Things to do in Praslin
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Praslin
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Calm transition windows between the trade winds, with the best diving and snorkelling visibility and good swimming on both coasts.
South-east trades: cooler, drier and breezier, peak crowds in July and August, seaweed and rougher water on Cote d'Or and a rougher Mahe ferry.
North-west monsoon: hot, humid and wettest around December and January, with the Grand Anse side the rougher and less swimmable coast.
What's on
- Festival Kreol October, festival week in late October
The national Creole festival centred on Mahe with events across the islands, including Praslin.
- Hawksbill turtle nesting season Roughly October to February
Turtles nest on Lemuria beaches and on Curieuse, watched over by hotel and ranger programmes.
Best things to do in Praslin
Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve
The UNESCO palm forest where the coco de mer grows wild, best read with a short guided walk at the gate.
Anse Lazio
A wide sheltered crescent with proper swimming, granite at both ends and shade for a long beach day.
Anse Georgette
A near perfect cove kept uncrowded because non guests must book free access through Lemuria in advance.
Cote d'Or Beach
The long base beach at Anse Volbert, with boats, dive shops and restaurants on the road behind.
Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve
A smaller coco de mer reserve with a steep climb to a panorama over Baie Ste Anne and La Digue.
Where to stay in Praslin
Cote d'Or (Anse Volbert)
all-round base, walkable eating, boats and value
The long north-east beach with every tier of stay, dive shops, restaurants and excursion boats on one road, and Vallee de Mai inland.
Grand Anse and Anse Kerlan
resort luxury, sunsets and quiet
The west side resort coast near the airport, grander and quieter, with thin independent dining so a car or hotel dining is part of the deal.
Anse Takamaka
villa splurge near Lazio
A hillside villa coast a short drive from Anse Lazio, chosen when the villa is the holiday rather than the beach road.
Think twice about
- Isolated beach car parks and trailheads
The theft pattern on Praslin is valuables left in parked cars and bags left on sand at Lazio, Georgette trail and boat landings. Leave nothing on display.
- A wrong coast base in the wrong monsoon
Cote d'Or takes seaweed and rough water in the south-east trades, Grand Anse side is rougher in the north-west monsoon. Pick the coast for your months, not just the hotel.
- Remote south coast properties without a car
Beautiful and empty, with no restaurants in walking distance and unlit roads at night. Wonderful with a hire car and a stocked kitchen, a trap without either.
Best restaurants in Praslin
Cafe des Arts
Praslin's special occasion table, beachfront Creole seafood at Le Duc in an art gallery setting.
Les Lauriers
The Cote d'Or eco hotel restaurant known for its Creole buffet evenings of grilled fish and curries.
Pirogue Restaurant & Bar
The Cote d'Or workhorse on the beach road, Creole curries and grilled fish on an airy terrace.
Le Chevalier Bay Restaurant
Lunch where you swim, grilled fish and Creole plates behind Anse Lazio beach.
Restaurant Paradisier
The Grand Anse independent favourite, Italian led with Creole plates, for west side stays.
Island Pizzeria
Pizzas and simple plates at local prices in Grand Anse village, the cheap sit-down on the west side.
Outdoor things to do in Praslin
Curieuse Island
Giant tortoises roam free here, with a mangrove boardwalk trail to Anse Jose and the Doctor's House.
St Pierre Islet
The granite islet off Cote d'Or where Curieuse days end with an hour of reef snorkelling.
Cousin Island Special Reserve
A predator free bird island with ranger led morning walks, warblers, magpie robins and nesting seabirds.
Aride Island
A strict seabird reserve north of Praslin, ranger led only, with landings that depend on the surf.
Octopus Diving Center
The Cote d'Or dive base for daily boat dives and PADI courses around Praslin's granite sites.
Anse Source d'Argent
The granite boulder beach on La Digue, done as a ferry excursion from Praslin through L'Union Estate.
Lemuria Golf Course
Seychelles' only 18 hole championship course, flat and palm lined then climbing into hill and view golf.
Best hotels in Praslin
Constance Lemuria
The Grand Anse side splurge on three beaches, with golf and the walk to Anse Georgette.
Raffles Seychelles
Private pool villas on a hillside above Anse Takamaka, a short drive from Anse Lazio.
Le Duc de Praslin
The Cote d'Or benchmark hotel in gardens two minutes from Anse Volbert beach, with Cafe des Arts.
Paradise Sun Hotel
A four star resort on the Anse Volbert sand, a good family and diver base with a dive shop on site.
Acajou Beach Resort
The Seychellois owned 52 room hotel directly on the Cote d'Or beachfront, below Le Duc pricing.
Coco de Mer Hotel and Black Parrot Suites
The sunset side stay near Grand Anse, a hotel wing plus an adults leaning suites wing.
Hotel Villas de Mer
A small beachfront hotel on Grand Anse, the practical non resort option for the west side base.
Skyblue Guesthouse
Self catering with kitchens a short walk from Anse Volbert beach, the format that makes Praslin affordable.
Is Praslin expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SCR 1,600 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SCR 4,200 a person |
| Splurge | SCR 11,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- Anse Georgette: a few days ahead
- Curieuse Island: a few days ahead
- St Pierre Islet: a few days ahead
- Cousin Island Special Reserve: a few days ahead
- Aride Island: weeks ahead
- Octopus Diving Center: a few days ahead
- Anse Source d'Argent: a few days ahead
- Book Cat Cocos seats, Georgette access through Lemuria, and Cousin and Aride landings well ahead in season.
- Reserve Cafe des Arts and the Les Lauriers buffet night as soon as dates are fixed.
- Apply for the Seychelles Travel Authorisation online a few days before travel, on the official portal only.
Is Praslin safe?
- Smaller islands lack medical care for serious illness or injury; patients travel to Mahe, so take evacuation insurance.
- Opportunistic theft from cars, beaches and trails; use hotel safes and be alert in isolated areas at night.
- Most beaches have no lifeguards; the safe coast flips with the trade winds, so ask locally before swimming.
- Drug penalties are severe, including for possession and airport transit. Emergency number 999.
Praslin travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Treating Anse Georgette as a walk-up beach; non guests need Lemuria authorisation in advance and numbers are limited.
- Comparing Curieuse boat prices without checking whether the SCR landing tax is included.
- Squeezing Vallee de Mai, Lazio and La Digue into one day; most of it becomes transfers.
- Assuming Cote d'Or is seaweed free in the south-east trades, or Grand Anse is calm in the north-west monsoon.
Getting around Praslin: public transport and more
- Cat Cocos runs Mahe to Baie Ste Anne, Praslin in about 1 hour, and Cat Rose hops Praslin to La Digue in about 15 minutes.
- Air Seychelles flies Mahe to Praslin Island Airport in about 15 to 20 minutes, many times a day, for more than the ferry fare.
- Hire a car for part of the stay to reach Lazio, Georgette and Fond Ferdinand; driving is on the left on narrow, steep roads.
- SPTC buses circle Praslin for a flat fare of a few rupees but stop early in the evening. Taxis are expensive; agree the fare first.
Who Praslin suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Praslin your trip
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