Holiday to La Digue (Seychelles)

April 23-26, 2003

Are you looking for information on La Digue? In this section of travel-tour-guide.com you will find lot of information about La Digue, including attractions and not to be missed places. La Digue is a small granitic island belonging to the Seychelles group and is best known for its beautiful Source d'Argent beach, although there are many other places that worth a visit, thanks to the spectacular landscapes.

How to get to La Digue? The trip has started this late morning with a flight from Alphonse to Mahe, from where I boarded the Twin Otter in the above picture, bound for Praslin. Once on Praslin, a taxi driver has carried me to Praslin dock, from where the ferry to La Digue departs.

Upon my arrival to La Digue, I arrange a transfer from the dock to my guesthouse by ox cart, one of the official means of transportation on this island (the other is the mountain bike, cars are few).

I soon start to hike to Anse Source d'Argent (about 8 km roundtrip) and before arriving, I see a beautiful church.

I finally arrive to Anse Source d'Argent, an idylliac beach characterized by huge granitic rocks, nicely sculptured by the water and the wind.

Photos of Anse Source d'Argent beach in La Digue, Seychelles. An enormous rock illuminated by the sun at the sunset, creates a pleasant contrast with a storm in the distance.

More pictures of La Digue. The rocks illuminated at sunset are even more beautiful. On the right: tall palm trees find their way between the rocks.

The next day, I rent a bike, as this is the most convenient way to move around on La Digue, then I go back to Anse Source d'Argent to see the beach under a different light condition. Before reaching the beach, I stop for a while to see a large group of giant Aldabra turtles, inside the Union Estate.

I'm back to Anse Source d'Argent. Enormous rocks create small, secluted beaches, in the spaces between them.

Thanks to the almost clear sky and to the intense sunlight, the colors of the water are even more beautiful.

I then take a short tour of the Union Estate, a copra and vanilla factory. On the left, a wooden mill working by ox. On the right, a heap of coconuts ready to be worked.

In the afternoon, I decide to move to Grand Anse, about a 20 minutes trip by bike. Above and on the left, the typical streets on La Digue.

Shortly before reaching Grand Anse, I see a beautiful lake, totally covered by waterlilies and other acquatic plants. The vegetation is so dense, that it is difficult to belive that under the leaves there isn't solid soil, but just water.

I finally arrive to Grand Anse. Here there isn't any reef or barrier, thence the powerful Ocean's waves discharge their energy directly on the beach. Perhaps for this reason, the sand is super fine here and also very clean.

Huge waves and strong currents make swimming here an activity not for the beginner. On the right, a nice dog walking on the beach.

The next day, I will explore the east and the north coast of the island, by bike. I start taking a picture of some typical fruit: on the left, a breadfruit, on the right: banana.

I take a short walk between the rocks, where there are a lot of fossilized form of life. On the right, a mollusc, still living.

On the way back, I relax for a copule of hours at Anse Patates, a beautiful beach with several rocks and many coconut trees.

Finally, I explore a trail inside the forest in the center of the island. The vegetation is very dense and would be very difficult to hike outside the maintaned trail.

The last day on La Digue starts with a 1-hour trip by bike and on foot to Anse Cocos. The trail is quite easy and crosses a dense forest of palms and other vegetation.

Mimosa pudica or "Sensitive" Mimosa. The leaves of this plant are peculiar because they react if touched, closing between themselves (as indicated by the arrow on the top of the picture).

I finally arrive to Anse Cocos, a large beach of fine white sand. Unfortunately, the grey sky makes the colors less vivid, anyway the warm temperature let the people to bathe and to swim, without problems.

Sometime the waves here are quite high and powerful, although not as I've seen at Grand Anse two days before.

Petite Anse, on the way between Anse Cocos and Grand Anse. I'm now going back to my guesthouse and then to the dock, for my late afternoon ferry to Praslin, where I will spend the next two days.

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