Seychelles – La Digue Island
Arriving on the island of La Digue is just as spectacularly easy as the impressions we get during the next few days of our stay on the island.
We arrive by ship on the island of La Digue and are picked up by our host with an ox cart. Our luggage and we are unceremoniously transported onto the cart and off we go at a leisurely pace along the “main road” of the village to our new temporary home.
Cars are largely unknown on the island. During the crossing, we have the impression that we have sat in a time machine that has transported us back in time by exactly 300 years. Time seems to have stood still here. Not only are the means of transport a few centuries old, but also the whole of life seems to follow a different rhythm here. In our eyes, it takes an eternity to complete the formalities and the welcome ceremony. Is this the little paradise we were hoping for?
The following day we try to organize an island exploration. Since there are no cars on the island, you should at least be able to find a mountain bike………… After long negotiations, our host gets us a mountain bike in the original version. The bike has only one gear. Nevertheless, Jürgen embarks on a lonely tour to explore the island. We arrange that he will get back to you within 8 hours. Otherwise, we want to activate an emergency plan. With this equipment, it is already a small adventure to explore the island. But the condition is good and Jürgen has trained enough at home…….so he should have his adventure. ….And Brigitte was right, it was an adventure.
Despite the small differences in altitude on the island, the tour was very strenuous but on the other hand also a real experience. The path leads through wildly overgrown primeval landscapes with dense forests, which no one seems to have penetrated before. Everything is completely untouched and the loneliness is a little oppressive. Only a few birds screech their horror at the intruder into the silence. A narrow path finally leads to an enchanted beach that seems to be from another world. The scene seems like something out of a dream. The granite rocks with the huge palm trees form an unreal backdrop. Not a soul is to be seen far and wide. The shadows are already getting a little longer. The transition to darkness takes place extremely quickly in the tropics. It’s time to make your way back. The trip has already lasted 7 hours and I could go on for at least as long. I can’t get enough of this landscape, which seems to be addictive. I could stay here forever. The pain in the legs from the unaccustomed movement in the translation of the “entrance bicycle” is slowly becoming noticeable. However, the road back is still long. The same way back inland would take several hours.
The alternative is the direct path along the beach, but I don’t know it. I dare this alternative. The path proves to be much more difficult, as it is practically impossible to drive directly in the deep sand. Often this means…….”pushing until the arms glow” …….the compensation for these exertions is the fantastic evening natural scenery with an incomparable sunset. So I just make it back to our accommodation at nightfall. Completely exhausted but happy about this incredible experience, I even forget dinner and sink into a dreamless sleep.
Note: Most of the remote beaches are hardly visited by visitors, as they are too difficult to reach. This also applies to the domestic market. For all visitors to the island who are in good shape, we can recommend a day trip by bike across the island of La Digue.
