Praslin, La Digue & Silhouette – Our Seychelles Island-Hopping Adventure
For a long time, we had wanted to see a truly white beach, palm trees and a blue sea. A year ago, we finally booked an island-hopping trip to the Seychelles – with our friends promising us that ‘everything really does look just like it does in the brochure’.
When the day finally came to fly to our dream destination, we were all very excited and full of anticipation; after all, we had been looking forward to this trip for a whole year. As inexperienced and consequently rather nervous long-haul passengers, we found the Emirates flights very calm and relaxing. When we spotted the first tiny islands of the Seychelles from above, we were beside ourselves with excitement – only then did it really sink in that we would soon be landing on these dream islands.
When we stepped off the plane on Mahé, we were greeted by the tropical heat and the scent of the sea. Delighted, we were met by our bus driver, who drove us to Victoria, the capital, on the other side of the island. From there, we took a boat to the next island. After a very turbulent crossing (we later referred to it only as ‘the vomit boat’ :D), we reached dry land again, feeling slightly shaken: welcome to Praslin!
We drove to our accommodation in the car we had hired when booking, which is certainly worthwhile on the Seychelles’ second-largest island. Driving on the left took some getting used to, and we had to keep reminding ourselves about it. We were also surprised by the 1-metre-deep drainage ditches along the roadside. By the time the first proper downpour arrived, however, their purpose was perfectly clear – and ‘downpour’ really can be taken literally here!
Praslin
The next day, we began exploring in search of the most beautiful beach for swimming. Just around 10 minutes away by car, we were rewarded with endless views of turquoise sea, white sand and enormous palm trees. Looking back, Anse Lazio was the most beautiful beach we swam at during the entire trip. The sunset was breathtaking too, and we simply could not take enough photos of it. As it becomes pitch-dark almost immediately afterwards, we were very glad that we could drive comfortably back to our holiday flat in our hire car. It is worth packing a head torch for emergencies!
Over the next few days, we met several Seychellois, and every encounter was positive. Everyone is very friendly, and the atmosphere is wonderfully relaxed throughout.
At dusk, you can also spot some of the islands’ other residents: flying foxes, which look like a very fluffy cross between a fox and a bat. You may also come across small, usually very timid geckos on the walls of houses, in all sorts of colours. A day trip to the tortoise island of ‘Curieuse’, offered by many Seychellois, is highly recommended. In the morning, we travelled there by speedboat with several other holidaymakers. The day’s itinerary was explained in English and French, after which everyone was free to explore the island independently.
One of the definite highlights was the giant tortoises, which obligingly posed for one photo or another. During our hike across the island, we also encountered crabs, brightly coloured birds and spiders the size of our palms. They took some getting used to at first, but looked amazing!
We also discovered that the most essential items of clothing for a walk through the mangrove forests are a bikini or swimming trunks. At nearly 30°C, the humid tropical air makes you work up quite a sweat, so anything else is unnecessary. After around 2 hours and plenty of worthwhile photo stops, we reached the end of the trail. A buffet of freshly grilled fish, rice, fruit and other typical Seychellois delicacies, prepared by our boat crew, was waiting to restore our energy. After a pleasant lunch break, we headed to our second destination – the boats stopped just off a small island of towering rocks, and we holidaymakers were given an hour to explore, equipped with snorkels and fins. The scenery was truly beautiful!
Directly beneath us was a beautiful reef, where we spotted all sorts of fish, enormous sea urchins and even a baby shark. Anyone travelling to the Seychelles should definitely pack diving or snorkelling equipment, as otherwise you will miss a unique part of its wonderful natural world. In these clear waters, an underwater camera is also well worth the investment.
Another sight worth discovering on Praslin is the ‘Vallée de Mai’ nature reserve, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It takes around 1.5 hours at a leisurely pace to walk through the entire reserve. You can often see the enormous ‘coco de mer’ nuts, the symbol of the Seychelles, hanging from the trees. We also discovered many other exotic plants and animals. All in all, it is well worth seeing!
La Digue
If you want to hire a bicycle on La Digue, you may need to be a little inventive, as the bikes are generally rather worn. With a little creativity and brute force, however, many a frame can be bent back into shape… ;)! Otherwise, the island is large enough to make it worthwhile investing a few Seychellois rupees in exploring the surrounding area. So we packed a few bottles of water and cycled along the island’s only road. Our destination was Anse Source d’Argent – a beautiful white-sand beach that is particularly impressive during our summer months.
Even we were swept off our feet by the enormous waves while walking along the front section of the beach. The resulting currents should not be underestimated – swimming here is a bad idea and extremely dangerous! You should also beware of the washed-up ‘blue threads’ (we speak from experience!) – what appeared to be a piece of plastic thread turned out to be an extremely painful, stinging jellyfish! Apart from that, the beach certainly lives up to its name. Its somewhat secluded location means that there are fewer tourists, allowing you to enjoy the endless turquoise sea, white sand and tall palm trees with just a handful of other visitors. Sunbathing in paradise! If there are still too many tourists spoiling the beautiful holiday scenery for you, simply walk for no more than 10 minutes through a short stretch of jungle to the next cove – and suddenly you will feel like Robinson Crusoe. La Digue also has something to offer keen climbers: if you walk or cycle along the south-west coast, the road eventually ends and you can only continue on foot. Before that, however, you pass some wonderful coves: Anse Patates (Sweet Potato Bay), Anse Banane (Banana Bay) and Anse Grosse Roche (Big Rock). When we finally set off on foot from the end of the road, we were extremely relieved that we had packed water shoes or sandals as well as flip-flops, as the scramble would probably not have been much fun without them.
Here, above a drop of several metres, you clamber, jump or crawl from rock to rock. But the effort is well worth it, as after around an hour you are rewarded with a small, usually deserted cove that could easily be described as a natural bathtub. It is quite a spectacle! Within a few seconds of a large wave arriving, the cove fills to several times its previous level, then empties again just as quickly. The only danger is that the water pulls you along quite strongly.
On the way back, we discovered a palm tree growing parallel to the ground at Anse Fourmis, with a swing attached to it – a fantastic photo opportunity!
The days flew by, and no sooner had we become accustomed to one place than it was already time to travel to our final holiday destination on Silhouette.
Silhouette
Even our arrival in the bay of Anse La Passe on the small volcanic island was something special:
Large golf buggies chauffeur you from the harbour through the village and hotel grounds, right up to reception. After a few brief formalities, you are then shown to your respective villas, which are simply incredible! So elegant and luxurious!
After admiring all the rooms, our first destination was, of course, the beach. As the ‘Hilton’ is one of only two places to stay on the island, limiting the number of tourists, we found ourselves almost alone by the sea, which lies directly in front of the villas.
The water is relatively shallow here, but it is ideal for swimming and snorkelling, as numerous coral reefs stretch along the coast around 20 metres from the shore. We therefore grabbed our snorkelling gear and spent the rest of the day watching all sorts of fish and collecting colourful shells (which, unfortunately, customs regulations did not allow us to take home…). In the evening, we dressed up a little and enjoyed the enormous and exceptionally delicious buffet at the hotel’s open-air restaurant. The next day, we explored the small village and walked along the east coast, passing the island’s old cemetery along the way. Short and sometimes very steep climbs repeatedly lead to excellent photo spots, including ‘Pointe Ramasse Tout’. Another worthwhile hiking destination is Anse Lascars. The route passes the mausoleum of the ‘Dauban’ family, crosses a coconut plantation and follows a large expanse of smooth, rounded granite. A narrow path then takes you to the two beaches of Anse Lascars.
Unfortunately, during our few days on the island, we did not manage the mountain hike up ‘Mont Dauban’, the second-highest mountain in Seychelles. However, it is recommended that you only undertake this hike with a local tour guide, as the risk of getting lost is apparently very high.
In the end, all that remains to be said is that our trip to Seychelles was an absolute dream and over far too quickly! We also never imagined that the transfers and changes of accommodation would be so straightforward and seamless – huge compliments and many thanks to SeyVillas!
So, if you are looking for white beaches, few tourists and breathtaking flora and fauna, Seychelles is the perfect destination!
Yours, Alicia
