Often described as the Garden of Eden or the heart and soul of Seychelles, the Valle de Mai National Park is a lush and mystical reserve home to the rare Coco de Mer palms.
How to Get There
The Vallee de Mai National Park is located on Praslin Island which can be reached by ferry if one is staying on another island. For those who are staying in one of the Praslin hotels including the likes of Berjaya Praslin Resort, have the option of hiring a car or using the local bus services.
Ticket Prices
Entrance to the park costs about 332 Seychellois rupees, and a large part of it goes to maintain the world heritage site. Visitors are also provided with a map of the park when purchasing the ticket.
Things to Do
Visitors can use the Central, Circular or the Cedar trail paths to explore the Vallee de Mai. Free guided tours are available, provided by the Seychelles Islands Foundation, and it would be best to contact them few days prior to coordinate the times. There are plenty of photo opportunities and do spare time for a spot of bird watching as well.
Background
The Vallee de Mai Park is home to the largest concentration of Coco de Mer Palms growing naturally. The oldest specimen is 300 years old and 27m high. Apart from the palms, the park is also home to the Black Parrot.
Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+
