It may be world-famous for its icing-sugar sands, lined in swaying palms – but there’s more to this Indian Ocean gem than castaway-style beach days. Whether it’s culture, culinary wow-factor or one-of-a-kind nature activities, there’s plenty else to see and do in the Seychelles; you just need to know where to look….

Meet giant tortoises

There’s one very big attraction away from the Seychelles’ iconic sandy shores: the giant Aldabra tortoise. Endemic, ancient and placid, these slow-moving land creatures are the largest – and probably the most arresting – of the islands’ many tropical species, which range from tiny Gardiner’s tree frogs to flying foxes and the striped Seychelles skink.

Embark on a bit of island-hopping here, and you’re near-guaranteed to have an encounter, whether on the grounds of exclusive resorts or amid botanical gardens. But for the very best sightings you need to visit tiny marine park island Curieuse, accessible from larger Praslin on a half-day boat trip with operators such as Curieuse Island Excursions.

Hundreds of the prehistoric-looking tortoises freely roam the island’s low-lying, grassy east side, from awkward young plodders to wrinkly supercentenarians – the most elderly of the bunch is at least 130 years old.

Learn about the conservation programme here, then follow a gentle 2km boardwalk stroll through atmospheric mangroves to the island’s west side, where a recently restored Creole-style doctor’s home dates to 1873, when the island was used as a leper colony.

Hike up rainforested slopes

Everyone (rightly) talks about the Seychelles’ sublime beaches, but what about its gorgeous jungled interiors? Dramatic granite peaks, carpeted in a kaleidoscope of green, are every bit as captivating as the soft sands and make great focus for walkers.

Even on the busiest island, Mahé, there are plenty of places to trek; for example, the Morne Seychellois National Park in the island’s northwest, where the popular 2km Copolia path affords views of capital Victoria and the teal Indian Ocean.

Many trails are beginner-friendly, but there are plenty of challenges for experienced hikers, too. Tackle the remote 5km Anse Marron on charming La Digue, scrambling over sea-drenched boulders en route to a natural tidal pool (you’ll need a local guide).

Or take a boat transfer to Silhouette, an island which is 93% national park, for a challenging hike that requires scaling rocks and hopping over tree trunks, overtaking slinking millipedes and spice plants, to a dense island pinnacle. If you’ve got the steam, you can push onwards to descend to a remote beach overlooking neighbouring ultra-luxe private island resort, North Island, where Kate and Wills honeymooned. Just remember you’ll have to get yourself back again: when we say it’s remote, we mean remote.

Sip island-made rum

Rum and tropical islands go together like peanut butter and jam, right? But until about 20 years ago, the Seychelles was something of a quality rum desert – that’s when brothers Richard and Bernard d’Offay launched Takamaka on a plot of family land in the south of Mahé.

Working with Seychelles-grown sugar cane and Indian Ocean-sourced molasses, the team – which is based out of a historic plantation-style house and distillery at La Plaine St Andre – is crafting next-level iterations of the spirit.

You’ll find their rums on offer at resorts and bars all around the islands, but it is worth going to the source, where a guided tour can be followed up with laid-back tastings of the entire range, in the shade of the veranda or next to a breeze-rustled patch of sugar cane that grows on site.

Line your stomach with Creole-inflected bites from the onsite food van, and switch onto cocktails as afternoon slips towards evening. On Fridays they stay open until 10pm, a DJ spins tunes, and the party vibe really ramps up. takamakarum.com/our-home

See the world’s largest seed

Even in a vast palm forest, the endangered coco de mer tree is a stand-out: ultra-smooth, soaring to the heavens – as high as 30m – and laden with its iconic double-coconut. The world’s largest and heaviest seed, weighing up to 30kg, has long been the subject of illegal poaching and as a result the adult plants are fleetingly rare, even here in their Seychelles home, with plants only growing naturally on two islands.

The best place to see them is on Praslin at the remarkable Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, a 48-acre UNESCO-listed prehistoric landscape where more than a thousand coco de mer thrive alongside rare black parrots and palms straight out of Jurassic Park. You can wander alone, but the guided tour is invaluable, as well-versed guides will point out fascinating flora and fauna that you’ll invariably otherwise miss. Tickets start from £23.

Dine in a spice garden

You won’t know quite what’s on the menu at Le Jardin de Roi until you arrive – at this lush 19th-century botanical garden squirrelled up high on slopes overlooking the coast, lunch every day features whatever’s been freshly harvested from the surrounding hill farm.

But whatever you eat on the shaded veranda, coddled in trees, you can expect the delicious spice-rippled flavours of Creole tradition; the likes of garlicky prawns, coconut milk-drenched tuna steak, fragrant chicken masala curry.

A first-rate lunch is one big reason to come to the inland gardens, accessed up a steep road, but the other is to explore the grounds. After your lunch, drift into the historic home next door, still owned by the Green family who built it well over a century ago, and discover how fragrant plants were distilled into oils for export.

Once you’ve had your fill of the wicker chairs and framed photographs, head out to the vast grounds, where giant tortoises rest beneath fuchsia-hued bottlebrush trees and snaking paths are lined in trees and shrubs heavy with nutmeg, allspice, pepper, clove and patchouli.

Spot the replica ‘Little Ben’

Tucked into a natural waterside bend in the landscape in northeastern Mahé, tiny Victoria feels more like a small town than the national capital that it is.

Exploring its compact grid of streets is a lovely way to spend a lazy morning, perusing ripe tropical fruit at the local market (temporarily relocated while the historic building is renovated), popping into shops selling jewellery made from foraged seashells and exploring relics in the National Museum of History (£8).

If you’ve ever been to London, you may find one sight strangely familiar: the Victoria Clock Tower, a silvery beacon in a main intersection, erected during British colonial rule. It’s a copy of the ‘Little Ben’ clock tower that stands outside London’s Victoria Station – itself designed to mimic Parliament’s iconic Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben.

Cycle through vanilla plantations

Just 4 miles by 2 miles, little La Digue is the smallest of the main inhabited islands of the Seychelles, and oozes a kind of relaxed, intimate charm. The slower pace is partly down to the preferred mode of transport, the bike, and you can hire from a glut of rental shops at the port by the hour or day.

On two wheels it takes no time at all to whizz south to L’Union Estate, a former coconut plantation and factory. Most people head straight through to the polished boulders of Anse Source d’Argent, one of the most famous beaches in the country, but take time to explore the farm grounds.

As well as giant tortoises and the remnants of a copra factory, you can explore lush rows of vanilla vines, a vestige from when the country’s crop was booming at the turn of the 20th century.

Shop at a craft village

Easy access to rich local culture is one of the big draws of a trip to the Seychelles; African, European and Indian influences mingle in unique ways in every island corner. At Domaine de Val des Prés on the main island of Mahé, historical sights meet current craft tradition, in a vibrant artist’s market circling an 1870-built plantation house.

Start in the timewarp rooms of Gran Kaz, home of the former plantation owner and filled with polished wood furniture, piano and oil paintings, a pseudo-import of a European stately home. It’s an unsettling experience imagining the French and English colonial periods here, when Africans were enslaved en masse to work local coconut farms, and with dining tables set and hats resting on furniture, you might imagine the owners have just popped out.

Afterwards, check out where Seychelles culture is at now, perusing the dozen craft kiosks where local artisans make everything from intricately woven fruit bowls to beautifully precise model boats. For one-of-a-kind handmade souvenirs with a real sense of place and story, there’s nowhere better on the island to shop.

Snorkel with rays

More of a castaway rock than an island, little St Pierre is a hotspot for snorkellers, who come to drift through the surrounding marine park populated with shoals of colourful fish. Ultra-clear, clean waters and underwater granite boulders work together to create a particular aquatic landscape that lets everything from sea turtles to eagle rays thrive.

You can’t land on the islet itself, so you’ll need a dayboat to take you out; often companies package in a visit to nearby Curieuse for a two-for-one wildlife deal. However, if you’re a particularly enthusiastic snorkeller who wants more than an hour or so here, do arrange a private charter.

Alternatively, if you prefer to take the underwater explorations fully at your own pace, try snorkelling off Anse Lazio on Praslin. At the calmer beach ends you might spot rays and baby reef sharks, and the beach itself – one of the country’s most famous – is objectively stunning.

Afterwards, you can spread out a towel and enjoy the warm sands, limpid blue waters and passing clouds. Because yes, there is a lot to see in the Seychelles beyond the beaches. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the sand too.

Conclusion

The Seychelles may be celebrated for its beaches, but its wildlife, rainforest trails, Creole flavours, historic sites and local crafts reveal a far richer destination. Spend time exploring beyond the shoreline and you will discover islands with plenty of stories to tell, although there is still nothing wrong with ending the day back on the sand.

Photos for “Seychelles beyond the beaches: 9 things to do”: Dreamstime