Seychelles

There are more bicycles than cars on La Digue, a 10-sq-km island that is doing everything it can to save itself – and one rare bird species – from overtourism.

Built on land reclaimed from the sea, Seychelles' tiny capital city can't get any bigger – but with a vibrant culture and fascinating history, it doesn't need to.

As tourism has impacted parts of Seychelles' environment, the island nation now aims to protect its 72 low-lying coralline "Outer Islands" from development before it's too late.

Seychelles' Bird Island was once covered in coconut groves. When a local bought the island, he took it in a different direction – one that's turned it into a home for 500,000 birds.

The coco de mer has spawned so many legends that the tree is fabled and revered in lands far beyond the Seychelles.

According to legend, pirate treasure reportedly worth £100 million is buried on an Indian Ocean island. This is the true story of two men’s life-long search.

The only way in or out of the amphitheatre-shaped valley is by foot – or, in a pinch, by helicopter.

Seychelles' fragrant, spice-laden cuisine is increasingly hard to find – but travellers-in-the-know can still feast on delicious traditional dishes around the Indian Ocean archipelago.