
Anse Lazio, Praslin © Angelo Cavalli / STMA
The popular holiday island of Praslin lies 21 miles (34km)
north-east of Mahé in the Seychelles archipelago, a popular
stop for cruise liners and a vacation destination for honeymooners
and beach lovers. Visitors to Praslin Island have a choice of two
ways to get to the island. The first option is by boat from Mahe
Island. There are a number of ferries and high-speed catamarans
operating between Mahe and Praslin Island and fast catamarans make
the crossing in just 45 minutes.
Praslin Island also has a small airport, Iles des Palmes
Airport, which is only serviced by Air Seychelles. Visitors to the
Seychelles wishing to get to Praslin by air can either book a
ticket on one of the scheduled flights to the island or on a
chartered flight, which generally tend to go to more than one of
the islands in the Seychelles group.
Once on Praslin, the island's favourite beach, Anse Lazio, is
one of the world's most exquisite, but the entire island is ringed
with beautiful secluded beaches, sporting coral reefs and crystal
clear waters. Praslin is known for being the exclusive home of the
rare 'coco de mer' palm, that produces the world's largest nut, and
delights ornithologists with glimpses of some of the world's rarest
birds, like the black parrot and fruit pigeon. Several large resort
hotels have been developed on the island, but this has not
interfered with the natural beauty or abundant flora and fauna, or
its reputation as being as close to the Garden of Eden as one can
get. There are a few villages sprinkled across the island, housing
the permanent population of a few thousand souls, most of whom work
in the hotels and resorts or depend on fishing for a
livelihood.