Seychelles introduction
The Seychelles consist of 115 small islands scattered across a wide area of the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the equator (see map of the inner islands; most of the outer islands are a long way to the south-west).
Mahé, the largest island, is 29 km long and mostly about 3 to 6 km wide. It has a population of over 70,000 and receives most of the tourists. About half of the population lives in or around Victoria, which is the capital, and indeed the only town in the Seychelles (nothing else is bigger than a village).
Praslin, the second-largest island, is 13 km long and has a population of about 5,000, with eleven hotels and some guest houses. Half a dozen smaller islands have one hotel each (camping is not allowed).
The main islands are based on solid granite foundations, and are mountainous. The highest mountain, on Mahé, reaches 905 metres above sea level.
I spent eleven and a half days visiting Mahé and a few other islands in the second half of May 1993. I wrote about my holiday at the time, and I've used that text for these Web pages with only slight modifications.
