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Originally Posted On: https://www.turtlefiji.com/fiji-vs-seychelles/

FIJI VS SEYCHELLES:

The attraction of both Fiji and Seychelles lies in their splendid isolation. Here are two archipelagos that are scattered across the ocean with no neighbours in sight for literally miles.

Let’s take a look at Fiji first. This island country is made up of more than 300 islands and 540 islets in the South Pacific Ocean, 3,100 miles from Hawaii and 1,612 miles from New Zealand.

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands scattered over the Indian Ocean, 500 miles from Madagascar and 900 miles from Africa’s mainland.

 

As well as their remoteness, Fiji and Seychelles both offer an abundance of natural beauty which sets them apart from other destinations – we’re talking dazzlingly white-sand beaches, pristine coastlines and lush interiors, all of which make for the perfect dream vacation.

So how to choose between Fiji or Seychelles? Find out more in our guide to these two remote island destinations.

 

 

 

FIJI VS SEYCHELLES: NATURAL ATTRACTIONS

Thanks to the seclusion and isolation offered in Fiji and Seychelles, both island destinations are virtually untouched and rarely crowded. With strict rules on the overdevelopment of the tourism industry every effort is made to ensure the environment of a Fiji vs Seychelles vacation remains as natural as possible for all to enjoy.

SEYCHELLES

In the Seychelles the crystal-clear waters and white sand beaches are a given, but it’s the huge, granite boulders that set them apart from other island destinations.

Anse Lazio is probably the most famous beach on Praslin Island, thanks to its turquoise water, palm trees and imposing boulder formations. Praslin Island is also home to the UNESCO-listed Vallee de Mai nature reserve.

On the Seychelles’ biggest island of Mahe, travelers can climb the archipelago’s highest peak in Morne Seychellois National Park. While the third-biggest island, Silhouette, has mountains galore and its waters are protected by a Marine National Park.

Wildlife is also abundant in the Seychelles. Endangered black parrots and blue pigeons – also known as the Seychelles blue fruit dove – swoop around the jungle canopies on Praslin, while the remote Aldabra Atoll is home to more wild tortoises than people.

 

FIJI

In Fiji you’ll find a country blessed with natural beauty from rugged volcanic mountains and lush waterfalls to verdant rainforests. Surrounded by the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, Fiji also has plenty of natural attractions below the waves and is rightly known as the ‘soft coral capital of the world’.

Underwater explorers will be able to see dolphins, sea snakes, corals and colorful, exotic fish. Fiji is home to five species of sea turtles including the green, loggerhead, hawksbill, leatherback and Pacific Ridley and plenty of sharks, including black tip, white tip and grey reef, with hammerheads to be found in the open waters.

Fiji is home to more than 1,200 species of reef fish including lion fish, angel fish and butterfly fish, as well as moray eels, giant manta rays and octopus.

If you’re craving adventures on the water, there’s kayaking, sailing, stand-up-paddle-boarding and surfing. A popular surf location in Fiji is the Mamanuca Islands which are home to some of the best surf breaks in the world, including Cloudbreak, off Tavarua Island. Easy to reach from Fiji’s capital, Nadi, they’re a popular place to visit.

On Turtle Island, a 500-acre private island resort in Fiji’s Yasawa Islands, the breath-taking panoramas of the renowned Blue Lagoon – film location for Hollywood’s “The Blue Lagoon” – and neighboring Islands can be seen from your spacious Fijian villa.

The flora and fauna featured in the film included an array of animals from multiple continents. As it turned out, the iguanas filmed on Fiji were a species hitherto unknown to science. This was noted by the herpetologist John Gibbons when he watched the film, and after traveling to Turtle Island where the iguanas were filmed, he described the Fiji Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) in 1981.

 

FIJI VS SEYCHELLES HONEYMOON

When it comes to choosing your honeymoon destination, how do you choose between a Fiji or Seychelles vacation? Both are firm favourites for honeymoon couples, celebrities and even royalty with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex staying on a private island resort in Fiji after their wedding.

With privacy and seclusion high on the agenda at both island destinations it’s easy to see Fiji or Seychelles for couples will always be top choices.

On Fiji’s Turtle Island Resort there are 12 private beaches for guests to enjoy. And with only 14 couples welcome at a time that means each couple gets their own private beach for exclusive use every second day.

And what’s a private beach without a beach picnic, especially when it’s full to the brim with fresh lobster, Spanish mackerel and yellowfin tuna as well as gourmet salads from the island’s organic vegetable garden and tropical fruits grown on the island?

Washed down with a cocktail or glass of Champagne, the afternoon’s activities might include a snooze on a hammock, or sun lounger, followed by a spot of snorkeling.

Given the abundance of beaches in the Seychelles, honeymoon couples will undoubtedly enjoy days spent island hopping, diving and snorkeling and enjoying luxury yacht trips.

The coral reefs around the Seychelles are pristine and can be easily accessed from the beach or by boat depending on the island, with turtles and exotic fish. The best reefs are on Bird Island, Denis Island and La Digue.

 

FIJI VS SEYCHELLES: ECO-FRIENDLY VACATIONS

Fiji and Seychelles are both top of their game when it comes to their green credentials with many initiatives to support sustainable travel and environmental practices while still offering travelers a luxury experience.

At hotels and resorts across Fiji and Seychelles there’s a strong emphasis on sustainability and marine conservation. Many resorts have full time marine biologists and reef protection programmes, while timber used for construction comes from certified local forests, with buildings tailored to suit their tropical environment with natural, flow-through ventilation and roofs thatched from local reeds.

In the Seychelles the marine wildlife surrounding the islands suffered over the years due to world events, notably the 2004 tsunami, which broke a lot of dead coastal coral apart and allowed the debris to cover the surviving live coral.

As a result many of the islands’ resorts, along with help from local NGOs, teamed up to run extensive programmes to regenerate the corals and encourage the reef to recover.

There are conservation and rehabilitation projects on most island resorts such as the reintroduction of giant tortoises, changing coconut plantations back into Indigenous rainforests and marine protection programmes to encourage green and hawksbill turtles back to the waters.

Both island destinations will also adhere to strict sustainable practices when it comes to food, aiming to source much of the produce from organic gardens or from local suppliers, using traditional methods and ethically-sound practices.

At Turtle Island Fiji, most of the food is grown on the island or sourced locally. Couples can enjoy a private, guided tour of the island on an electric cart that includes a visit to the five-acre organic vegetable garden, chicken coop and pigs. The vegetable garden supplies 80% of the food that is enjoyed by the guests and staff, which also includes beehives which provide the delicious local honey.

Couples can also visit the island’s woodwork shop and joinery where most of the resort’s furniture is made by local artisans. Guests can learn about the island’s ‘farm of light’ where the extensive solar installation in 2013 made Turtle Island one of the first ever clean energy eco-tourism resorts in the world.

And once out onto the trails, guests will be able to spy tropical birds flitting in the canopy of trees and mud crabs scurrying into their burrows. Once denuded of its lush rainforest and vegetation, Turtle Island’s family and staff have planted more than half a million trees on the island. Couples are invited to plant a native tree together during their stay. The trees encourage biodiversity, re-establish indigenous forests, prevent soil erosion, create windbreaks and add to the natural beauty of this private island paradise.

 

THE BEST TIME TO VISIT: FIJI VS SEYCHELLES WEATHER

You can visit the Seychelles at any time of the year, although January and February can often bring rain. The best time to visit the Seychelles is between April and May or October and November – as these are the calmer times between the two trade winds which hit the islands each year.

In Fiji winter (the dry season) runs from May to November where temperatures range from 19°C – 29°C. Winter (the wet season) runs from December to April and sees temperatures sitting at a comfortable 22°C – 33°C.

 

EXPLORE TURTLE ISLAND FIJI

 

With its appeal of total isolation, barefoot luxury and sustainable tourism credentials, Turtle Island Resort makes for a real vacation escape. Shared with only 14 other couples, Turtle Island Resort is your own slice of paradise. With 500-acres of lush forests to explore and 12 private beaches, at Turtle Island Resort you really can escape the crowds.

Get in touch today to start planning your next getaway to Turtle Island.