The Seychelles are a tropical paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The country consists of 115 islands. With its perfect white sand beaches surrounded by the popular Granite rocks you see on social media it is the ideal destination for an unforgettable vacation. Even though the Seychelles are known for being a quite expensive destination, you can also travel the country on a budget.
Two weeks are the perfect amount of time you need to travel and experience everything this country has to offer. The Seychelles have 3 islands that are the most popular to visit. Those are Mahe being the Main Island, as well as Praslin and La Digue. This is the perfect route to make the most out of your adventure including all the tips you need to take in every bit of this tropical paradise.
Arriving in the Seychelles
You start your journey at Seychelles International AirPort on Mahe Island. Mahe is the Main Island and also the biggest. Near the airport you’ll find the capital of Victoria. Depending on when your flight touches down I’d recommend staying one night on Mahe just to settle in because the ferry to our next stop only goes 3 times a day and the last one leaves at 4:30 pm.
FIRST STOP: PRASLIN
On Day two you’ll head to the Port and Check in your luggage. Tipp: book your ferry tickets in advance online. The booking confirmation tells you, you need to print those to get your boarding passes at the Port but my experience showed that the employees were fine with just the confirmation on my phone. After receiving your tickets it’s time to wait for boarding. Just to be safe, I’d recommend arriving at least an hour before the set departure time.
The ferry ride from Mahe to our second island Praslin will take around an hour and 15 minutes. Now It’s time to enjoy your first real glimpse of paradise.
How to get around Praslin
As soon as you arrive on Praslin, it’s time to get your luggage and get your rental car. Praslin is not a big island but renting a car is the best and most flexible option to get around. Driving around the island is definitely something you should not miss either. The scenery is truly breathtaking and the opportunity to stop wherever is definitely worth it. If you are on a budget you also have the option to ride the bus. There are plenty of buses connecting the most popular tourist destinations. Just keep in mind that the Seychelles are full of hills. So walking to the bus stations might not always be the most pleasant experience.
Top Things to do on Praslin
Praslin is known to have the best beaches in the Seychelles. Whether you want to just relax or go snorkeling – you can for sure find it here.
Some of the best beaches are Anse Georgette, Anse Lazio, Cote D’Or Beach and my personal favorite Petite Anse Lazio.
I recommend staying 4-5 days on Praslin. This enables you to explore the island and really take your time but it’s also not too long.
Exploring La Digue
Next stop on our list is La Digue. This island is known for its world famous beach – Anse Source d’Argent. This Beach is known to be the best beach in the world and I’m sure you have definitely seen a social media post about this breathtaking destination.
The journey from Praslin to La digue is a quick 15 Minute ferry ride. Make sure to also book your tickets in advance. La digue is a very small island so the most popular way of transport is renting a bicycle. To get from the port to your accommodation you can rent a shuttle in advance or get a taxi at the port. Most rides cost around 150 rupee per person.
Because La digue is quite flat in comparison to the other islands we decided to just walk to our accommodation to save some money as it was not too far away.
We stayed 3 days on La digue and in my opinion it was the perfect amount of time to experience everything the island has to offer.
Last Stop: Mahe
Our final stop of the trip is Mahe, so it’s time to pack up one last time and head back to the port. The ferry ride back to the main island takes about one hour and 30 minutes. As soon as you arrive, pick up your rental car to explore the island and enjoy it completely. We rented our Car online. The company allowed us to pick up our car at the port and return it at the airport without charging us extra which made traveling way easier.
Mahe also has stunning beaches but coming from Praslin and la Digue we we’re definitely kind of spoiled. Take the last 4-5 days exploring waterfalls, beaches and hiking to Morne Blanc viewpoint to get a breathtaking view over the entire west coast of Mahe.
Where to stay on the islands?
Mahe:
Mahe has a lot of accommodation options all around the island. But the west and north coast have the beaches so maybe keep that in mind while picking a place to stay. I’d recommend the areas of Baie Lazare and Anse Boileau. With breathtaking beaches right in front of your hotel and stores and restaurants nearby it’s a great location to stay.
Praslin:
Praslin has two main areas where Hotels and Airbnbs are located. A lot of Hotel options, especially the pricier ones, are located along the east coast of the island all the way to the north. This is also the area where you can find some of the best beaches on the island. Another option is around the town of Grand Anse. Some of the cheaper Guesthouses are located here, but it’s still a great option because you have restaurants, shops and gas stations nearby and the island is so small that you’ll take max. 30 minutes to the beaches on the other side of the island.
La Digue:
La digue being the smallest island there are not too many options. Most of the Hotels are directly at the beach either on the west or north coast. If you are looking for a cheaper option you can find some guesthouses and airbnbs surrounded by stunning nature in the center of the island. Because of the islands size you can reach all the must-see places within 20 minutes.
Best Places to eat
The most popular places to eat on the Seychelles are Take-Aways serving local and affordable meals. It’s often a variety of fish, chicken and curry. In some take-aways the menu changes day to day. For a meal you typically pay around 5€ to 10€.
Here are my top recommendations:
Mahe: Dokeaway Cafe
Praslin: Leo’s Food Bus
La Digue: Rey & Josh Cafe Takeaway
The best way to hire a rental car
The best way to explore the Seychelles is by rental car. Especially on Mahe on Praslin a car can give you the freedom to explore this island paradise on your own schedule. You can get to your destinations quickly and are not dependent on a bus schedule.
Renting a car is easiest online but make sure to book in advance. We were looking for a car two weeks in advance and there were not a lot of options left. So make sure to be earlier than that.
We ended up booking with Kreol Rental Cars over their own website. In our case They pick you up directly at the port and check all the documents with you. This takes max 15 minutes. After that you can get started with your adventure and go exploring.
