (one for each resident of the country).
Merging with nature gives rest on private island reserves, created on the principle of “one island - one hotel”. These include the islands of North, Denis, Plat Island with the new Waldorf Astoria hotel and Fregate, which is scheduled to open next year after renovation.

Mauritius

The calling card of Mauritius is the Le Morne Brabant peninsula with an underwater waterfall, clearly visible from the cabin of a helicopter and seaplane. But people go to Mauritius, first of all, for the variety of beaches: with calm lagoons in the north, ideal for kitesurfing in the south, for family holidays and diving in the west or with exclusive hotels in the east. Here you can dive to the depths in a submarine, walk in a diving helmet, swim with a “Seabob”, watch whales: sperm whales are found off the west coast throughout the year, and humpback whales come from July to November.

Golfers on the island master the golf courses designed by Gary Player, Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, Peter Matkovich and Rodney Wright.
Fans of excursion tours will be happy to devote a few days to the capital - Port Louis, where they will visit the Museum of Natural History, the UNESCO-protected Museum of Indian Immigration of the Indentured Servitude, the Blue Mauritius Museum, walk along the Caudan embankment, climb to Fort Adelaide (Citadel), from where views of the city, the port and the "Champ de Mars" - the oldest racetrack in the Southern Hemisphere, and to Signal Hill for stunning panoramas.
Traveling around the island, you will see a huge number of natural and man-made attractions. Among them are the Seven-Colored Earths of Chamarel, the Black River Gorges National Park with waterfalls, rivers and canyons, Pamplemousses - the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere (and the "Adventure of Sugar" museum there).
Beautiful views of the island open up from the crater of the Trou aux Cerfs volcano. The unique waterfalls of Rochester fall from basalt columns: your thoughts are carried away to Iceland, and your body just asks to plunge into a natural pool.
All over the island there are magnificent colonial estates, the oldest of which - Château de Villebague - dates back to 1740, and you can visit it with the consent of the owners. This includes Domaine de Labourdonnais with its own gardens and rum distillery, and the House-Museum "Eureka" and many others. If you like to travel by car, we recommend you take the “Tea Route” and visit the estates of Domaine des Aubineaux, Bois Chéri and Saint Aubin.
The whole family will enjoy visiting La Vanille Nature Park: feed giant tortoises, play with iguanas and see lemurs. In Casela Nature Parks you will find a safari with zebras, rhinos, caracals and giraffes; you will walk with lions and watch cheetahs; feed camels, play with servals, ride a zipline and giant swings over the canyon, walk on suspension bridges. Off the northern coast, you can jump with a parachute.

And in Mauritius, you need to dance the sega - a dance protected by UNESCO - and have a feast of the stomach, enjoying the cuisine, which is a mixture of African, Indian, Chinese and European traditions.

Zanzibar

A holiday in Zanzibar is often complemented by a safari on the mainland of Tanzania, but this archipelago is good in itself. Here you can combine the barefoot luxury of an island resort with an exciting excursion program.

The beaches of Zanzibar are recognized as some of the best in Africa. And Kendwa is the leader among them: this part of the coast is not subject to the tides, there are no strong waves and you can safely swim and swim at any time of the day, and there are also stunning sunset views. Near this beach is the luxurious Zuri Zanzibar hotel, famous for its wellness and wedding tours. It even has its own jewelry store with handmade rings with Tanzanian gemstones. Nearby is Nungwi Beach with stunning coral reefs, water sports and a vibrant nightlife. Zanzibar also has enough beaches for lovers of kitesurfing and active water recreation in general. For example, Bawe Island by the Cocoon Collection offers a full range of water sports and entertainment: water skiing, Seabob, wakeboarding and parachutes, pedal boats and transparent canoes, wind and kitesurfing, catamarans. There are stunning reefs here, and diving is available even for beginners. For barefoot luxury, we also recommend Thanda Island (Leading Hotels of the World), created on the principle of “one island – one hotel”. Guests are offered dhow rides, swimming with whale sharks, snorkeling and diving, cruises and “Seabob”, tennis and volleyball and relaxing on a private beach stretching for more than a kilometer.
Another great option is andBeyond Mnemba Island, which has just opened after renovation on a private island. Green turtles lay their eggs on its beaches, and the hotel itself is restoring the population of duikers and sunis. You can stay in traditional bungalows, have a picnic on a sand spit, swim in the lagoon, dive or go out to sea in a kayak, dhow or catamaran. Children are taught to take care of nature, help plant trees and protect turtle nests.

You can complement your stay at the hotel with an extensive excursion program. Zanzibar is called the “Spice Islands”, and you can follow the history of spice cultivation, which began under the Persians 2000 years ago. Not only will you learn about the journey of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon from the plantation to the table, but you will also taste them and all kinds of tropical fruits and get acquainted with unusual ways of using them. And, of course, enjoy the island cuisine, which mixes African, Eastern and Indian traditions, and visit the night market in Forodhani Park, where you will try delicious street food.
If you are interested in history, you will not remain indifferent to the past of Zanzibar.
Beautiful nature, an abundance of fresh water and a favorable location of the islands attracted here the Portuguese with Vasco da Gama, then the Omanis, who first used the local population as free labor, and then founded their capital in Zanzibar. Then the British came to these lands and put an end to the slave trade. During the excursions you will visit the Slave Market, where the thousand-year history of the slave trade is reflected, and learn about the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which lasted 38 minutes, becoming the shortest war in human history.

It is interesting that the countdown of a new day in Zanzibar begins at dawn, and that this is the birthplace of Freddie Mercury, and his museum is open in the center of Stone Town. If you are in Zanzibar for the first time, be sure to visit the Jozani Forest, where you will meet smart red colobus monkeys, and visit the Kuza Cave with crystal clear lakes, in the water surface of which stalactites and stalagmites are reflected.