Becoming British The Brits did little with the Seychelles Islands but send their freed slaves and their exiled prisoners here. Exiled Brits didn’t see the exile as much of a punishment, though, since they enjoyed living a tropical life, for the most part. In 1903, the Seychelles officially became a colony, which meant government went back to the Queen in England. Politics weren’t much of a discussion topic in the Seychelles, and they didn’t even form any political parties until 1964. At that time two parties were formed:Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP) and Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) . The Rise of Tourism Twelve years later, the two parties worked together and independence was granted from the British. The founder of the SDP, James Mancham, then worked hard travelling around the globe, establishing the Seychelles as a desirable vacation destination. He was something of a playboy, and his flamboyant ways got him, and the Seychelles, noticed. Soon, wealthy Arab investors were buying large tracts of land, and celebrities were coming to the Seychelles on vacation. Tourism dollars were flowing in. The problem was, the money coming in wasn’t getting evenly distributed, so some got wealthy, while others remained cash poor. The Seychelles had become a playground for the rich. Power Struggles The unequal distributin of tourism wealth caused discontent, and the leader of Seychelle’s SPUP, which was heavily socialist, staged a coup. Albert Rene was his name, and he was also a lawyer. He hired some Tanzanian and North Korean soldiers to back him up, although the coup was bloodless and quick. This was in 1977. He also outlawed Mancham’s SDP as well. Four years later, his rule was challenged by Colonol Mike Hoare, a warlord from the Congo. The plot was colorful: his men posed as South African Rugby players on vacation coming to the Seychelles. They packed their guns in their luggage and were promptly discovered at the airport. The plot was bungled so they hijacked a plane to fee home. Throughout the rest of the 1970s and the 1980s, Rene maintained power through many attempts to take him out of power. He survived mutinites and coup attempts and is still in power today. Standards of health and the economy have slowly improved, and Rene has slowly moved towards privatization and a free-market economy. Tourism waned in the 1980s while all the power struggles were taking place, but it has made a comeback and is now 18% of the economy. The Islands of the Seychelles Nature on the Islands There are over one hundred islands in the Seychelles, but only a few of them are inhabited by people. The main island is Mahe, which is where the capitol city of Victoria is located, as well as most tourist accommodations and services. On whatever island you find yourself booking a hotel, you will definitely want to explore some of the other islands that make up the Seychelles archipelago. Almost every island has some sort of endemic species living on it, most likely a bird. There are giant tortoises here, a well as other exotic animals such as the flying fox (really a fruit bat). The insects are something that will amaze you as well, including whip scorpions, giant millipedes, rhinoceros beetles, giant tenebrionid beetles, and palm spiders. But don’t get scared off from visiting the various islands: none are life threatening! There are also dozens of endemic plants in the Seychelles, although Virgin forests exist only on Mahe and Silhouette Island, and on Praslin. One rare and fantastic plant to watch for is the pitcher plant, which feeds on insects! National park on the Island & Main Attractions Curieuse Marine National Park            gaint torotises Aldabra Marine Reserve                      tidal lagoon Morne Seychellois National Park          glacis habitats Aride Island Marine Nature Reserve    marine turtle Praslin National Park                           coco de mer Cousin Island Secial Reserve                hawksbill turtles Ste Anne Marine National Park             coral reef Things to do in Seychelles The Seychelles Islands are for Nature Lovers The Seychelles is the perfect vacation destination for lots of activities, but travelers who are interested in nature and the environment will be especially excited with all that this nation has to offer. The variety and splendor of the wild birds alone is spectacular, and you could spend weeks here, just observing the wild birds who come to roost on the various islands in the Seychelles archipelago. The tropical fish are of course wonderful as well, and snorkelers and divers alike consider the Seychelle a top destination for both activities. They Seychelles were not “discovered” by humans until relatively recently, which means there were no ships bringing foreign seeds and species to the islands, and development was delayed. This means that many of the species on the islands of the Seychelles are endemic. That means they evolved here, according to the specific local conditions, and are found nowhere else on earth! Many of the species are rare, and some are even extinct these days. Fortunately, the Seychellois government places a high priority on preservation of natural resources. However, with tourism growing and producing much-needed revenue for the citizens of the Seychelles islands, the interests of resources and tourism are bound to clash. This does happen occassionally, for example in the marine world around the Seychelles Islands. Harvesting of coral for souvenirs is a problem that now plagues these islands. This is not a unique problem to the Seychelles, since many island tourist destinations have experienced the same troubles. Take Key West, Florida for example, where the coral beds were damaged for decades in the middle of the twentieth century by unscrupulous tourist shops selling a piece of the ocean to the growing influx of tourists. No matter how much government may try and protect the coral reef with rules, fines, [...]