The Seychelles

Consistently ranked among the world's top beaches, Anse Source d'Argent is defined by enormous pink and orange granite boulders rising from shallow, crystal-clear turquoise water against a backdrop of coconut palms. The tidal rocks create a series of natural pools that are ideal for swimming and snorkelling among turtles and tropical fish.

A primeval palm forest on the island of Praslin, Vallée de Mai is home to the coco de mer — a palm that produces the largest seed in the plant kingdom, weighing up to 25 kilograms. The forest is largely unchanged from when it was discovered by Europeans in 1742, and its dense canopy shelters the endemic black parrot found only on Praslin.

The world's second-largest coral atoll and one of the most pristine marine ecosystems on earth, Aldabra is home to the world's largest population of Aldabra giant tortoises — over 100,000 individuals — and remains one of the most significant nesting sites for green turtles in the Indian Ocean. Access is strictly limited by the Seychelles Islands Foundation.

The largest of the Seychelles islands and home to the capital Victoria, Mahé's mountainous interior is covered with dense tropical forest while its 68 beaches include some of the most beautiful in the archipelago. The Morne Seychellois National Park, covering over a third of the island, protects rare endemic species and ancient glacis granite formations.

The third-largest island in the Seychelles and arguably the wildest, Silhouette is a national marine park with no roads — only footpaths — and a single luxury resort that works directly with conservation scientists on turtle and shark research. The island's interior forests hold the most significant endemic plant collection in the Seychelles, and the surrounding marine park offers exceptional diving.

A flat coral island at the northern edge of the Seychelles, Bird Island is the nesting ground of 1.5 million sooty terns between May and October and one of the greatest seabird spectacles in the Indian Ocean. Aldabra giant tortoises roam the beach, and the house reef offers excellent snorkelling in completely undisturbed water.