heritages

The Seychelles Heritage Foundation is set up to promote and develop the Seychelles' cultural heritage as a sustainable and economical asset.

Their role is to be in the forefront to defend and encourage the proper development of the cultural heritage environment of Seychelles. This they do by:

Improve the understanding of the past through research and study:    

- Maintenance of cultural heritage sites and making them come to life and accessible to the broadest possible audience    

- Encourage private individuals and/or companies to invest in the development of cultural heritage sites and programmes    

- Develop  an appreciation of Seychelles' cultural heritage legacy in schools    

- Identify and help protect cultural heritage sites    

- Champion and assist in programmes that will enhance appreciation of Seychelles cultural heritage

The Foundation is responsible for 4 main heritage sites

La Plaine St.Andre

It is an outstanding Creole planter’s homestead which was built more than 200 years ago. All the buildings were made from coral and wood with shingle roofs apart from the sheds and the two pavilions that had thatched roofs made of latanier leaves. The garden once rife with medicinal plants, ornamental plants as well as fruit trees of all kind.
The property was listed as a National monument in 1982. It is a testimony to days gone by, when Seychelles had a planter’s economy and when slavery was the economic motor. In 1988 the property went under renovation and in 1996 became an Eco-museum.

Later on in 2005, due degradation of the property; Seychelles Heritage Foundation in partnership with the private sector undertook another renovation project to restore the property and in 2007 Trois Frères Distillery formed by Richard and Bernard D'Offay won a tender from the Seychelles Heritage Foundation to operate the estate of La Plaine St André. The company produces high quality local rum under the name of 'Takamaka Bay'.

The main attraction of the site is the operation of a traditional rum distillery. The visitors have the chance to view the whole process of crushing, fermenting, distilling and maturing of the liquor, and get to taste the artisanal rum. A high quality, traditional based bar and restaurant is operational in the main house. There is a gallery space for local artists to promote their work and the local herb and medicinal gardens has been re-established as well.

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Bel Ombre Treasure Sites

It is well known fact that pirates & corsairs at onetime roamed the seas around the Seychelles’ islands looking for a hideout to bury their loot. Amongst the most famous is Olivier le Vasseur, commonly known and feared as La Buse. The Belombre treasure site is believed by some modern treasure seekers to be the place where his most famous treasure was buried.

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Mission Lodge

Originally called Venn’s Town, Missionaries ran a school there for liberated African landing in Seychelles after 1861. The ruins are a reminder of Seychelles’ role in the campaign to stamp out the slave trade in the region following the abolition of slavery in 1834.

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Domaine Val De Pres

The Domaine de Val des Près which is located at St Roch Au Cap, 16 km from Victoria is an experiment in re-creating the Traditional Creole Village as a mean of promoting the Seychellois Cultural Heritage, depicting the various activities that may be found in a traditional estate.

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