Seychelles

The Seychelles are the only mid-ocean granite islands in the world. The 42 inner islands of the archipelago are made of pre-Cambrian granite, the geological remains of a piece of the supercontinent Gondwana that broke off about 75 million years ago and has been sitting in the western Indian Ocean ever since. The other 73 islands of the country are coral atolls and reefs, scattered south and west towards East Africa.

The yachting concentrates on the inner islands. Mahé is the largest and the working centre, with the international airport, the capital Victoria and the small marina at Eden Island. Praslin, half an hour by ferry, has the Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO-listed forest where the coco de mer palm grows wild and produces what is the largest seed in the plant kingdom (the suggestive shape of which became the basis for several centuries of European myths). La Digue, off Praslin, has the granite-boulder beach of Anse Source d'Argent, regularly named one of the most photographed beaches on Earth. The wilder outer islands, particularly Aldabra, the world's largest raised coral atoll and home to over 100,000 giant tortoises, are accessible only by long-range yacht and a special permit.

The season is split. April-May and October-November are the calmest months, between the two monsoon directions. December to March brings warmer water but more humidity, while May to October brings drier weather but slightly rougher seas on the south side of the islands. Most Seychelles charters pick up in Mahé. A week covers the inner islands; two weeks lets you reach the outer atolls.