The Seychelles

The Seychelles, in a few days

From green Mahé to the palm forest of the Vallée de Mai on Praslin, then the sculpted boulders of La Digue, by ferry: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Mahé

Days 1-2

The largest island, green and mountainous, home to Victoria, one of the smallest capitals in the world, and to the long beach of Beau Vallon.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Island tour and national park, guidedFull day · from €40
  A day around Mahé with a guide, including the forest trails of Morne Seychellois National Park.
• Snorkelling in Sainte Anne Marine ParkHalf day · from €55
  A short boat ride from Victoria to reefs with tropical fish and turtles.

✦ Free to visit

• Beau Vallon beach
• Victoria market
• The Morne Seychellois trails

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Beau Vallon Bungalows ↗ (€85 a night) · Mid-range: Story Seychelles ↗ (€190 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Mahé ↗ (€650 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Mahé on GetYourGuide

2

Praslin

Days 3-4 · ⛴️ Catamaran 1h

Home to the Vallée de Mai, the UNESCO-listed palm forest where the coco de mer grows, and to Anse Lazio on the north coast.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Vallée de Mai and the coco de mer (UNESCO)Half day · from €25
  An ancient palm forest, home of the coco de mer, which bears the largest seed in the plant world, and of the rare Seychelles black parrot.
• Boat trip to Curieuse and its tortoisesFull day · from €75
  An island off Praslin where giant Aldabra tortoises roam free, with a walk through the mangroves.

✦ Free to visit

• Anse Lazio
• Anse Georgette
• The native palm forest
• Empty beaches and pink granite

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Acajou Beach Resort ↗ (€200 a night) · Luxury: Constance Lémuria ↗ (€550 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Praslin on GetYourGuide

3

La Digue

Days 5-7 · ⛴️ Ferry 15 min

A small island you get round by bicycle, with very few cars. Its pink granite boulders at Anse Source d'Argent are among the most photographed rocks in the Indian Ocean.

🎟️ Worth booking

• La Digue by bike and Anse Source d'ArgentFull day · from €20
  A day on two wheels round the island, ending among the granite boulders of the most photographed beach in the country.
• Snorkelling around the nearby isletsHalf day · from €45
  A boat out to Coco Island, Félicité and the Sisters, where the water is at its clearest.

✦ Free to visit

• La Veuve Special Reserve
• The beaches by bike
• Anse Cocos and its natural pools

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Chalets La Digue ↗ (€70 a night) · Mid-range: Le Repaire ↗ (€180 a night) · Luxury: Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie ↗ (€420 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in La Digue on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Inter-island ferries · Fast catamarans, Cat Cocos among them, cross from Mahé to Praslin in a little over an hour, and a short hop takes you on to La Digue. Book ahead in high season.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Fish curry: fish cooked in coconut milk and spices, the everyday dish of the islands.
• Grilled fish: caught that morning, served with rice and Creole sauces.
• Rougaille and chatini: a spiced tomato stew, and sharp relishes made from fruit or vegetables.
• Ladob: plantain or cassava cooked in sweetened coconut milk, eaten as a dessert.
• Coconut water and Takamaka rum: one straight from the nut, the other distilled on Mahé.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Budget more than you expect: almost everything is imported, down to many of the vegetables.
• Do not touch coral or turtles, and do not take a coco de mer nut home without an export permit.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen and reapply often. The sun burns fast even under cloud.
• Drive on the left on Mahé and Praslin, on narrow, winding roads with steep drops.

Words that help

English ↔ French

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/seychelles

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos: Pexels and Wikimedia Commons (NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Details are indicative, check before you leave.