Val De Mai

Non golfers headed to the Val de Mai. A guided walk through the steamy jungle, with a vast variety of palms, and some Coco de Mer very much enjoyed by all.
A short mini bus journey from the ship gave us the opportunity to see the beautiful green inland part of Praslin on our way to visit the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve. A guide provided us insight during the 1-2 hour walking tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, sharing facts and pointing out many interesting plants as well as wildlife and insects in this natural palm forest.
Other than the new paths which made the reserve easy to explore, the Vallée de Mai remains largely unchanged from prehistoric times and is home to a selection of endemic fauna and palms including the coco-de-mer, the largest seed in the plant kingdom with notable characteristics (It closely resembles the shape of a human bottom). We spotted the endemic black parrot as well as a small hedgehog like animal called a Tenrec, which is actually more closely related to Elephants than hedgehogs.Read more