Vallée de Mai (sito naturale): un “giardino dell’Eden” di palme antichissime
Su un’isola delle Seychelles sopravvive una foresta primordiale di palme che sembra uscita dalla preistoria. Vi cresce il leggendario coco de mer, la palma che produce il seme più grande del mondo regno vegetale, dalla curiosa forma a doppio lobo. Si credette a lungo che questa “valle di maggio” fosse il biblico Giardino dell’Eden.
At a glance
The Vallée de Mai, on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles, preserves a near-primeval palm forest, a remnant of the ancient vegetation that once covered the granite islands. At its heart grows the legendary coco de mer (Lodoicea), a palm endemic to the Seychelles that produces the largest and heaviest seed in the plant kingdom, famous for its curious double-lobed shape. So extraordinary and beautiful is the forest that the 19th-century general Charles Gordon believed it to be the biblical Garden of Eden. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 1983.
Key facts
- UNESCO: World Heritage since 1983 (Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve)
- Coco de mer: the palm with the largest seed in the plant kingdom
- Endemic palms: six palm species found only in the Seychelles
- Primeval forest: a relic of the islands’ ancient vegetation
- “Garden of Eden”: once thought to be the biblical paradise
- Seychelles black parrot: the rare bird that lives here
History
The granite islands of the Seychelles are fragments of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, and on Praslin the Vallée de Mai kept a forest of endemic palms little changed for millions of years. Above all it is the home of the coco de mer, whose giant double seeds, washed up on distant shores before the palm’s origin was known, gave rise to legends and were prized as treasures across the Indian Ocean.
The remoteness of the valley protected it from clearance, and in the 19th century its strange, magnificent forest inspired the belief that it was the original Garden of Eden. Protected as a nature reserve and inscribed by UNESCO in 1983, it is now carefully managed, its coco de mer palms guarded against poaching of their valuable nuts.
What you see
Walking trails wind through the cool, shaded forest beneath the towering coco de mer palms, with their enormous fan leaves and the great nuts — female palms bearing the famous double seeds, males the long catkins. Other endemic palms, screwpines and the rare Seychelles black parrot inhabit the valley, and the sound of the wind in the giant leaves fills the air.
The cathedral-like forest of giant palms, bearing the world’s largest seed, is the wonder of the Vallée de Mai.
Practical information
- Reserve: walking trails through the palm forest; an entrance fee applies
- Best time: year-round; the Seychelles are warm throughout
- Time needed: 1–2 hours
- Setting: on the island of Praslin
Getting there
The Vallée de Mai is on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles, reached by air or ferry from the main island of Mahé, and then by road within Praslin. GPS: 4.33° S, 55.74° E.
Nearby
- Anse Lazio — a famous beach on Praslin
- Curieuse Island — a nearby island with giant tortoises
- Mahé — the main Seychelles island, to the south-west
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve” (ref. 261)
- Seychelles Islands Foundation — official body
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Lodoicea; Praslin
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