Location
Seychelles consists of 115 small islands scattered in several groups in the waters of the Indian Ocean, east of Africa and north of Madagascar and Mauritius. The largest island is Mahé, covering 154 km². It is the centre of all the action and gateway to this tropical paradise. Pangia Beach is strategically situated on its eastern shoreline, between the Seychelles capital of Victoria and the international airport. In the nearby vicinity are Eden Island, a unique residential marina including a shopping area and restaurants, Roche Caiman Sports Complex with tennis courts and football stadium and Sainte Anne Marine National Park, which is a globally popular scuba diving locality.
The charm of Seychelles Islands is inherent in the beautiful unspoilt landscape, still consisting mainly of dense tropical forest. Mahé island also abounds in rich vegetation, with a coastline broken by bays and bordered by sandy beaches and the turquoise sea. The interior of the island boasts breathtaking rocky scenery. The great diversity of this island facilitates many adventure activities, such as scuba diving and snorkelling, fishing, surfing, water skiing, hiking, golf and horseriding. The surrounding islands are also the perfect venue for entertainment and relaxation, especially the group of smaller islands close to the coastline - Sainte Anne, Cerf and Moyenne - with their incredibly varied marine life - and the remote Praslin and La Digue, which are popular with tourists and easily accessible by plane or boat from Mahé island.
The capital city of Victoria is just ten minutes distant by car from Pangia Beach resort. And even though it may appear sleepy, the city is the political, economic, business and cultural heart of the country. All the important authorities and institutions, including international schools and hospitals, are located there. The city centre is especially attractive to tourists, still retaining its colonial character with streets filled with a variety of souvenir shops, art galleries, craft shops and markets selling fresh fish, exotic fruit, flowers and spices. One should definitely not miss the local National History Museum and the Natural History Museum or the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens with endemic species of flora and fauna.
Because the Seychelles lie near the equator (south of it, actually), the climate is tropical, moist and very stable. Temperatures throughout the year range between 25-32 °C, with a warmer climate prevailing from November to April, when also tropical rains are more frequent, however, rains come mostly at night in the form of short abundant showers. The water temperature hovers around a pleasant 27 °C all year round, in coastal lagoons it is even a few degrees higher. Moreover, thanks to its location, the Seychelles are not within the band of tropical cyclones and are therefore ideal for year-round visits.
The accessibility of the Seychelles has improved significantly with the introduction of daily flights by Emirates Airlines from Prague with a transfer in Dubai. Another option is a direct flight from Frankfurt, Germany with Condor. The airplanes land at the Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) which is located 8 kilometres southeast of the capital Victoria on Mahé island.
