Mahé East Coast Nature Travel Photography
The Mahé East Coast photo album displays coastal landscape and panoramas and features Anse Les Pins and Anse Royale. Also, the Le Jardin du Roi Spice Garden and Glacis La Reserve photo essay. The geographic area includes the eastern Mahé south of Victoria, down to Anse Forbans and Quatre Bornes on the East and South Coast Roads.
Mahé East Coast Panoramas
East Coast Mahé Northern Islands
Victoria’s north and south are densely populated, partly industrialised on reclaimed land, including Eden Island and the international airport. Panorama taken from the Glacis Trois Frères picnic area.
Eden Island and Ile au Cerf
Panorama taken from La Misère Viewpoint on La Misère Road. Eden Island is a marina development of red-tiled roof apartments and homes.
Mahé East Coast Landscapes
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Mahé East Coast Landscapes
Most beaches are on the east coast are accessible by car, although finding parking can sometimes be challenging.
The first featured beach is Turtle Bay, bathed in the evening light, just south of the Golf Club, Anse Aux Pins, and the village. Hawksbill and green turtles once nested on the east coast, but sadly, they do not anymore. However, exceptions include Anse Forbans and Anse Marie Louise, where limited numbers of hawksbill turtles sometimes nest.
South of Anse Aux Pins is the popular Anse Royale, a long sandy beach, a good base for a stay on Mahé Island. The images below show the beach and Ile Souris Island. Apart from Anse Royale and Anse Forbans, fewer people seem to visit the east coast beaches. However, Anse Marie Louise is a hidden treasure. It is just after Anse Forbans Chalets on a dirt road leading to the beach. Park under the casuarina pine trees’ for shade.
Airport and Anse Les Pins
Airport and Anse Les Pins
Seychelles International airport on Mahé, built in the seventies, is quaint and laid back, a lovely change from other international airports. From the plane to disembarkation through immigration and customs to the rendezvous area was around 100 metres.
Anse Les Pins
Centrally placed on the East Coast Road, Anse Les Pins is a good base for touring. It is also convenient for the airport, just a 10 min, 5 km drive. However, the beach is not great by Seychelles standards, and there are no restaurants within walking distance.
We stayed for three weeks in November and December 2011 at the Green Palm Apartments in Anse Les Pins. Car hire is essential to access the best wildlife places, secluded beaches, restaurants, and other attractions. It is easy to drive around the island, except for some raised narrow country roads with sharp drops to the sides.
Anse Royale
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Anse Royale
In October 2012, we stayed for a few weeks at the Au Fond de Mer View Apartments. Unfortunately, the village does not have the best beaches; however, it well placed for getting to the south and west coast beaches and other attractions on the island.
It has a couple of restaurants; Kaz Kreol and Les Dauphins Heureux are within walking distance of Au Fond de Mer View.
A short 5 min drive north of Anse Royale is the Takamaka Rum Distillery, a quality restaurant. Although a small supermarket in Anse Royale, Kumar & Kumar Supermarket is better, just a 1 Km drive north.
Le Jardin du Roi Spice Garden
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Spice Garden
A short 10min, 4 km drive from Anse Royale is Le Jardin du Roi Spice Garden. It has a collection of introduced spices and other rare non-native plants. The gardens attract animals, including some endemic species.
Glacis La Reserve Photo Essay
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Glacis La Reserve
The Glacis La Reserve scenic walk’s starting point is the Cable and Wireless Station track’s junction and the Montagne Posee Road. There is parking on the side road, albeit limited to a few cars. It is an essay 2 km 60-minute return walk.
The track winds its way through a forest that is home to five of the six endemic palms on Mahé Island. The photo essay features three endemics: Latanier Millepattes, Thief Palm, and the vulnerable Millionaires Salad Palm. The trail fades away on the granite slopes (glacis). There are vistas from the slopes of granite cliffs and the east coast.
At the start, there are some invasive wild pineapple plants with more on the granite slopes (glacis). Other plants on the trail and granite slopes include beard native lichen and the cocoplum, an invasive species. I have included photos of these invasive species in the Flora, Fauna and Natural Scenes webpage.
On the return walk, I had fleeting glimpses of the endemic Seychelles Bulbul. I managed to capture its image, albeit with the wrong camera settings. My second sighting of the bulbul was in Botanical Gardens.