Anse Georgette

Anse Georgette is a small bay on the northwestern coast of Praslin, the second-largest island of the granitic Seychelles. It has everything the Seychelles are known for, concentrated in a few hundred metres: a bright crescent of fine sand, water that runs from pale aquamarine to deep blue, a backdrop of thick tropical green and, at each end, the smooth, rounded granite boulders that make these islands unlike any coral atoll. Here the rocks are huge, sculpted by rain and sea into soft domes and folds, and they close the cove like the wings of a stage.

What makes the beach special is that it has been left alone. There is no village, no road along the shore and no row of beach bars; the bay lies within the grounds of a large resort, which has kept it in its natural state, so the sand is backed by vegetation rather than buildings. Because few people reach it, Anse Georgette often feels empty even when the better-known Anse Lazio, just around the headland, is busy. The quiet is part of its beauty: the sound is surf and wind in the trees, and the only lines in the view are the curves of rock and sand.

Praslin rewards a longer look: the island is also home to the Vallée de Mai, the palm forest that protects the coco de mer and endemic birds such as the Seychelles black parrot.

Getting there

Anse Georgette is on Praslin, which lies about 44 km northeast of Mahé; Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles on Mahé, is about 44 km away in a straight line. The nearest airport is Praslin Island Airport (PRI), about 3 km away, reached by short domestic flights from Mahé. The beach lies within the grounds of the Constance Lémuria resort: visitors who are not staying there need to ask the resort for permission in advance and then walk through the golf course to the bay. Alternatively, a coastal hike leads over from Anse Lazio, or the bay can be reached by boat.