There are many art studios well worth visiting on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, including those of Michael Adams, Tom Bowers, George Camille and Gerard Devoud. The Craft Village (Le Village Artisanal), at Anse aux Pins on the east coast of Mahé, is also a good place to see the work of local artists.
The world’s largest seed, which could weigh as much as your baggage allowance when taken fresh from the tree, makes a novel souvenir when hollowed out. You can buy them at the Rangers Station, Fond B’Offay, Praslin. They are also available from souvenir shops; however, be sure the vendor gives you an export certificate or you risk confiscation by customs officers at the airport.
The coconut palm is the artisan’s most versatile resource: its leaves are woven into bags and baskets; the nut itself is made into napkin rings, candle holders and trinket pots; coconut oil is used to perfume soaps and bath oils; and the unusual spotted timber is used to make boxes, buttons and beads for necklaces. In the Craft Village, by the entrance to the old St Roch plantation house, is Maison Coco, a shop dedicated to the products of the coconut palm, housed in a building made out of palm tree products itself.
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