I had a dream of visiting a tropical Island surrounded by calm blue waters, golden sunsets and long white sandy beaches lined with obscure palm trees, while sipping colourful cocktails in the humidity that only an island can bring.
My excitement grew and in 2018 I finally decided to visit the African island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. I was humbled by the friendly locals and their easy and untroubling way of life. The soft sandy beaches and still, translucent waters with traditional dhow finishing boats floating in the vast distance was like a scene from Blue
Earlier this year I got to visit one of the most acclaimed luxury holiday destinations in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles.
After months of planning, we opted not to make an itinerary for the vacation and instead live the “island life”, day by day. We arrived on Mahe Island, cleared customs and headed towards the taxi area to transfer to our final destination, Silhouette island, which is one of 115 islands in the Seychelles archipelago, with lush tropical vegetation, beautiful beaches, and a wide variety of marine life.
After a one-hour transfer by ferry from Bel-Ombre jetty, we arrived at Silhouette Island. This mountainous lush green island can be seen from Mahe and is one of the largest and least populated islands in the Seychelles. The island is also home to the Island Conservation Society which works with locals and travelers alike to create sustainability efforts and awareness. a PADI diving centre, some of the best hiking trails on all the islands and our resort for our five-night stay, Hilton Seychelles La Briz.
We disembarked and was welcomed by the General Manager and introduced to the resort’s management team before taken on an orientation of the resort’s facilities, restaurants, beaches and finally we arrived at our villa.
Our villa was set on the beachfront, beneath shady trees and had all the luxuries that you would expect from this luxury brand. One of my favourite features of the villa was the enclosed outdoor shower. Due to the high humidity of the island, it feels natural to shower in “nature”, surrounded with forests, chirping birds and bats flying overhead.
The room’s luxurious amenities are second to none. With a private patio leading onto the one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve visited through all my travels; you cannot help but wake up to the sounds of crashing waves and going for a swim in the early hours of the morning before breakfast.
The resort’s facilities and activities includes lagoon golf, with biodegradable balls which turns into fish food, sunset cruises, deep-sea fishing, diving and snorkeling, guided hiking tours, an art gallery, gift shop, as well as the standards like a 5-star spa overlooking the vast ocean, an infinity pool and bicycles to use throughout the resort.
As I walked along the beach to explore the island, I came across the perfect image, the one that screams “Seychelles”.
It was the leaning coconut trees and granite boulders with a white soft sandy beach contrasting the translucent warm waters, which is on average around 27°C.
My infatuation with the beauty of the landscape lead to me explore some of the remote parts of the island as I opted to hike the Anse Mondon hiking trail, without a guide, and rather at my own pace to take in all the natural beauty and scenic views that the island has to offer, but it didn’t stop there.
While swimming in the lukewarm waters, I was constantly surrounded by colourful tropical fish which lead to my next discovery – snorkeling. I have to admit, for someone who has never snorkeled before and always felt a bit nervous about the idea of what might be lurking in the waters beneath, I was astonished when I finally opted for a snorkel and mask and headed to the beach again.
What I found was unbelievable. The amount of colourful marine life, including coral, anemones, and various shapes and sizes of tropical fish was beyond anything I could comprehend as Cape Townian who’s used to the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This called for my GoPro as I had to capture these remarkable moments on film. Image swimming with schools of parrot fish and various other smaller fish right in front of you. Next, there’s a shoal of squid passing by, along with a pipefish, pufferfish, hundreds of angel fish and other’s I couldn’t even name.
The beauty of the marine life on Silhouette island coupled with the lush vegetation, views and natural undisturbed coastline is truly remarkable and something that everyone should experience.
Silhouette Island and Seychelles as a whole is the perfect spot for Instagrammers with no filters necessary. After five days on the island, we took a ferry back to Mahe, ready to explore our next location, Beau Vallon beach.