This
second largest island of the archipelago. When first visited by
General Gordon (of Khartoum fame) over 100 years ago he believed
he had found the original Garden of Eden, particularly on seeing
the female pelvis shaped double nut coco-de-mer which instantly
conjured Eve in his mind. This coco-de-mer nut is also part of
the Phelsumania logo.
Most of the interior is virgin forest and the exquisitely
beautiful Vallee de Mai, declared a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1984, is the only place where the coco-de-mer palm is
found in the world.
The rare black parrot, Seychelles national bird, inhabits the
Vallee de Mai.