4. Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue, Seychelles

La Digue's western beach of Anse Source D'Argent is among the most photographed beaches in the world...

La Digue Island is a steep granite island lying 52 kilometres from Mahé and 7km from Praslin. Named after one of two vessels in a French expedition from Mauritius to explore the granitics in 1768, it is the fourth largest island in the Seychelles after Mahe, Praslin and Silhouette. It has a land area of more than ten square kilometres.

The island welcomes the majority of its visitors by boat at the quaint jetty at La Passe. It is a popular, unspoilt destination for people wishing for a taste of the traditional Seychelles.

Nowhere else in Seychelles is the water more limpid or the sand so white. Because of its diversity and its beautiful beaches strewn with pink granite rocks, La Digue is the most exclusive and mythical island in the Seychelles.

La Digue breathes calm and serenity. Here the main mode of transport is the bicycle but the traditional oxcart is also still very much part of the scene and associated with a certain art of living. On La Digue times passes peacefully. La Digue Holidays are perfect for relaxation.

Within an hour walkers can reach any point on the island and there are many trails leading into its hilly interior which rises to a height of 333 metres. La Digue's western beach of Anse Source D'Argent is among the most photographed beaches on earth. Its granite boulders seem to have been sculpted by a divine hand to adorn this beach of breathtaking beauty. On the south-eastern coast three more exceptional beaches are to be found; Grande Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Cocos. Snorkeling at Anse Patates, the island's northern most point is excellent while the reef-protected shores of Anse Fourmis, Anse Banane and Anse Gaulettes on east La Digue are favourite spots for picnics and sunbathing.

At the charming L'Union estate, situated between La Passe and Anse Source D'Argent on the west coast, visitors will have the chance to discover some of the traditional local industries of the past such as vanilla farming and curing as well as witnessing the production of copra and coconut oil. The nearby yard of the local boat-building industry also deserves a visit. One mile south of La Passe lies La Digue Veuve Special Reserve, covering nearly eight acres and where you will find the Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher, one of the rarest and most unique birds in the world. This reserve, established by the Royal Society of Nature Conservation in 1981, is also home to the Seychelles Bulbul, the Seychelles Sunbird as well as to two extremely rare species of terrapin.

Accomodation on La Digue Island

Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie

Le Domaine de l'Orangeraie has undergone two years of careful redevelopment and now offers an exceptional selection of 45 villas in an idyllic location on the breathtaking island of La Digue. There is also a Presidential Villa and facilities now include two restaurants and a fine spa.

La Digue Island Lodge

The Lodge is set along the Anse Reunion beach situated amidst peaceful and exotic tropical garden of coconut palms, Takamaka trees and flowering plants overlooking Praslin Island. Besides being the main hotel on La Digue, the lodge enjoys being one of the only local style hotels of the Seychelles in a rich and natural setting.

Le Relax Beach House on La Digue Island

Situated immediately beside the beautiful, west-facing Anse Reunion beach, Le Relax beach House is is the most perfect location for experiencing the serene and relaxed atmosphere of La Digue.

L'Union Estate Beach Chalets

Located in the Union Estate Park, adjacent to one of the most famous and filmed beach "Anse Source d'Argent". The spacious chalets enjoy exclusivity and tranquility of the deserted L'Union Beach and its vast surroundings. Each with two separate bedrooms with ensuite, living and kitchen area, it provides an ideal retreat for families. 

3. Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

Providenciales, or more commonly known as "Provo", covers an area of 38 miles and is the most developed island in Turks and Caicos. It is here where most international flights arrive at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS). Surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches, Provo has been ranked "Best Beach" by Conde' Nast magazine and by the World Travel Awards for several years running. Found on the western end of the island chain, Provo offers all modern conveniences, including luxurious hotels, villas and condos, numerous restaurants, spas and shopping facilities, a championship caliber golf course, and full sevice grocery store. Although Provo is the most developed of the islands, it is still a destination for those who want to escape their busy schedules and relax.

On the north shore of the island, near Grace Bay, you will find the most beautiful beaches, as well as a long coral reef, which is rich in aquatic life. This main strech is home to the majority of the island major resorts and tourism services.

Towards the south of the island you will find Chalk Sound, a large lake with striking turquoise water and an array of small cays. Islands Magazine described Chalk Sound as "Beneath the radar: Untouched and off the beaten path, the pristine islets in Provo's Chalk Sound provide an ideal backdrop for expansive thoughts." Along the south side of the island in areas such as Sapodilla Bay, Copper Jack, Discovery Bay, Turtle Tail and Long Bay you will find many private villas available for rent. The island's commercial port, South Dock, is found east of Sapodilla Bay and has the capability to deal with containerized goods.

On the far western end is unspoiled Malcom's Beach, just adjacent to the magnificent Amanyara Resort.
On the eastern end of the island is Leeward Marina and development.
The two main and oldest settlements on the island are the Bight and Blue Hills, and are built around fresh water supplies. Both locations give a real feeling of Caribbean villages. If you wish to do some shopping, Provo can offer a good range of boutiques at Turtle Cove and along the quickly developing Grace Bay Road. Down Town you will find the retail shops, business offices and banks.

 What to do in Provo

Grace Bay which features the famous 12-mile Grace Bay beach is the location for most of the tourism infrastructure, the Princess Alexandra Marine Park, which is also the playground of "Jo Jo" the famous bottlenose dolphin. Visitors to the world's first Conch Farm discover how to grow conch from tiny veligers to four-year-old adults. This is where most of the water sport activities take place from diving to deep sea fishing and everything in between.

Stones engraved by shipwrecked sailors (or waiting ship wreckers) can be found on the hilltop overlooking the now abandoned Marina Inn near Chalk Sound and Sapodilla Bay. If you like old ruins that are not too difficult to get to, visit 2 sites of plantation houses built by Loyalists, Cheshire Hall and Richmond Hill. "The Hole" at Long Bay is a deep and wide Limestone chimney with a mysterious depth of salt water at the bottom.

2. Grande Anse Beach, La Digue Island, Seychelles

Petite Anse on La Digue Island is a long beach, which is located just next to the famous Grand Anse beach. There are nearly no trees, which could give you the possibility of hiding from the strong sun on La Digue, but some people built little huts out of old leaves, which give you protection. Free of charge, of course!

A very nice hotel for your stay on La Digue is Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie.

The beach is one of the best on La Digue and many tourists follow the foot-path from Grand Anse to Petite Anse, during their exploration of this side of the island. To get to La Digue, you take a 20 minute boat ride from Praslin. As soon as you step off the boat, you will see taxis and ox carts as forms of transportation. There aren’t that many cars on the island of La Digue. Here the oxcart is the main mode of travel. Fortunately, tourists can rent bicycles, which are a great way to get around the island.

The island of La Digue is the fourth largest of the Seychelles in size, and the third largest in terms of population. La Digue has a population of around 2,000. Most of the full time residents of La Digue live in villages on the western side of the island called La Passe, and La Reunion. The name of the island comes from the name of a ship belonging to the fleet of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, a French explorer who visited the archipelago in 1768.

There are a few hotels on the island, offering comfortable rooms. The most famous hotel is the La Digue Island. There are also some guest houses that offer simpler accommodations. On the other hand, La Digue can be visited as a day trip from the island of Praslin. La Digue is full of beautiful land forms, with stunning rock formations that go right into the ocean. This is the only place in the Seychelles where you will find ancient granite formations sculpted by time and weather to make breathtaking landscapes. The beaches on La Digue are covered with beautiful white sand, and there are numerous coves with deserted beaches, too. Because of the natural beauty of this island, it is favored both by photographers and film makers.

For those who are adventurous enough to spend their whole vacation on La Digue, the beaches are only part of the story. There is also a mountain located in the center of the island. If you climb to the top on the rugged foot path, you can get an amazing view of the island.

Many of the attractions of La Digue are located only a short boat ride away from the larger island of Praslin. Tourists from every part of the world come to La Digue in the Seychelles so they can enjoy a wonderful vacation in comfortable, affordable accommodations, including the resort, lodges, and guest houses. The amazing land forms of La Digue including the white beaches and the granite cliffs give the island an aura of peace and serenity. The island is quite unspoiled, and life here is reminiscent of what the Seychelles looked like before becoming the tourist heaven it is today.

The roads in La Digue aren’t tarred, and there are only a few cars on the island. Most people get around on foot, by bike. Off shore are coral reefs, and snorkeling, swimming, or strolling are all very relaxing activities in this beautiful environment. Bacardi rum once filmed an ad on La Digue because of its great natural beauty. Nothing this beautiful can be found anywhere else in the world.

1. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy

Lampedusa, Sicily

Lampedusa is an island located in the Pelagie group of Islands in Sicily in Italy. The island is the largest one in the group of islands and is the southernmost island in Sicily; it is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The island is only 3 Km wide and is 12 Km long. Lampedusa has a very vibrant culture and a historic past since over the centuries it had been inhabited by quite a lot of different nationalities and tribes including the Romans, Arabs and Greeks.

Lampedusa Island, Sicily

The buildings, culture and the architecture here still retains the influences of all these different inhabitants from centuries ago. Agriculture, tourism and fishing are the main industries here. However, the island is mainly known for illegal immigration that it has suffered from in the recent years.

Getting to Lampedusa Island

The only way to reach the island is by boats and ferries. The large boats and ferries depart every few minutes from several destinations in Sicily. Porto Empedocle is located quite close to Lampedusa and most ferries coming in to the island are from there. The ferries do not take long to reach the island from Porto Empedocle. During summers, hydrofoil services are generally used instead of ferries. The hydrofoils are much quicker than the traditional ferries, but these also tend to be very crowded due to hordes of tourists that visit the island in the summer months. The tickets are very inexpensive and it doesn't take long to reach the island. It is best to avoid travelling during the peak rush hours

Moving Around the Island

Lampedusa is a fairly small island and there are only a handful of places to visit here. The best option is to explore the island on foot. The main attractions on the island are all centrally located and concentrated in one area which makes it easier to visit them on foot. Another great way to explore the island is by hiring a scooter or a moped. Mopeds and scooters are available on rent in several places on the island and they are not very expensive. However, visitors must be careful with the fuel since there are only a few gas stations on the island.

Attractions in Lampedusa Island

                                     Rabbit beach, Lampedusa Sicily

Lampedusa is quite a very island and the best thing to do here is to enjoy the natural beauty of the island. Most visitors come to the island to visit the beautiful beaches here and spend time relaxing in the sun and to swim in the cool waters. There aren't many activities to do here; except for the beaches and the nature trails. The island is about sun, sand and the surf. It's best to relax on the beaches here and spend days sunbathing and reading or just swimming.

The Beaches

Rabbit beach, Lampedusa Sicily

Lampedusa has quite a lot of beaches; several of them are quite famous and tend to get very busy and crowded during the main tourist seasons. However, there are plenty more beaches on the island which are still hidden from the tourists and are mostly known only to the locals. Visitors who have rented a scooter or a moped can easily spend their time looking for a few beautiful deserted beaches to spend their time in solitude and privacy. Most beaches here are good for swimming and the surf is not very strong so they are even perfect for families with kids.

The Island of the Rabbits

The island of the rabbits or as it is popularly known here, l'Isolotto dei Conigli is a good place to visit as a day excursion from Lampedusa. The island got its name since it was once filled with rabbits, however, now only a few rabbits can be spotted here. The island is quite small and is a good place to visit to enjoy its lovely beaches and to just relax with an afternoon picnic lunch. The island remains mostly deserted during the weekdays and only a few people visit here on weekends. Ferries and boats are available from Lampedusa for reaching this island. Visitors can also hire their own motor boat and visit the island on their own.

Hiking Trails

Lampedusa Island, Sicily

The island of Lampedusa is quite lush and is rich in local flora and fauna. There are several different nature and hiking trails around the island, marked and unmarked. Since many parts of the island remain relatively deserted it is an enjoyable experience to just walk around the trails and enjoy the beautiful views of the sea. Those who are interested in nature would definitely love to walk around the island.

Scuba Diving

Lampedusa is also quite popular for scuba diving since there are a few diving sites around the island. The water here is quite clear and is reach in sea life which makes it quite enjoyable to dive and explore the marine life. Those who are experienced can rent the diving gear from the shops on the island. The exact location of the diving spots can be found out at the same shops. There are also a few places that have their own diving instructors for those who are still new to scuba diving.

Stay and Accommodation

Lampedusa is not a very large island; however, since it is seeing a rising trend in tourism it does have some good places for accommodation. There are some expensive as well as some budget hotels on the island, most of which are quite comfortable and clean. Some good hotels to try while on the island are Le Pelagie Hotel, Villagio La Rocca, Medussa Hotel SRL and Hotel Baia Turchese.

Eating Out on Lampedusa

There are a few good restaurants on the island that serve Sicilian and Italian cuisine. There are also a few places that serve good pizza and other European fare. Ristorante Gamilli, Borge Cala Creta and Ristorante Belvedere are the best known places to eat in Lampedusa.

Shopping in Lampedusa

There are quite a lot of places on the island that sell locally made pottery, wooden items, souvenirs and some good places to purchase Italian wines.