Anse Source d'Argent

Anse Source d'Argent is a two-kilometre ribbon of white sand on the south-west coast of La Digue, the fourth-largest of the granitic islands of the Seychelles. It is often called the most photographed beach in the world, and the reason is geological rather than tropical. Along its whole length the shore is broken up by enormous boulders of granite, rounded and fluted by rain and sea into shapes that look sculpted: heads, slabs, overhangs, stacked eggs. The beach is never more than about twenty metres wide, so the rocks divide it into a string of small coves, each with its own frame of stone and palms.

The water in front of it changes colour with the tide and the angle of the light, and late in the day the granite catches the low sun and warms in tone against the turquoise. Walking from one end to the other means wading around boulders and slipping through narrow gaps between them, and the most striking corners appear only when you reach them.

The beach belongs to L'Union Estate, a former coconut and vanilla plantation that is now run as a reserve and heritage site. Its old plantation house, and the island's tradition of copra and vanilla growing that dominated local life until the mid-twentieth century, are part of the walk down to the sand; giant tortoises live on the island. La Digue itself is small — about 10 square kilometres — and was named after a ship of the French explorer Marion du Fresne, who visited the Seychelles in 1768. The island is still mostly travelled by bicycle, which suits the pace of the place.

Getting there

The beach is on La Digue, about 50 km from Victoria, the capital on Mahé. The nearest airport is Praslin Island Airport (PRI), about 16 km away; international flights arrive at Seychelles International Airport on Mahé. La Digue has no airport: ferries run from Praslin, a crossing of about fifteen minutes, and from Mahé. From the jetty at La Passe it is about 2 km by bicycle or on foot to the gate of L'Union Estate.