The Seychelles are a group of 115 tropical islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa, northeast of Madagascar.
Named after a French ship that visited the island in 1768, La Digue is the fourth largest inhabited island in The Seychelles and arguably one of the most beautiful islands you will find anywhere on Planet Earth.
All international flights to The Seychelles land at Seychelles International Airport near the capital, Victoria, on the island of Mahe. You can fly directly from London on Air Seychelles or British Airways scheduled flights or book a package holiday with one of the numerous travel companies offering holidays in La Digue.
To get from Mahe to La Digue means a helicopter flight or a boat ride. Opt for the boat ride every time, especially if you are travelling aboard the pristine schooner ferry complete with sails that makes the roundtrip between the island of Pristine and La Digue five or six times a day (of course you'll first need to catch the Cat Cocos catamaran that offers a high speed service between Maghe and Prislin).
Arriving in La Digue you will find an island untroubled by the hustle and bustle of modern life. Home to around 2,000 people who mostly live in the west coast villages of La Passe (where the ferry from Praslin berths) and La Réunion, La Digue is famous for its relaxed lifestyle and stunning beaches that feature regularly in tropical island photo shoots.
At barely 6km long by 3km wide,
you won't need a car to explore La Digue. In fact you can't hire a car on La Digue anyway and there are only a handful of taxis. The main modes of transport are bike and ox cart. Indeed the pace of life is captued perfectly by the giant tortoises that call The Seychelles home.
Its beaches, which include the world famous Anse Source d'Argent, are one of its main attractions. Tranquil stretches of white sand, shaded by palm trees, lapped by crystal clear waters and topped off with clear blue skies. This is the stuff of Bounty commercials.
Diving, fishing and snorkelling are not surprisingly popular pastimes on La Digue. The waters around The Seychelles boast over 1,000 species of fish, not to mention giant sea turtles.
La Digue is also home to
to a variety of rare birds including the black paradise flycatcher which is unique to the island and today numbers barely 300. If you are lucky you will see one on a visit to the Veuve Reserve, a nature reserve in the centre of the island. And if you are really lucky you will see one while staying at the La Digue Island Lodge - the island's best resort hotel - near to Anse Source d'Argent on the edge of the reserve.
For the best views over the island, make your way to the top of Belle Vue (Eagle's Nest Mountain) which is more than 300m above sea level.
The Seychelles is hot and humid all year round, with an average yearly temperature of 84°F (29°C), and average sea temperature rarely dropping below 81°F (27°C). Thankfully, the heat is usually mitigated by refreshing sea breezes, especially by the beaches. The cooler season is during the southeast monsoon season (late May to September) when the weather tends to be drier and cooler as opposed to the hot and rainy northwest monsoon season (March to May).
