La Digue and Anse Source d'Argent

La Digue, a tiny, laid-back island where ox-carts and bicycles outnumber cars, is home to Anse Source d'Argent, often called the most beautiful and most photographed beach in the world. Here soft, pale sand meets shallow, gin-clear turquoise water, all framed by immense, smoothly sculpted pink-granite boulders that glow in the sun, the signature image of the Seychelles. Reached through the old L'Union coconut estate, the beach and the island's gentle, timeless pace make it a dreamlike tropical idyll.

What you actually see

• Anse Source d'Argent - the iconic granite-framed turquoise beach.
• The granite boulders - the sculpted pink rocks glowing in the sun.
• The island pace - the ox-carts, bicycles and car-free lanes.
• L'Union Estate - the old coconut plantation and giant tortoises.

When to go

April to May and October to November, the calm transition months between the trade winds, offer the best all-round conditions and calmest seas; the beach is protected and shallow year-round. The soft granite formations glow most beautifully in the warm light of early morning and late afternoon.

Honest expectations

Because it is so famous, the beach can get busy and there is a small entry fee via the estate, and the very shallow, reef-protected water is better for wading and photos than serious swimming; on La Digue you get around by bicycle. Its beauty is real and rarely disappoints, though, and the island's slow, car-free charm makes it one of the most idyllic and photogenic places in the Indian Ocean.

Nearby

The island's other beaches, Grand Anse, and Praslin are close by.