Home of The Seychelles Giant Tortoise
Silhouette is an untouched, pyramid-shaped island packed with natural treasures. With a steep mountainous centre cloaked in jungle and sloping down into superb sandy bays, it’s a wild, untamed utopia for nature lovers. Once popular with pirates, there’s a feeling of forbidden adventure about Silhouette that will tempt you in and steal your heart. It’s a seductive, sultry island with secret coves and hidden delights.
Silhouette is unsurpassed when it comes to hiking and walking in the Seychelles. Its steep peaks are frosted with mist forests and its highest point, Mont Dauban, offers tropical panoramas from 731 metres above the shimmery sea. While it may be the third largest island in the Seychelles, it has a population of just 136 friendly locals, so there are plenty of quiet coves and jungle-clad crannies to explore.
A staggering 93% of Silhouette Island is designated as National Park and its shores are surrounded by a Marine National Park. This preserves its unruly, remote charm. There really is nothing manicured about Silhouette. The crescent coves found at the edges of the island are natural and unkempt, with granite boulders tumbling out onto beaches and palm trees pushing through the silky sand.
When it comes to biodiversity, Silhouette steals the show. The forest is home to many unique species of plants and trees including the insect-eating pitcher planet, the incense tree, the rare hardwood and a huge mass of tumbling jungle vines. In total, around 2,000 types of flora and fauna have been found here. In terms of wildlife, Silhouette is the natural habitat for the Critically Endangered Seychelles sheath-tailed bat, as well as the Seychelles giant tortoise, the Seychelles blue pigeon and the Seychelles kestrel.
Getting to Silhouette is surprisingly easy because the island sits only 20 km from Mahé. By air the journey is just a scenic 15 minutes while a sea crossing takes less than an hour. If you’re a nature lover in search of a secluded, sensational hideaway, Silhouette is a great choice. It’s a place to lie back on soft sands in the sunshine after a morning trek and let all of your worries melt away.