Vallée de Mai Travel Guide: Top Sights in Seychelles, Tours & Travel

⁰

Vallée de Mai- Travel Tips What to See, How to Plan & Tours: Natural Scenery; Seychelles; 5 Reviews

+3 Photos

Suggested Duration: 4 hours

Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, set within Praslin Island, Seychelles, stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, encapsulating a pristine palm forest dominated by the iconic coco de mer, bearing the world's largest seeds. This unique ecosystem hosts a variety of endemic species, including the elusive Seychelles black parrot, amidst a backdrop of granite peaks and rich biodiversity, tracing back to the era of Gondwana. The myth, posited by General Charles Gordon, that this reserve was the biblical Garden of Eden, adds a layer of mystique, further enhancing its global significance and appeal.

Operators offering tours in Seychelles

Attractions in Seychelles

Victoria

Aldabra

Anse Georgette

Anse Cocos

Anse Intendance

Anse Marron

Anse Soleil

Anse Lazio

Reviews of Vallee de Mai

Драгомир Донков

4
Reviewed: 2024-07-23

The place is nice to visit, but overall there is not so much to see apart from the famous Coco De mer. And I find it rather costly for what it offers, naturally they just utilise the tourism potential of the place. We got a guided tour, which I liked, but honestly 50 Eur seemed rather expensive for a 1 hour tour with some trivia that was not entirely correct (I checked some facts told from the guide afterwards and were false).
MK

5
Reviewed: 2024-07-11

Good natural park, there are 3 tracks you can take (1h, 2h and 3h) to view the incredible coco de mer trees. A souvenir shop, cefeteria and toilets are at the entry, as well as a good size parking.
Stevo T

5
Reviewed: 2024-05-25

If you are on Praslin I guess this is the one attraction you have to see and (for me) totally worth it. Entrance fees are also a donation for the preservation of this coconut juwel. We also were accompanied by very friendly Yvette who gave us all the information we needed to fully enjoy this site. and the world famous (interestingly shaped 😉) coco de mer. So for us was abolutely worth to take this guided private tour (1000 SCR). Besides that try to spot the black parrots (also unique to Praslin) and some giant geckos (brown) on the palm trees (may be even on the male palm and the interestingly shaped pollen stand 🤭).
Gary Caley

5
Reviewed: 2024-05-24

We had a wonderful time visiting Vallèe de Mai and were very fortunate to be paired with Dora as our guide. If you have the chance to be guided by her, you should take it! She was the perfect blend of information and fun and could spot a gecko on a coco de mer palm from insane distances! Having the chance to walk around amongst the 7 million year old forest, there is so much we would have missed without a guide. Highly recommended and thanks again, Dora! 😊
Maché De Jonge

4
Reviewed: 2024-04-09

Really worth a visit. It is really special walking underneath these giants and meeting the local snails, frogs and birds. This is a good activity for a rainy day, as the canopy is so dense, we stayed drie underneath. The paths are well maintained and easy to follow. The gift shop is nice and the toliets are clean. They have a nice little café, but check what they can prepare for you before you order, as they did have a few things that were out of stock on the day that we were there. I would also recommend going early - it gets really busy with large tour groups later in the morning / around lunch time.