Yacht Charter Mahé

Yacht Charter in Mahe, Seychelles

Mahe is the largest island in the Seychelles and the main hub of the archipelago — home to the capital city of Victoria, the international airport, the main charter bases, and approximately 90% of the Seychellois population. Despite being the most developed island in the group, Mahe retains a remarkable natural beauty: its mountainous interior, rising to 905 metres at the Morne Seychellois, is covered in primeval granite-and-cloud forest that remains largely undisturbed, and its coastline alternates between developed beach areas in the north and west and wild, inaccessible granite coasts in the south and east that can only be appreciated from the sea. For charter yachts, Mahe is the starting point for exploration of the inner islands — a base of excellent facilities and genuine natural beauty.

Victoria

Victoria, the world's smallest national capital by some measures, has a charming but distinctly modest character that reflects the Seychelles' history as a British colonial possession. The Clock Tower, a replica of the clock tower outside Victoria Station in London, stands at the main junction of the city centre and has become the symbol of Victoria. The Sir Selwyn Clarke Market, housed in a purpose-built Victorian market building, sells fresh fish, tropical produce, local spices, and handicrafts, and is one of the finest small markets in the Indian Ocean region. The National History Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the small but well-organised Victoria Botanical Gardens are all worth visiting.

Beau Vallon Beach and the Northwest Coast

Beau Vallon, on the northwest coast of Mahe, is the island's most accessible and most popular beach — a long, gently curving bay of white sand with several beach bars and watersport operators, calm enough for swimming and snorkelling from the beach, and large enough to absorb the visitors who come from the resort hotels and charter boats along its shore. The bay is a popular anchorage for charter yachts provisioning in Victoria, and the snorkelling on the rocks at either end of the bay is excellent. Several small islets — Silhouette Island, North Island, and the Ste Anne Marine National Park islands — are accessible as day sails from Beau Vallon.

Southern Mahe

The southern part of Mahe, away from the developed northwest coast, is wilder and more dramatically beautiful. Anse Intendance, a long beach of powerful Atlantic-facing surf on the southeast coast, is one of the finest beaches in the Seychelles for sheer dramatic beauty. Anse Royale has a pleasant village atmosphere and a good reef for snorkelling. The Jardin du Roi spice garden in the hills above the south coast grows nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom in a historically authentic setting that commemorates the French attempt in the 18th century to break the Dutch monopoly on spice production. The drive along the southern coast of Mahe, with its views of the sea and the dramatic granite formations of the shore, is one of the finest in the Indian Ocean islands.