Discover boutique hotels in Praslin, Seychelles

Once mistaken for the Garden of Eden, Praslin is East Africa’s slice of tropical paradise, a place where indigenous species have been undisturbed for millennia. So ancient-looking and otherworldly is the landscape that when decorated British general Charles Gordon entered the Valée de Mai in the 1880s, he looked at the thick forest and bright-liveried birds and was convinced he had read about the place before – in the Book of Genesis. What’s more, this lush island isn’t only favoured by humans: hawksbill turtles have taken such a liking to the white-sand beaches that they've become a turtle hotspot, with thousands of babies hatching on the sands each year. Other famous residents include giant aldabra tortoises and native flora like the curvaceous coco de mer, the sight of which may have had more than a little to do with General Gordon’s revelation…