Things to do in Seychelles
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Seychelles
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, calm seas, peak visibility and both coasts swim well. Now the effective peak, book like it.
Southeast trades: drier and cooler but rougher ferries, choppy exposed coasts and seaweed on southeast beaches.
Northwest monsoon: warmer, wetter and calmer on the other side, seaweed flips northwest, Christmas is peak priced.
What's on
- Festival Kreol 23-31 October
The country's biggest celebration of Creole language, food, music and art, in Victoria and nationwide.
- Feast of the Assumption, La Digue 15 August
La Digue's patronal festival with Mass and processions. The island books out, reserve months ahead.
- Beau Vallon Regatta August-September
Yacht races, swimming and beach events at Beau Vallon, the liveliest weekend on Mahé's social beach.
- Seychelles Sailing Cup May
Regatta season event for sailors. Verify the current year's dates before planning around it.
Best things to do in Seychelles
Vallée de Mai
A primeval palm forest where the coco de mer grows wild, best read with a guide hired at the gate.
Anse Source d'Argent
Pink granite boulders and clear shallows make this the iconic La Digue beach for photos and wading.
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 reserve free access in advance.
Curieuse Island
Giant tortoises roam free here, with a mangrove boardwalk trail to Anse José and the Doctor's House.
Victoria
One morning for the market, clock tower and Hindu temple; the Natural History Museum has been closed since April 2019.
Beau Vallon
Mahé's liveliest beach for calm swimming, sunset, beach bars and the Bazar Labrin night market.
Takamaka Rum Distillery
Local rum distilled from Seychelles sugarcane, with a short tour, tasting flight and garden restaurant.
Where to stay in Seychelles
Côte d'Or / Anse Volbert, Praslin
best overall base
Long swimmable beach, the best spread of mid range stays and restaurants, excursion boats and Vallée de Mai nearby.
Beau Vallon, Mahé
first and last nights, social base
Sunset facing calm swimming, restaurants and bars on the sand, the night market, and close to Victoria and the airport.
La Passe / Anse Réunion, La Digue
slow base, 2 to 3 nights minimum
The village by the jetty where you bike everywhere, with Source d'Argent one way and Grand Anse the other.
Grand Anse / Anse Kerlan, Praslin
resort luxury and sunsets
Quieter, grander and sunset facing, and better than Côte d'Or in the May to October seaweed season.
Port Launay / northwest Mahé
Mahé resort base
Two beautiful calm bays with a marine park at the door, chosen when the resort itself is the point.
Think twice about
- Central Victoria, Mahé
A working capital with no beach, business hotels and traffic, quiet at night and the main petty theft spots. Visit in the morning, sleep at Beau Vallon.
- Eden Island, Mahé
A man made marina enclave of apartments and chain restaurants, cut off from Creole street life and with a small artificial beach.
- Southeast coasts in May to October
Anse Royale, Praslin's southeast Grand Anse and exposed Anse Réunion take the season's seaweed and onshore wind, so the doorstep beach disappoints.
- Isolated south Mahé or trail end properties without a car
Beautiful and empty, but no restaurants in walking distance, unlit roads and the remote road theft pattern. Wonderful only with a car and stocked kitchen.
Best restaurants in Seychelles
Marie-Antoinette
A colonial house serving a set Creole menu that samples the whole cuisine in one generous sitting.
Del Place
Waterfront west coast dining for tuna tartare, grilled prawns and octopus curry at sunset.
Café des Arts
Refined Creole seafood in an art gallery beachfront setting at Le Duc, for lunches and special dinners.
Les Lauriers
A small eco hotel restaurant famous for its Creole buffet nights with dozens of dishes and grilled fish.
La Scala
Long running Italian fine dining above Beau Vallon, for lobster pasta, red snapper and a candlelit terrace.
Chez Jules
A family run Creole spot near the jetty for fish curry, grilled octopus and papaya salad at island pace.
Maria's Rock Café
Seafood and meat you grill yourself on a hot stone, in a pirate themed garden near Anse Soleil.
Bazar Labrin
Beach night market stalls for grilled fish, Creole curries, breadfruit chips and music on the sand.
Outdoor things to do in Seychelles
Curieuse + St Pierre boat day
Tortoises and the cross island walk on Curieuse, a Creole barbecue, then snorkelling at St Pierre islet.
Cousin + Curieuse + St Pierre boat day
A ranger led bird island first, then Curieuse tortoises and St Pierre snorkelling in one nature heavy day.
Ste Anne Marine National Park + Moyenne boat day
Snorkelling over coral gardens and turtles around Ste Anne, Cerf and Moyenne, with lunch on Moyenne.
Scuba diving
Granite formations, coral gardens, sharks, rays and turtles, with whale sharks in season.
Crystal kayak at Anse Source d'Argent
A guided clear kayak paddle past granite boulders, with fish and coral visible through the hull.
Copolia Trail
A moderate climb to a granite summit with a wide view over Victoria, Ste Anne and Praslin.
Morne Blanc Trail
A steep, short climb to a west coast panorama in Morne Seychellois National Park.
Anse Major Trail
A coastal park walk ending at a swimmable beach reachable only by boat or on foot.
Best hotels in Seychelles
Le Duc de Praslin
The mid luxury benchmark on Anse Volbert, with gardens and two pools.
Coco de Mer Hotel & Black Parrot Suites
An adults leaning suites hotel with beautiful west coast light at Anse Bois de Rose.
Acajou Beach Resort
A Seychellois owned 52 room hotel directly on the Côte d'Or beachfront, with pool and restaurant.
Skyblue Guesthouse - Self Catering
Kitchen equipped self catering a short walk from Anse Volbert beach, with a bus stop outside.
Constance Lemuria
The splurge with three beaches, Anse Georgette access and the 18 hole golf course.
Raffles Seychelles
Private pool villa luxury at Anse Takamaka on Praslin.
Constance Ephelia
The big resort all rounder with two bays, ziplines and a kids club at Port Launay.
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles
Hillside villas above a superb cove at Petite Anse, the Mahé splurge pick.
Is Seychelles expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SCR 1,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SCR 3,400 a person |
| Splurge | SCR 8,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Anse Georgette: a few days ahead
- Curieuse Island: a few days ahead
- Moyenne Island: a few days ahead
- Curieuse: a few days ahead
- Cousin: a few days ahead
- Ste Anne Marine National Park: a few days ahead
- Scuba diving: a few days ahead
- Crystal kayak at Anse Source d'Argent: a few days ahead
- Reserve ferries, Lémuria golf and Anse Georgette access days ahead in season, Georgette 2 to 3 days ahead.
- Book Curieuse and Cousin boats, the crystal kayak, Café des Arts, the Les Lauriers buffet night and Marie-Antoinette once dates are fixed.
- Hotels in April to May, October to November and late December sell out first on Côte d'Or and La Digue.
- Many independent restaurants close Sunday or Monday and kitchens often stop by 21:30, so plan dinner rather than wandering for it.
Is Seychelles safe?
- Crime is low and petty: theft from bags on beaches, cars at trailheads and pickpocketing around Victoria market, the bus station and ATMs.
- Avoid walking alone on unlit beaches and back roads at night, watch drinks in bars, and hike popular trails in daylight.
- The sea is the main danger. Heed red flags and local advice, and never swim at Anse Intendance or La Digue Grand Anse in rough conditions.
- No malaria but dengue occurs, so use repellent at dawn and dusk, reef safe sunscreen, and water shoes on rocky entries.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Seychelles travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Anse Source d'Argent is for photographs and the estate, not swimming. Swim at Anse Sévère or Anse Patate instead.
- The one day Mahé tour covering Praslin and La Digue is mostly transfers. Pick one island or sleep on Praslin.
- Resort priced everything by default. The same grilled fish costs far less at a beach restaurant or takeaway nearby.
- Agree a total price in writing for taxis, charters and excursions before anything moves, and skip La Digue e-bike upsells.
Getting around Seychelles: public transport and more
- The itinerary is the Mahé, Praslin and La Digue triangle, linked by Cat Cocos ferries, with the 15 minute Air Seychelles flight as the calm alternative.
- Rental car on Mahé and Praslin costs about 45 euros a day, buses are about SCR 10 to 15, and on La Digue rent a standard bicycle at the jetty.
- Apply online for the Seychelles Travel Authorisation before travel, and carry cash for takeaways, markets and small boats.
Who Seychelles suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Seychelles your trip
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