Vallée de Mai

The Vallée de Mai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the middle of Praslin and one of only two places on earth where the coco de mer palm grows wild, a species whose seed is the largest in the plant kingdom and whose suggestive shape convinced early visitors the valley was the original Garden of Eden. Six endemic palms fill the forest, and the canopy closes so completely that the floor stays dim at midday. The Seychelles black parrot nests here and is heard far more often than it is seen. The whole valley is walked in about two hours on marked paths.