Seychelles

The world's largest raised coral atoll, so remote it feels like a different planet — home to the biggest population of giant tortoises on earth and one of the most important seabird nesting sites in the Indian Ocean.

A sweeping south-coast beach on Mahé famous for its powerful surf breaks, dramatic scenery and the raw beauty of its undeveloped shoreline — one of the most spectacular beaches in the Indian Ocean.

A horseshoe bay on La Digue fringed by enormous rounded granite boulders and shallow turquoise water — one of the most photographed beach scenes in the Indian Ocean.

The highest peak in the Seychelles at 905 metres, covered in pristine highland forest and forming the core of the Morne Seychelles National Park above the capital Victoria.

The Indian Ocean's first marine national park, established in 1968, encompassing a group of islands and coral reefs off Mahé's east coast where snorkellers drift over vibrant reefs alongside turtles and rays.

A lowland palm forest on Praslin Island where the double coconut — the world's largest seed — grows wild, and the rare black parrot flits through primordial vegetation.