Planted more than 100 years ago, the vibrant flora housed within the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens provides a pop of color to a vacation mostly spent on white sand. Stretching out along 5 acres of Mont Fleuri — on the southern outskirts of Victoria — the botanical gardens offer visitors an up-close look at Seychellois wildlife. In addition to the towering palm, spice and fruit trees found here (not to mention the aromatic blooms found in the orchid house), you're bound to come across animals like giant tortoises and members of the garden's fruit bat colonies.

One previous visitor offers some advice on how to make the most of your visit: "[E]njoy the uniqueness of the place but for goodness sake put loads of bug spray on […] we all got bitten badly."

The Botanical Gardens can be reached on foot or by car from downtown Victoria; the walk will take roughly 30 minutes. You can visit the botanical gardens every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; admission costs 100 SCR (just more than $8 USD). For more information, check out the Seychelles Tourism Board's website.