The Seychelles like you’ve never seen – Stuff.co.nz

BROOK SABIN

Last updated08:42, May 26 2017

Kiwis Brook Sabin and Radha Engling sailed the Seychelles in a luxury yacht, and say its one of the most unforgettable ways to spend a week on the water.

Most of us dream of a tropical holiday on the water - and I think we've found the best place on Earth to do it.

There's a little cluster of islands off the coast of Africa where the sand is so white, the water so turquoise blue - you will think you're on another planet.

A place where everything is on a grand scale. The coconuts grow to 30kg, and giant tortoises get to 350kg.

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The Seychelles is home to some of the best beaches in the world.

The Seychelles is a tropical paradise to rival the likes of Maldives and Tahiti. And the best way to explore the islands is by yacht.

Silhouette Cruises offers a week-long trip around six of the islands, with up to 18 guests. And you do it in serious style aboard a luxury all-inclusive yacht.

Our comfort took on a whole new level, when we discovered there were only 3 other guests and 10 crew to look after us!

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The Sea Star can hold up to 18 guests.

After leaving Victoria, the country's capital of just 30,000 people, we headed straight for Beau Vallon - considered one of the best beaches on Mahe, the main island. There, it rained, and ominously looked like a storm was brewing. I was beginning to wonder if the magic of sailing the Seychelles would actually happen.

But that magic emerged the next morning, as we cruised under full sun to a secluded cove. Anchoring near the beach, we were greeted with a huge expanse of ultra-clear light blue turquoise water - so clear we could see swarms of fish, even deep down.

The captain had a knowing glint in his eye: if you thought that was good, wait 'till you see what I've got for you tomorrow.

And he was right. The next day we headed to the country's second biggest island; home to a beach consistently named one of the best in the world. Anse Lazio has incredible powder white sand, lined with granite boulders and coconut trees. It's famed for its turtles, and we found two swimming in the shallows.

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Anse Lazio and its emerald blue waters.

There was even better to come.

Our next island was home to Anse Source d'Argent.

It isn't just rated as one of the best beaches in the world it often tops the list.

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Anse Source d'Argent is protected by a lagoon so offers some of the calmest water in Seychelles.

But it isn't all about the beach and water sports.

We also had time to explore the island of Praslin; its thick jungle home to the biggest coconut on earth weighing up to 30kg.

They are rare and fiercely protected, with a $600 price tag to buy just one! You even face a 5 year prison sentence if you're caught trying to take one directly from the tree.

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The Seychelles is home to the largest coconut on Earth. The picture above shows just the nut, the even larger husk has already been removed.

We also visited the island of Curieuse, a sanctuary for giant tortoises. The Seychelles variety are known as the ninjas of the tortoise world, because they can raise their huge bodies up to 400kgs on just their hind legs in search of low hanging leaves to eat.

It's a risky business, because if they flip over they risk death if they can't right themselves.

We were greeted by a huge tortoise on the beach, which has clearly worked out where the tourist boats arrive and decided it's much safer to simply wait there and let visitors pick the leaves for him.

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he tortoises found in the Seychelles are some of the largest in the world:

It was an incredible week cruising, which came to an end all too quickly.

I've always been a bit reserved about multi-day boat trips. They seem to be either floating retirement villages, or party boats.

Our trip was neither. It was a floating hotel, where the focus was purely on the incredible surroundings. Just as it should be.

More information: Silhouette Cruises offers a variety of week long cruises, with prices starting around $2,600 per person including meals and water sports. Seeseychelles-cruises.com

Last year Brook Sabin@brooksabin) and his partner Radha Engling (@globaladmirer) quit their jobs and sold everything to travel. They started a blogonflightmode.comand now call themselves fulltime travellers, making a living selling travel photos and video all around the world. Each week Kiwis in Flight will take you on their adventures.

The writerwas a guest of Silhouette Cruises

-Stuff

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The Seychelles like you've never seen - Stuff.co.nz