Seychelles,
a tropical paradise and a dream destination of many is a collection of
115 islands and located between Asia and Africa. The main island is Mahe
followed by Praslin & La Digue. The specialty of Seychelles is
that whilst it boasts of crystal clear turquoise waters with white sand
beaches, it boasts of lush green mountains as well! It is also the home
to rare animals such as the Giant Aldabra tortoises and flora such as
the Coco De Mer. The official currency is Seychelles Rupee but USDs,
Euros & GBPs are widely accepted. The cost of living is on the
higher side and a basic meal would cost between US$ 20-30 per person.
Day 1 - Arrive in Mahe
We arrived in Mahe early in the morning (at around 5am) and the airport was pretty empty. It is a basic airport with free wifi :) We had already booked the speed boat from Mahe to Praslin (CatCocos) at 10:30am so we directly went to the Mahe Jetty to catch the boat. Remember to opt for the transport from the Airport to the Jetty when you are booking the speed boat online as taxis are a bit expensive here and its cheaper to go in the CatCocos transport. The boat trip was comfortable and we arrived in Praslin at around 11:30am (1 hour ride). Praslin is a smaller island compared to Mahe and we took a taxi and checked in to the hotel in Praslin. Majority of the hotels in Seychelles give you a homely feeling as the hotels are built like houses. We stayed in a placed called ''Cest mon choix'' maintained by a french couple and its located closer to the city as well. Very helpful couple and the place has a small pool too.
Day 2 - Praslin road trip
We rented a car during our stay in Praslin Island. This really helped us to cover the entire island and save time on transportation. It's kind of exciting and adventurous too to drive in an unknown country :D So after having our breakfast, we drove to Fond Ferdinand. Fond Ferdinand is a substitute to visiting Vallee De Mai nature reserve and it has a beautiful hike which takes you to the top of the mountain where you can enjoy a birds eye view of Praslin Island. The entrance fee to this hike includes a guide as well.
After
the hike, we did a road trip around the island in our rented car
visiting the famous beaches. Make sure to visit Anse Lazio & Anse
Georgette as they are the prettiest :) You need to go through Constance
Lemuria resort in Praslin to visit Anse Georgette, so remember to make a
reservation before you plan to go!
Also,
Octopus curry is pretty famous in Praslin. Hence, in order to taste
Octopus, we went to this famous restaurant called the Pirogue Restaurant
& Bar. The food was tasty and the prices were quite high too ;)
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| Enjoying the view of Praslin Island from Fond Ferdinand |
Day 3 - Island Hopping
On
the 3rd day, we did an Island Hopping tour to Curieuse Island (Anse
Jose). This island was used to house persons with the Leprosy disease
and now it has become a tourist destination. Curieuse Island is home to
the giant Giant Aldabra tortoises and you find them walking freely :)
The island has some nice beaches where you can swim leisurely and we
walked to the other corner of the island to have lunch. After having
lunch we came back to Praslin Island via boat whilst stopping at few
famous beach spots to enjoy the sea. You should definitely try this
island hopping day tour if you happen to visit Praslin !
Day 4 - Praslin to La Digue
We had booked the speed boat to La Digue island at 9AM. La Digue is just 30 minutes away from Praslin. Hence, by 9.30 we were at La Digue. Its a small island compared to Praslin and you hardly find vehicles. Almost everyone uses bicycles to travel around :) We checked into our hotel (Bernique Guest House) which was not that far from the main center. The rooms were comfortable but didn't have WiFi. The island is more like a village compared to Mahe Island but you get this homely, chilled out feeling which is really nice :) After having a heavy lunch, I rented out a bicycle and went around the entire island checking out the beaches. Don't forget to visit Grand Anse, Anse Marron, Anse coco beach :) The island is pitch dead after 7pm hence no night life here :D
Day 5 - La Digue to Mahe
We had only one night booked for La Digue as its a small island. If you prefer to have a calm, relaxed, peaceful time, I suggest you stay a few nights in La Digue and reduce your nights from Mahe. We had to catch our boat at 7AM. Hence after having a tasty breakfast at Bernique Guest House, we went to the jetty to board to Mahe. The boat trip was nice and we arrived in Mahe at around 9AM. Then we rented a car and drove to our hotel - Albizia Lodge green estate in Mahe which is located on top of a hill. The view was nice , but we regularly faced few power cuts :( Trust me, its a bit tough to stay without A/C or fans in a sunny country so having power cuts can be a big issue :D
In the afternoon, we did the famous Copolia Trail in Mahe. This is a beautiful hike which takes you through the natural forests of Seychelles. It can be a bit strenuous, but its worth it! We were really hungry after the hike, so we went to Avani Seychelles to have a Octopus curry lunch ;)
Day 6 - Beach hopping
On the 6th day, after having breakfast we did a road trip to cover half of the island whilst checking out some beautiful beaches. Best beaches are Petite Anse, Port Launay, Beau Vallon beach, Intendance etc. And there is just one beach which I loved the most and which I could easily rank as the best beach I have been to.. That's the Petite Anse beach which you find inside the Four Seasons hotel, Seychelles. You really need to swim here! The water is so clear and calm and its really pretty :) After having a bath, we had a pizza from the hotel to satisfy our taste buds.
Day 7 - Hiking
This was our last full day in Seychelles. So we covered the rest of the island and did the famous Morne Blanc Trail. Mahe has some wonderful trails out of which Morne Blanc & Copolia are the best. Like the Copolia Trail, you end up on top of a mountain which gives you a beautiful view of Mahe. I very much recommend these trails as its not only the destination that is beautiful, but the journey as well.
Day 7 - Leave Seychelles
We woke up early in the morning (at around 3am) since our flight was at 5.35am. The rent a car company was closed at this time, so we parked the car at the airport and left the key in the key box. Crime rates in Seychelles is very minimal which in turn makes life easier for a tourist :) After check-in the luggage we boarded the flight and left Seychelles with sun burnt skin but with wonderful memories :)
 |
| Spending some quality time with a tortoise |
We had booked the speed boat to La Digue island at 9AM. La Digue is just 30 minutes away from Praslin. Hence, by 9.30 we were at La Digue. Its a small island compared to Praslin and you hardly find vehicles. Almost everyone uses bicycles to travel around :) We checked into our hotel (Bernique Guest House) which was not that far from the main center. The rooms were comfortable but didn't have WiFi. The island is more like a village compared to Mahe Island but you get this homely, chilled out feeling which is really nice :) After having a heavy lunch, I rented out a bicycle and went around the entire island checking out the beaches. Don't forget to visit Grand Anse, Anse Marron, Anse coco beach :) The island is pitch dead after 7pm hence no night life here :D
 |
| Seafood fried rice in La Digue |
We had only one night booked for La Digue as its a small island. If you prefer to have a calm, relaxed, peaceful time, I suggest you stay a few nights in La Digue and reduce your nights from Mahe. We had to catch our boat at 7AM. Hence after having a tasty breakfast at Bernique Guest House, we went to the jetty to board to Mahe. The boat trip was nice and we arrived in Mahe at around 9AM. Then we rented a car and drove to our hotel - Albizia Lodge green estate in Mahe which is located on top of a hill. The view was nice , but we regularly faced few power cuts :( Trust me, its a bit tough to stay without A/C or fans in a sunny country so having power cuts can be a big issue :D
In the afternoon, we did the famous Copolia Trail in Mahe. This is a beautiful hike which takes you through the natural forests of Seychelles. It can be a bit strenuous, but its worth it! We were really hungry after the hike, so we went to Avani Seychelles to have a Octopus curry lunch ;)
 |
| Octopus Curry |
On the 6th day, after having breakfast we did a road trip to cover half of the island whilst checking out some beautiful beaches. Best beaches are Petite Anse, Port Launay, Beau Vallon beach, Intendance etc. And there is just one beach which I loved the most and which I could easily rank as the best beach I have been to.. That's the Petite Anse beach which you find inside the Four Seasons hotel, Seychelles. You really need to swim here! The water is so clear and calm and its really pretty :) After having a bath, we had a pizza from the hotel to satisfy our taste buds.
 |
| Pizza from Four Seasons Hotel |
This was our last full day in Seychelles. So we covered the rest of the island and did the famous Morne Blanc Trail. Mahe has some wonderful trails out of which Morne Blanc & Copolia are the best. Like the Copolia Trail, you end up on top of a mountain which gives you a beautiful view of Mahe. I very much recommend these trails as its not only the destination that is beautiful, but the journey as well.
 |
| View from the top of Morne Blanc Trail |
We woke up early in the morning (at around 3am) since our flight was at 5.35am. The rent a car company was closed at this time, so we parked the car at the airport and left the key in the key box. Crime rates in Seychelles is very minimal which in turn makes life easier for a tourist :) After check-in the luggage we boarded the flight and left Seychelles with sun burnt skin but with wonderful memories :)
 |
| A beach in Seychelles |
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