Praslin Seychelles: Home of the Coco de mer
Deep woods, birdcalls, pirate legends and the world's largest seed
“Look,” says my travel companion, Bijoy, as I gaze out of the ferry’s large window. Foam is splashing all over the glass. He is pointing to the flying fish leaping off the surface of the water. Before I know it, an entire school of fish is leaping out, their white fins spread out like wings. They take flight and flap back into the sea.
I am sailing across the Indian Ocean while island-hopping in the Seychelles. I am headed from Mahé, the largest island, to Praslin, one of the 115 islands in the archipelago. An hour later, my boat docks at the jetty in Praslin, the water’s many shades of blue changing by the minute.
As I alight, the emerald hues of the palm trees grab my attention. Without wasting time, we set out on a nature trail through a cinnamon plantation to explore the island. A dense canopy surrounds us—breadfruit, mango, cinnamon and jackfruit trees jostle for space among the palms.
I see the giant tortoise that can weigh up to 300kg, the large brown snail lying on the grass near my feet, the blue pigeon that flutters by, and hear the loud Seychelles bulbul cackling in the woods. I watch my step as I try to sidestep the thick vines that meander along the ground, but I still stumble on a little hollow.
It is not the legend of the pirate or his treasure that brings me here—but the story behind the world’s largest seed, produced by the coco de mer, a palm tree that is endemic to Praslin.
“It means a sea coconut” explains our guide Junia, a smiling, soft-spoken young Seychellois woman passionate about flora and fauna. We are at the Vallée de Mai, a verdant forest reserve and one of the smallest Unesco World Heritage Sites, to see the tree and the seed in its native habitat.
I am about to see one of the giants of the plant kingdom. As a birder and traveller, I’ve always been intrigued by peculiar and exotic varieties of flora and fauna—and I had been fascinated ever since I’d read of the coco de mer, a dioecious plant with the “male” and “female” reproductive structures on separate trees. Yet I still had no idea what the world’s largest seed would look like.
I would have to wait some more time.
“You will get to see a piece of paradise,” says Junia. She leads us through the wooded trail. Before I know it, the well-trimmed, flat path turns into a dense forest. Trees converge over and around me, shutting out the sun. Palm fronds reach out to me from treetops. It is dark, silent, hot and humid.
Junia tells us that these virgin tracts of palm forests had remained untouched by human presence until the 1930s.
The palm fronds unfold. At over 30ft in length and 15ft wide, the coco de mer trees are long and wide enough to wrap me. The trees themselves are over 100ft high.
The phallic shape is unmistakeable. I subdue a chuckle as Junia continues talking about it with a straight face—clearly, chuckles and awkward glances are not new to her.
The catkin is about 3ft in length. The flowers are waiting to be pollinated by the wind, and with the help of a number of creatures from the animal kingdom—flies, birds, bees, even geckos. The female tree, with the fruit and seed inside it, is nearby.
Junia tells us the story of the island. Walking through this primeval patch of land in the 19th century, the British general Charles George Gordon was convinced that this must be the biblical Garden of Eden and the coco de mer, rather than the apple, would have been the forbidden fruit. It is probably the shape of the seed, which resembles a woman’s pelvis, that gave Gordon the idea. He wrote: “Externally the coco de mer represents the belly and thighs, the true seat of carnal desires.”
In a way, everything about this tree, which seemed to be prehistoric, is exotic and erotic.
Among the 4,000 trees around us are six species of palms, including the coco de mer, that are endemic only to the Seychelles. I am fascinated by their names. There is the millionaire’s salad, the thief palm, Seychelles stilt palm, latanier millepatts and latanier palms.
We are at the end of the trail. As we finish our walk with the customary photograph, we see the coco de mer seed, displayed on a table along with the catkin, nearby. I pick them up.
As I try to clutch the 15kg seed in one arm and brandish the catkin in the other, I stagger—I had forgotten how heavy they are.
Getting there
There are one-stop flights from Indian metros to Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles. You can get a ticket for around ₹ 45,000 if you book in advance. Praslin can be reached by ferry from Mahé. A return ticket on a Cat Cocos ferry will cost you ₹ 7,600.
Places to stay
There are many options. For a bit of luxury, try Raffles, where a villa with a private pool and breakfast could cost close to ₹ 60,000 a night (www.raffles.com/praslin/). Or you could stay at Iles des Palmes (€175, or around ₹ 12,000; www.ilesdespalmes.com/), a cinnamon plantation overlooking the beach, with giant tortoises for company.
Places to eat
This is a place for seafood enthusiasts. If you enjoy fish, then you should experiment with the spicy Creole style of preparation. One of the recommended places to eat is the restaurant at the Lauriers Hotel and Restaurant. Another option would be to lunch at the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles: Anse Lazio. The restaurant famous for its seafood is Bonbon Plume.
Things to do
Go on a nature walk and look out for endemic species. You can also get your snorkelling gear and head out to sea, or attempt some deep-sea diving.
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First Published:28 Mar 2015, 01:13 AM IST
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