Seychelles Travel Guide

Looking for an idyllic tropical vacation? Try the Seychelles, a group of 115 picture-perfect tropical islands in the Indian Ocean.

The Seychelles are a remote Indian Ocean paradise

The inner islands of the Seychelles (were we spent our time) are 1000 miles off the coast of Africa, about 1000 miles north of Madagascar, and just south of the equator.  They are geologically interesting; the 41 inner islands are ancient granitic outcrops, while the 74 outer islands are traditional coral atolls.

The inner islands of the Seychelles (were we spent our time) are 1000 miles off the coast of Africa, about 1000 miles north of Madagascar, and just south of the equator.  They are geologically interesting; the 41 inner islands are ancient granitic outcrops, while the 74 outer islands are traditional coral atolls.

Few people I know have heard of the Seychelles. It isn’t a common destination for Americans.

That isn’t a surprise given that the expense, distance, and inconvenience of getting to the islands from the US. Most Americans seeking a tropical paradise are far more likely to look to the Caribbean or Hawaii, or even the distant, but more well-known islands of Tahiti.

Those who have heard of the islands tend to associate them with pirates. (Yes, there are pirates in the outer islands, but if you stay within the inner islands, you need not fear pirates.)

Why visit the Seychelles?

First off, for the beauty.

Sure, the world is filled with beautiful islands, but the Seychelles define tropical island beauty. But in their remoteness, there is also a sense of discovery, of going to a place few people have visited, a place with unique ecosystems and culture. They are remote, tropical, and famously beautiful – everything I look for in an island.

The ability to visit the islands via sailboat, instead of an outing from an all-inclusive luxury resort (the predominate method of visiting here) clinched my decision to go.

My Itinerary for exploring the Seychelles by land and sea

We visited the Seychelles in October 2012, sailing within the inner islands, anchoring off beautiful beaches, and exploring on land.

Day 1: Arrival

The Seychelles from Above

I only have a glimpse of the islands as we approach Mahé, the main island in the Seychelles, but it’s an enticing glimpse!

The runway skirts along the water on one side, the mountains on the other; providing lovely views even as we (slowly) make our way to the terminal.

Underway

It’s a long way to the Seychelles, even in business class, and it isn’t particularly relaxing at the marina on Mahé.

Or maybe it is that I am unable to relax, eager to get on the boats, unsure of my new travel companions, and nervous about how much remains to be done before we cast off.  . . and our luggage hasn’t arrived yet. Which means some quick shopping for sunscreen, toothpaste, and an extra tee-shirt or two.

Stowing luggage, checking in and storing provisions (a ton of meat, but no peanut butter and only four extra rolls of toilet paper?), and going over everything needed to take the boat out on the water is overwhelming in so short a time. It is all a blur. Are we ready? It seems questionable, as everyone wanders about wondering where to find this or that or if anyone remembers exactly what was said about one system or another or tonight’s anchorage. But time is up, whether we feel ready or not, it is time to cast off.

We follow the rest of the flotilla (there are five boats) out of the marina and into the water around Cerf Island, choosing an anchorage and then struggling a bit to anchor the unfamiliar boat in near darkness.  The anchor sets, although Joel remains unconvinced (we will hear him pacing around on deck, watching, during the night), and at last we have a few minutes to start to get our bearings.

After a group dinner ashore (more maneuvering in the dark in an unfamiliar place), the seven of us who will call Tharius home for the next 10 days gather in the dark on the front of the boat. As the warm night air settles in around us, we talk about sailing and travel, why we travel, the places we’ve been and the places we want to go. Below me, the water is dark and quiet; above the sky is bright with stars moving in unfamiliar patterns.

Life is good. . .

It isn’t until we go to bed that we discover we were robbed while at dinner. A Kindle and other items are missing from the navigation table where we left them in our rush to get to dinner while there was still a little light.

It isn’t until days later when we are packing to leave that I realize that my wallet was also on the table night. . .

Day 2:

Under Sail 

Sailing and exploring in Saint Anne’s Marine Park

Ashore on Anse Lazio, Praslin

Anse Lazio is one of of the world’s most beautiful beaches . . . but it’s a little tricky to get to from the water. However, we prevailed. (With a little local help!) Read more of our adventures getting to shore here.

Sunset at Anse Lazio

While we can’t actually see the sun set behind the hills that surrounding Anse Lazio, watching the rocks along the beach glowing in the evening light is probably just as good.

Day 3

Rain leads to rainbows as we leave Anse Lazio

We awaken to the sound of rain. Rain that continues intermittently as we drink our coffee and tea and wait for the day ahead to begin.

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One good thing about a dark, rainy morning: Rainbows.

This would be a good day to sleep in, but we have places to go and things to do. That means someone needs to get out on the bow and pull the anchor.

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Turtles, Mangroves, and more on Curieuse Island

 

Saint Pierre Islet

Sailing through the Seychelles takes past some of the most perfect tropical islands, so in miniature. Saint Pierre Islet, off the shore of Praslin is one of these.

I wish we had time to stop and explore.

Anse Volbert

 

Day 4: Praslin

We awake to a hot, but stunningly beautiful morning at Anse Volbert on Praslin.

It would be a beautiful day to sail, but we have plans on shore today, so instead motor around the rocky end of the island and into the pretty little harbor in Baie Sainte Anne.

Soon we are packed onto a a crowded bus, zipping along the narrow roads along the coast and up into the mountains to the island’s interior.

Praslin’s Vallée de Mai UNESCO World Heritage Site

The big activity for today is a visit to anciet forest called the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve. It’s a World Heritage Site noted for rare birds and other critters and, especially, for the coco de mer palm. A very ancient, extra large palm with mysterious giant seed pods that used to get sailors all excited. We discover it is a beautiful and fascinating place.

Sailing Along Praslin

Walking Government Beach

We swim ashore at Government Beach on Praslin and find our friends are already there.

I am so lucky to have friends I can share my travel with.

Day 5: A Day of Sailing

At Sea

This morning is designated for sailing, something I’m eager to do. The wind is light, but there is enough to move us along. I love it when the motor goes quiet.

I am looking forward to a morning spent gliding among these beautiful islands, admiring their rocky coastlines and pristine beaches from the water.

But our captains want more wind. . .and they want to test the boat a bit. . .and they want to take the course that requires the least amount of tacking – so they head far out into open water while the other boats play among the islands.

I want to sail, but I want to sight-see too.  So I sit glumly, watching the rocky shore retreat into the distance, the other boats skimming along the shoreline of the islands. Occasionally I send a catty remark up to the captain’s bench to express my displeasure, but mostly I just watch as the islands move farther into the distance.

Of course, our captains aren’t really getting what they want either, as the wind turns out to not be very good out here either. We end up doing a lot of motoring.

Eventually we do turn in toward the islands and I get to see some of the wonderful shoreline and rocky islets as we join the other boats at a gorgeous anchorage off Felicité Island.

We Almost Get to Cocos Island

Felicité

 

There’s Beauty All Around Between Felicité and La Digue

It is a short, but gorgeous, trip between our anchorage along Felicité and La Digue.

La Passe Harbor  

 

Day 6: La Digue

Touring La Digue 

 

Day 7: Cousin Island

Bird Watching on Cousin Island 

 

A Little Foul Weather

We’ve been lucky, weather-wise, as we’ve not had a lot of storms or even rain since we’ve arrived in the Seychelles. This isn’t generally a particularly rainy time of year, but the last weather forecast I saw before leaving home predicted a solid week of dark, wet weather.

While this morning began with clouds and rain, the sun came out while we were visiting the birds on Cousin Island. Now it is hard to guess what weather the day will bring.

We’ve already been told to reef our sail before heading out today, so we are expecting wind as we get underway.

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And indeed, there is wind! The wind keeps increasing until Captain Mike announces that it has reached 31 knots (about 35 mph). We are near Big Cat and I can see exactly how the cats smash into each wave, briefly riding along the top before landing back into the trough with a thunk.

We are at a slight angle to the waves, meaning the pontoons hit the waves slightly unevenly, adding to the overall motion. It doesn’t make me sick, but it isn’t comfortable sailing either. Still, I’m awed by how high we are as we crest each wave, the surface of the water suddenly far below us. It’s enthralling to see the sea rise and fall around and beneath us like some sort of living, breathing creature. I wish I could capture it though my lens, but can’t.

We actually miss much of the rain we see all around us, getting poured on only as we near our anchorage along Mahé. Even then the weather flirts with us, looking as if it might clear before the next showers arrive.

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It has been a long day on the water and I’ll be happy to help cook and then sit down for a nice dinner inside the cabin. Then we can contemplate the rumor that the weather could leave us socked in here for several days.

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Day 8:

In Baie Ternay

 

Wahoo!

We have moved one bay down,  from Baie Ternay to Port Launay on Mahe in the Seychelles Islands.

The sun is shining when we arrive – it’s a beautiful evening.

Still, it’s time to think about cooking dinner.

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The other day the folks on Big Cat caught a wahoo. We aren’t sure how big the fish was, but it was large enough to share with the other boats. Our share looks like enough to feed a dozen or more. We’ve been saving ours (we have a LOT of meat aboard) and have decided that tonight is the night.

Of course, first we have to figure out how to cut it up. . . .

That’s a bit of a challenge, but after that it’s easy and the results are delicious.

We end our meal with a call over the radio to Big Cat: “WAHOO!!! Thank you!”

Life is good.

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Day 9:

Off to Thérése Island  (October 26, 2012)

 

Day 10: Back to Mahé

Sailing Around Mahé

Today is a designated sailing day, but – while sunny and gorgeous to look at here in Port Launay – there isn’t much wind, so not actually very good for sailing.

We motor sail (sails up to catch what wind there is, but engines running to ensure actual movement) for a while, but eventually cut the engines and glide (slowly) in perfect silence.

We are barely moving, but the scenery is lovely and a trio of dolphins joins us for a few moments.

Just as the dolphins vanish, we get a call from the skipper on the lead boat – checking to see if we are having any problems. This is a nice way of asking what we are doing sitting out here with no wind.

We take the hint, turn on the engines, and hustle to join the other boats. Along the way we are subjected to a brief investigation by an ultra-light aircraft.

Does that count as an exotic bird sighting?

We never do find much in the way of wind and end up motor sailing to our anchorage.

Saint Ann’s Marine Park

Day 11: Exploring Mahé

The End of the Cruise

We awake to rain – and rainbows.

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We have a short motor from our anchorage in St. Anne’s Marine Park to the Sunsail base on Mahé, but even for that short time, everyone is true to form: We all start out in one neat line behind Lady L (as directed), but soon one of the boats wanders off to the side for a bit. It’s as if they are looking for the reef they almost hit on our first day out!

And then we are all safely inside the marina. (No one hits the reef on the way in.)

A skipper from the marina boards and brings us in and in no time at all we have off-loaded our belongings into piles along the dock. There is a brief and slightly chaotic farewell ceremony and then Lane and I and a couple of friends leave the group to head out on our own for a few days.

Suddenly this part of our journey has ended. It seems strange to be off on our own after so many days in close quarters, but I’m eager to explore the island. .  .

. . . once the downpour ends. Now seems like a good time just to wait.

Welcome to Mahé – Lost and Low on Petrol

Our cab arrives (once the tropical downpour ends) and the next stage of our Seychelles vacation begins.

We need to pick up our rental car at the airport Mahé. When we arrive, I’m adamant that we be dropped off near the rental car pick-up.  That’s mostly because I don’t want to be schlepping luggage around. However, it turns out to be a good decision, as there is NO ONE working at the rental car desk. (It is Sunday and there probably aren’t any flights coming in or out.) Luckily our cab driver is committed to getting us to our car. It takes a couple tries, but eventually he assures us that someone from the rental company will arrive in 10 minutes.

10 minutes seems optimistic (so optimistic that our friend wanders off in search of beers for himself and Lane), but, sure enough, within in 10 minutes someone shows up with the paperwork for our car.

It takes a bit more than 10 minutes to fill out the paperwork and actually get the car, but soon enough we are off (sans beer).  There aren’t very many roads on Mahé, so I’m not too worried about the fact that the rental agent didn’t have a map (I didn’t think to pull out the one I had out for him) and gave us only the vaguest directions to the hotel – ending with “You’ll see it right along the road on the right.”

It may be true that the hotel will be right along the road on the right, but not, apparently, along the road he directed us to. We follow the road up and around the coast along the north end of the island until we come to the end of the road.  Cross consultation using our over-sized map and an intermittent iPhone ap indicate that the hotel is indeed located on this end of the island – but on the other side of the mountains.

With no road between here and there, we retrace our route back to Victoria, this time turning up into the mountains instead of following the coast.

Driving through the mountains seems a rather harrowing (I’m glad I’m not driving), but it is beautiful. We are pretty sure that we are now on the right track, even if we have no idea how far we need to go.  It seems like a good time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

This is when Lane informs us that we are almost out of gas, that –apparently – the car was almost empty when they gave it to us. He has no idea how far we can go before running out.This news significantly dampens my enthusiasm for sightseeing.Our map indicates there should be a gas station in the town near our hotel. There is not. On the other hand, we do find the hotel. At the hotel we assured that a.) it is indeed normal to rent out cars in the Seychelles without any gas in them and b.) these cars can run forever on “empty. We aren’t even on E yet, so we have nothing to worry about.Besides, we are in paradise and our room has a wonderful view and lunch in the hotel’s restaurant features delicious local fare with more wonderful views.

Why worry about a little thing like fuel for the car?

In Search of the Perfect Sunset

We are back on the road in search of scenery, shopping, and gas for the car. However, as the afternoon begins to slip away (and the gas tank has been filled), our thoughts turn to happy hour with a view of the sunset.

We think we have found the perfect spot, at a beachside restaurant with a great view over the water. Everything about it is perfect, except that it is completely abandoned.

It’s as if everyone just walked away after last night’s party.

Too bad we didn’t bring a bottle of our leftover wine or even just some glasses (there appears to be beer available on tap at the bar). But we didn’t, so, reluctantly, we move on.

The sun continues to drop lower in the sky as we search for the perfect beach bar. We can’t find it and the sun is about to set. It’s time to pull over at any spot with a reasonable view.

Luckily, reasonable views of the sunset are available right along the road.

Now it’s time for dinner and those drinks we’ve been searching for.

Off the Road

Once you leave the modern divided highway that serves the airport, all of Mahé’s roads seem to be narrow, with sheer edges that drop off a few inches (or many, many feet) into a ditch (or off a cliff). The mountain roads go one up on this by also being extremely steep and turn back upon themselves in the tightest hairpin curves I’ve ever seen.

I’m sure the guidebooks for the Seychelles clearly state that one should never, under any condition, drive on Mahé at night (or maybe at all). If not, it is only because the idea of a tourist (especially one used to driving on the “other” side of the road) driving at night is so preposterous that a warning seems superfluous.

Of course, I could have guessed that would be the case without a guidebook telling me so. But I really, really wanted to spend a day with our friends before they flew out, so I chose to ignore the fact that this would require driving them to the airport in the dark. After all, our hotel is just across the island from the airport – how bad could it be?

Pretty bad, actually.

I didn’t account for a few key facts:

• There is a mountain range between the hotel and the airport.
• The above-mentioned drop-off edges that might be six inches deep, or a foot, or several feet, or scores of feet over a cliff.
• Neither high- or low-beam headlights are much use when making hairpin turns on steep grades.

Actually, the headlights are the real surprise. Who would have guessed that headlights are completely useless when rounding a hairpin curve on a grade – which describes almost the entire route between the airport and our hotel – where high-beams are needed at the top of the curve and low-beams at the bottom. Since the curve is tight, there really isn’t time to switch back and forth. (Plus, it is hard to keep switching your headlights while making a tight turns on a poorly graded road, even at low speeds.) We would have had better visibility if I could have held a flashlight out the window.

Given all that, I shouldn’t be surprised by an odd lurch accompanied by a frightful grating sound – the sound of metal scraping pavement, a sound that stopped as the car stopped.

Opps.

Lane hops out of the car onto the roadway on the driver’s side. I am a bit more cautious, not entirely sure there will even be ground to step out onto; for all I can tell, we could be suspended over the edge of a cliff. I am pleasantly surprised to discover several feet of solid earth available (and trees beyond) on my side of the road.

Both wheels on the passenger side of the car have dropped off the pavement, but at a point where the stone “ditch” is almost exactly the same height as the shock absorbers. While the situation is inconvenient, it is far from disastrous. After all, this could have been at a spot where the “ditch” is twenty feet below us, not a measly six or eight inches.  Still I’m glad we paid for the comprehensive coverage. Now, I wonder if they have AAA in the Seychelles.

Lane had been attempting to let a motorcycle pass when we slipped off the pavement. Now the motorcyclist has joined us in staring balefully at the car. He’s the first to take action, picking up a few small rocks and building a little pile of stones near the front tire. He doesn’t seem convinced that using the stones to drive back up on the pavement will actually work (nor do there seem to be enough stones around), but it’s what we’ve got.

This could take a while.

Do they have tow trucks in the Seychelles?

Another vehicle comes by and stops. A couple more young men get out and join us in staring at the car and the small pile of stones. Everyone agrees this is a bummer, but no one knows what to do.

This seems odd, as this has to be a common occurrence, given the roads here. Besides, it looks pretty obvious to me:  There doesn’t appear to be any damage to the car, so all we need to do is get it back on the pavement. If this were my Miata, we could just pick it up and put it there. Unfortunately, this car is a lot bigger and I can’t see the five of us picking it up and moving it anywhere.

We stand around the car in the warm tropical air, all of us staring quietly at the car as if it will suddenly move itself back onto the pavement as we watch. I wonder again if they have tow-trucks here.

Another vehicle passes, continues a bit, then backs up and stops next to us. The driver is a fit middle-aged man. He sizes up the situation immediately: “You need those wheels back on the pavement.”

He circles around to the rear of the car and turns to the younger men. “We’ll start back here because it’s lighter.” Without further direction or comment, everyone moves to the back of the car. He directs the group: “When I give the word, lift.”

It’s close, but not quite enough. He rearranges the group a bit, tells us to try harder this time.

Success! Both rear wheels are now on the pavement.

The front end also takes two tries, but soon all four wheels are (just barely) back on the pavement. Everyone congratulates each other and we shake hands all around. The older man is the last to leave, waiting until we have driven the car away from the edge of the road before wishing us well and advising that we “stay on the road.” Which we do.

Our hero “hijacked” us (his words) farther down the road, stopping us to give us his name and phone number in case there was anything else we needed during our stay. Thank you, Yam, for rescuing us!

Day 12: Gardens and Beaches

A Pocket Beach   
Botanical Garden
Port Launay from Shore

Photo Thursday posts

One Week Ago in the Seychelles  (November 8, 2012)
Anse Volbert  (November 15, 2012)
The Sea Pearl  (December 1, 2012)
Last Glance at the Seychelles  (January 10, 2013)

Other Seychelles posts

Driving Around Mahé   (January 17, 2013)

Travel information

Although generally described as a luxury destination, there are a surprising number of travel options in the Seychelles.

The Seychelles by Air (February 24, 2013)

The Seychelles by Sea (March 8, 2013): We sailed the Seychelles on a bare-boat charter tour, but there are lots of options.

The Seychelles by Land (May 5, 2013): Driving isn’t an option on most islands. Even where it is, be prepared for narrow mountain roads! On the other hand, biking is popular almost everywhere

Lodging at the Garden of Eden, Mahé (December 30, 2012)

Think of it as Camping  (February 17, 2013): The joy and reality of small boat sailing. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s not for everyone.

Online resources

The Seychelles tourism website has a lot of useful information, although we found it impossible to actually subscribe to the site. An expansion of the site seems to be underway.

Guidebooks and other books

There are a variety of English-language guidebooks for the Seychelles (there are many more in French), but they can be a challenge to find.

• We relied on the Globetrotter Travel Guide to the Seychelles by Paul Tingay as our main guidebook. The edition we used has good tourist info and a huge map that was wonderful for finding our way around on shore on both Mahé and La Digue (the only two islands where we were on our own for any length of time). Just don’t trust the information on where the gas stations are located!

We ended the trip with a couple of days in Paris. How nice is that?

All tropical islands