Exploring the Underwater World of Praslin and La Digue
It was my first time in Seychelles. I’m in my early 30s and was travelling solo, and it was a really lovely holiday.
I came primarily for the snorkelling and the natural surroundings. I had already visited the Maldives and the Red Sea, so I knew not to expect more from Seychelles than I had experienced there. With that prior knowledge and those expectations, every snorkelling trip was worth it. I had expected that I might swim for longer stretches without seeing any fish underwater. However, that was never the case, as there was always something to see.
I went out every day to explore the beaches and reefs that I had researched in Germany and that had been recommended for snorkelling. Each of my snorkelling sessions lasts around 1.5 hours, and I would usually do that 2–3 times a day. I mostly got around on a hire bike, although I also walked in places because some of the trails between the beaches were only accessible on foot.
I had been looking forward to La Digue the most, as I love being somewhere with very little traffic. I was slightly disappointed in this respect, as there were quite a few cars on the island – considerably more than I had expected.
I booked my transfers directly through SeyVillas so that I would not have to worry about arranging anything myself. What follows is not a complaint, merely a description of what happened. I was satisfied at all times!
There was a small issue at the ferry terminal, where the voucher is normally exchanged for a ferry ticket. However, Creole Travel Service dealt with it professionally on site, with very little effort required on my part. I remained cheerful and relaxed throughout and felt very well looked after. :-) My three ferry transfers were saved in Creole Travel’s system, but unlike the other passengers, there were no prepared ferry tickets for me. After some lengthy discussions and telephone calls, they issued me with ‘emergency tickets’ and an additional receipt. With one exception, I still made the scheduled ferry on time. On that one occasion, I had to wait an hour for the next ferry. The ladies from Creole Travel did a good job.
During my visit, the local Seybrew brewery was apparently experiencing supply problems. Despite several attempts, I could not find a single bottle anywhere on Praslin. So, for the time being, I could only try the Takamaka rum, which was genuinely very good.
It was much the same on La Digue. However, I eventually managed to try the local beer at a restaurant, with a very positive verdict. This restaurant still had some Seybrew in stock.
For the first three days, the weather was stormy, with several spells of rain totalling around 2 hours per day, as well as rough seas and poor underwater visibility. This was apparently caused by the outer edge of a cyclone. Fortunately, by the third day, it was already clear that everything was beginning to settle down, and the underwater visibility improved considerably day by day. After that, there was no more rain and the sea was very, very calm.
I was also pleasantly surprised that many local people listen to reggae. As I love reggae, that was a really wonderful surprise.
I love Seychelles
