18 Days of Hiking in Paradise

We spent a total of 18 days in the Seychelles, enjoying the wonderful weather and impressive scenery. We divided our stay between the 3 main islands. We started on Mahé, where we received a very warm welcome from Creole Travel Services. When booking, I wondered whether we really needed to reserve a car, but in my opinion, it is a MUST on Mahé. (Please note that they drive on the left.) We stayed in the south-west of the island at La Résidence. The rooms were a little basic, but everything was clean and the location was excellent.

Morne Blanc – Mahé My boyfriend and I are keen hikers and tried most of the trails. Mahé has so much more to offer than just its wonderful beaches and beautiful underwater world. Our favourites were the short hike to Anse Major, the Morne Blanc Trail and the Copolia Trail. All of these hikes offer incredible views of the island that simply have to be seen. We also enjoyed visiting the tea factory, Mission Lodge, Craft Village and the Jardin du Roi spice garden. For anyone who loves snorkelling, I would recommend Anse Soleil and Anse Royale. After 6 action-packed days on Mahé, we continued on to Praslin.

Copolia Trail – Mahé

We did not initially hire a car here, as we had planned to explore the island by public transport or on foot. After 1–2 days, however, we decided to get one after all, as it was simply much more convenient. It can take more than 1.5 hours to travel from one end of the island to the other.

Here, too, we stayed in the south-west of the island, at La Modestie Villa. Unfortunately, the location was not quite as good as on Mahé, but the rooms were lovely, the staff were very friendly and the breakfast was delicious. We particularly enjoyed the short hike over the hill to Anse Georgette, as well as Fond Ferdinand National Park.

Anse Georgette – Praslin We visited both parks, Vallée de Mai and Fond Ferdinand, and felt that Fond Ferdinand offered much better value for money. A little insider tip: there is a path near the bus stop at Vallée de Mai National Park that leads to a lookout tower. The view was absolutely incredible, and the 30-minute hike was definitely worthwhile.

Viewing tower – Praslin Anse Lazio is excellent for snorkelling; on the right-hand side of the beach, we even saw several shoals of fish. We also took a trip to Curieuse, the tortoise island. We enjoyed a delicious barbecue there, and on the return journey we stopped at St Pierre, Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, where we had another chance to swim and admire the underwater world.  We would definitely recommend this excursion. After another 6 days, we took the ferry to La Digue, which is only 15 minutes away.

There are very few cars on La Digue, and although you could technically walk everywhere, it is still worth hiring a bicycle for SCR 100 per day. We stayed at Elje Villa, and I have to say that it was easily the loveliest accommodation of our entire holiday.

Unfortunately, this beautiful island does not have a great deal to offer in terms of hiking, but it is definitely worth exploring the 333 m-high mountain Nid d’Aigle. A walk through L’Union Estate Park is also very interesting. One of the most beautiful beaches we saw across all 3 islands was Anse Cocos. It can only be reached via a walking trail that starts at Grand Anse and passes Petite Anse.

Nid d’Aigle – La Digue At the far end of Anse Cocos, there is a natural pool that is perfect for a swim. Another highlight was a snorkelling excursion with Nevis Ernesto, who took us by boat to Félicité and Coco Island. With the help of his assistant, who joined us in the water, we were even able to swim with turtles. The sunset dinner at Belle Vue restaurant was also highly recommended. Although it was not exactly cheap, it was certainly the perfect finale to a wonderful holiday.

General: As mentioned in most other reports, carrying a torch is absolutely essential! Most shops and restaurants accept euros, rupees and dollars. There are ATMs across the islands that charge processing fees of more than 3%, while others only accept Visa cards. It is therefore worth shopping around.

During our 3 weeks, we ate takeaway food almost exclusively, and we would recommend it to anyone looking to keep an eye on their travel budget. The food is genuinely very, very tasty and costs only a fraction of what you would pay in restaurants or shops (approximately €5–6 per person).

Finally, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the SeyVillas team, who planned our holiday beautifully and made it unforgettable. As I normally book all my holidays myself without the help of agencies, I was initially a little sceptical as to whether the value for money would really be right. My answer is a very clear YES! We spoke to many tourists there who had paid considerably more for their accommodation and transfers. THANK YOU so much, and we will definitely contact you again for our next holiday in the Seychelles.