Bel Air Cemetery is the oldest burial ground in Seychelles, in use since the late 18th century, just up the hill from Victoria. The graves climb the slope behind the road and include some of the first colonial settlers, the country’s first governor Pierre Poivre’s appointees, French planters, English administrators, and — by persistent local tradition — a few of the pirates who used Seychelles as a hideout in the 1780s.
The cemetery’s most famous resident is the so-called Bel Air giant, a 19th-century Seychellois said to have been over two metres tall — his grave is the largest. Whether the legend is accurate or embellished, the inscription, the broken obelisks and the moss-covered stones make for a 30-minute walk through Seychelles’ early history.
Best for
History-minded travellers, photographers (the early morning light through the takamaka trees is excellent), anyone with an hour spare while based in Victoria.
When to go
Morning or late afternoon — the site is open and unstaffed. There is no entry fee. Bring water; the climb up from the road is short but in full sun.
How to get there
10 minutes’ walk uphill from central Victoria, on the Bel Air road. Drivers can park at the foot of the hill and walk up; the road narrows above.
What’s nearby
The Botanical Gardens are 5 minutes back down the hill. The Natural History Museum, the Hindu temple and the Victoria fish market are all within central Victoria, walkable.
