Imagine paradise - imagine the Seychelles. A thousand miles from anywhere, set like emeralds in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, these idyllic islands are often described as the original Garden of Eden. Part of their charm is that no two are the same. From pristine coral reefs, sculptured granite boulders and untouched forests to private resorts, bird sanctuaries and exotic hideaways, the archipelago offers a rich diversity of natural beauty and enticing facilities.

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Mahé
Although Mahé houses the international airport, the island has much to offer, so don't be tempted to treat it as simply a transit point. Only 27km long by 8km wide, it is dominated by a central mountain range. The highest peak, Morne Seychellois, reaches 1000m and provides a perfect backdrop to the capital, Victoria.

The town is small and doesn't take long to walk around. The Clock Tower, built in 1903 both as a memorial to Queen Victoria and to commemorate the establishment of the Seychelles as a Crown Colony, is the town's focal point - everyone uses it as a reference point when giving directions. One of the most atmospheric places in Victoria is the market - a hive of activity, noise and colour, open every day except Sunday. Stalls are piled with freshly caught barracuda, parrotfish and other seafood, but if you can't cope with the pungent smell and those doleful fish eyes there are also plenty of exotic fruits, seasonal vegetables and aromatic spices on sale.

On Sunday it's well worth visiting the Anglican Cathedral of St Paul or the French colonial-style Roman Catholic Cathedral where locals will be congregating in their Sunday best. The Botanical Gardens, with cool, bubbling streams and shady banyan trees are also inviting - particularly if you are seeking respite from the heat.

A short drive from Victoria is the Craft Village, great for retail therapy and watching artists at work. In the middle is an old plantation house where you can sit in a wicker chair on the polished verandah, close your eyes and imagine yourself back in colonial days sipping mint tea in a muslin frock and elegant straw hat.

Hiring a mini-moke is the best way to see Mahé (see A Day on Mahé), although there are some good organised coach trips into the interior which visit the Mission Lodge, with its impressive lookout platform built specially for the Queen's visit in 1972. Nearby is the Seychelles Tea Factory and Tavern, where locally-grown tea is served. Mahé has 75 blissful beaches, bordered by swaying palms and clear blue waters.

Don't miss a trip in a glass-bottomed boat from Victoria Harbour to Moyenne Island, owned by Yorkshireman and self-styled Robinson Crusoe, Brendan Grimshaw. You'll get more than your feet wet as you wade ashore, pirate-style, to a welcoming glass of punch. Brendan greets guests with an entertaining history, including spine-chilling tales of ghosts, pirates and buried treasure. The thirty-minute walk around the island takes in pirates' graves, remains of settlers' homes and a small thatched chapel. With an excellent Creole buffet for lunch, a thatched bar and a secluded piece of beach, it's truly a relaxing castaway day.

Praslin
Just fifteen minutes by air or a two-hour sail from Mahé is Praslin. The second-largest island in the archipelago, Praslin was once the haunt of Arab traders and a pirates hideaway. Today, it is a blueprint for paradise - a perfect tropical island, with one of the world's best beaches, Anse Lazio. A century ago, General Gordon of Khartoum visited the island and was convinced that Praslin was the location of the original Garden of Eden.

Much of the interior is still virtually virgin forest. The exquisitely beautiful Vallée de Mai, a World Heritage Site, is home to vanilla orchids, several species of lizard and a handful of the world's rarest birds, including the black parrot and Seychelles bulbul. Its crowning glory, however, is the indigenous coco de mer. Locals have many tales about the origin and powers of this extraordnary palm. It gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac because of the phallic shape of the male stalk and the suggestive female fruit. A guided walk through the Vallé De Mai is a tranquil, unforgettable experience - the nearest you'll get to walking through the film set of Jurassic Park. Some of the trees are over 40m tall and 2000 years old, and you can easily imagine a dinosaur lurking among the fronds.

La Digue
Half an hour by boat from Praslin or by helicopter from Mahé is La Digue, the most photographed island in the Seychelles. Half the size of Praslin, it offers a way of life unchanged for years. Forget cars: ox carts are the order of the day. For the more energetic, a bicycle is the ideal way to explore the island.

La Digue's wide deserted beaches are perfect for long, dreamy walks, safe swimming, snorkelling and fishing. Anse Source d'Argent is idyllic. This strip of powder-white sand, scattered with round pink boulders and coconut palms, can be reached via the copra factory at the Union Plantation Reserve. The beach is lapped by warm shallow water protected by a coral reef a short distance offshore.

A Day on Mahé
Mahé has a modest road system - a coastal circuit and a few cross-country routes. That's why a mini moke is so perfect for exploring the island. Leaving Victoria early in the morning, I headed inland, following an exhilarating series of switchbacks up to the 500m Sans Souci pass deep within the Morne Seychellois National Park. Nearby were the Capucin Mission Ruins where a school was built for freed slave children during Britain's anti-slavery campaign in the 19th century. Sandragon trees framed dramatic views across the island. White-tailed tropic birds swirled like paper darts against the viridian forest. Beyond lay a turquoise wreath of coral lagoons and the rich cobalt swathe of the Indian Ocean. It was altogether an irresistible view.

Hopping into the moke I headed down to the coastal road in search of ‘beach perfection'. My slither of sandy paradise had to be small with piles of Seychelles granite at either end, plus a good scattering of coconut palms leaning at appropriate angles. I wanted turquoise water, some good wave action and somewhere shady to park the moke. And, of course, I wanted it all to myself.

Unfortunately, Anse Royale didn't quite meet my criteria - it was a public holiday and there were at least a dozen locals there before me. Continuing south, I followed a promising track to Anse Intendance - utterly deserted, but for good reason: dangerous surf. Neighbouring Takamaka was equally lively and Anse à la Mouche, while a lot calmer, just didn't seem secluded enough. It was worth persevering, though. Somewhere in the northwest I found the most idyllic cove.

Heading back to Victoria, I stopped by the market. A stately old mango tree cast shade over dozens of stalls selling everything from batiks to bananas. A van drew up outside with a fresh catch of red snapper and there was a frantic bout of haggling before a trio of patient cattle egrets moved in for the scraps.

Like beaches, good food is worth tracking down. On Mahé there are several excellent restaurants specialising in Creole dishes. At Vye Marmit I tried red snapper smeared with a paste of tomato, herbs and spices and baked inside a banana leaf. Fish was also on the menu at Chez Baptista, a barefoot beach restaurant in the south. The grilled jobfish, or zob, was delicious, but the real revelation was the tender octopus salad.

FACTFILE

Checklist
Language: Everybody speaks Creole, but English and French are also widespread.
Time: GMT+4
Int Dialling Code: +248
Money: Official currency is the Seychelles rupee, divided into 100 cents. The current exchange rate is 9.8 rupees to the UK £. Hotel bills and departure tax must be paid in foreign currency only, but credit cards and traveller's cheques are widely accepted.
Visas: A free entry visa is issued automatically on arrival.
When to go The islands enjoy a pleasant tropical climate year-round. Situated outside the cyclone belt, they experience little seasonal variation. From October to March the sea is generally calm with warm tropical weather - this is the best time for fishing, diving and watersports. From May to September, the weather is drier and cooler, with choppy seas, particularly on south-eastern coasts. This is the best time for walking and mountain hiking holidays, as conditions are drier and less humid.
Getting there Air Seychelles, www.airseychelles.co.uk, and British Airways, www.ba.com, have direct flights to Mahé from London. Air France, www.airfrance.com, flies from Dublin to Mahé via Paris. Fares from Europe start from around £500. There are also flights from Johannesburg and Nairobi.
Getting around For domestic flights, contact Air Seychelles. For car hire and other local transport, visit Mason's Travel, www.masonstravel.com.
Where to stay See Travel Connections on p112 for an advertisers index of companies offering a variety of travel services, including accommodation and tailored holidays in the Seychelles. Accommodation ranges from luxury hotels to guest houses.
Health No inoculations are required unless the visitor has been in a country in the yellow fever belt during the preceding six days.
Find out more Seychelles Tourism, www.aspureasitgets.com.