A Diverse Island Experience

After flying with Ethiopian Airlines from Vienna via Addis Ababa to Mahé, we were met at the airport by a driver from Creole Travel Service, the local tour operator that works with SeyVillas, and taken straight to our first accommodation. The Beach House on Mahé is separated from Beau Vallon beach by just one road. We found a very clean, well-maintained room with a large bathroom and terrace, air conditioning and a safe. Breakfast included fresh fruit, baguette, butter, jam and coffee or tea. Scrambled eggs or a crêpe with banana and honey were also available on request.

Along the Beau Vallon seafront, there are several restaurants — we can recommend Baobabs Pizzeria, which is not too expensive and serves good food — as well as fruit stalls and takeaway stands. For around €4, you can choose from various curries, grilled fish, noodles and much more. The locals also buy their meals there, as eating in restaurants is comparatively expensive.

Takeaway on the Beau Vallon seafront – absolutely delicious! On our first day, we walked to Sunset Beach, north of Beau Vallon. It took around 30 minutes along the road, and the beach is good for snorkelling. There were also lots of fruit bats roosting in the trees above us, which we would see many more times over the next few days.

The following day, we took the bus to the capital, Victoria, and the bus journey alone was quite an experience. For just SR 5, around €0.30, you can get from A to B. The market, with its large selection of fruit, vegetables and fish, and the Botanical Gardens are also well worth seeing.

Mahé, Hindu temple in Victoria

After our transfer to the jetty, we continued with the one-hour boat journey from Mahé to Praslin. We had booked seats on the upper deck, which turned out to be a good idea, as the rough seas left quite a few passengers feeling unwell. We then changed to another ferry and reached La Digue after a ten-minute crossing. A driver was already waiting for us there and took us to our accommodation, Bamboo Chalets.

Around a 10-minute walk from the jetty, the Bamboo Chalets are set in a beautifully landscaped garden with mango and banana trees. A giant tortoise also lives there. The hosts were very accommodating, and the breakfast was excellent. There were fried or scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, porridge and avocados, as well as toast, butter and jam, plus tea and coffee. We stayed in a Superior Chalet, which offered plenty of space and a lovely terrace. The only thing we would have liked was a private safe.

One of our absolute highlights on La Digue was Anse Severe. The very first time we went snorkelling, we encountered a sea turtle, along with countless colourful fish of all sizes, of course. We admired the sunset while enjoying a fresh coconut right on the beach. In the evening, we dined at Zerof Restaurant and enjoyed the Creole buffet accompanied by live music.

La Digue is the island of bicycles. You can cycle from one beach to another in just a few minutes. On our second day, we headed straight to Anse Source d'Argent. To get there, we paid SR 100 per person to pass through the former copra plantation, ‘L’Union Estate’, with its vanilla plants, palm trees and giant tortoises. The beach is beautiful and lined with countless granite boulders. The water is very shallow, and to snorkel you need to swim quite a long way out towards the reef.

The beaches in the south-east of the island are highly recommended and especially picturesque: Anse Caïman, Grand Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Cocos. Swimming is not permitted there because of the strong undercurrents, but they offer fantastic photo opportunities. To get from one beach to the next, you walk through the jungle for around 25 minutes before emerging on the other side of the bay to enjoy the view of yet another dream beach. Swimming is possible in natural ‘swimming pools’ that are sheltered from the strong currents. In the evening, we cycled to Chez Jules in the east of the island for an excellent octopus salad.

La Digue, Anse La Réunion On our final full day on La Digue, we returned to Anse Severe for more snorkelling. At lunchtime, we tried the pizza at La Digue Pizzeria, which was reasonably priced and tasted good. We spent the afternoon at Anse La Réunion.

For the evening, we had booked dinner, including transfers, through our local representative at the island’s highest restaurant, Snack Bellevue. The route would definitely have been too steep by bicycle, and we would have had to cycle back in the dark after dinner. Bellevue Restaurant turned out to be one of the most beautiful places to watch the sunset. The view over La Digue and Praslin was breathtaking. As soon as the sun had set, Creole delicacies were served: fried fish, vegetable curry, rice, yellow lentils, fried fish fillets and bananas, followed by banana caramel with ice cream for dessert. After dinner, we were driven back to our accommodation.

The next day, we took the ferry back to Praslin – our final stop in the Seychelles. Our accommodation for the next 4 nights was Villa Bananier, just two minutes from the beautiful Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). There is also a supermarket nearby. The host was very friendly and attentive, and it felt as though we were guests in her own home. You could also book an excursion with her to the neighbouring island of Curieuse, including a BBQ, to see the more than 200 giant tortoises living there. At €65 per person, it was a fair price.

The room was spacious and had a safe and air conditioning. Breakfast included fresh fruit, juice, toast with butter and jam, tea and cornflakes. Scrambled or fried eggs were also prepared on request. Unfortunately, we were not very impressed by the instant coffee. It was also possible to have dinner at Villa Bananier for €25 per person, but we decided against it and preferred to explore the beachfront in the evenings. On our first evening, we therefore ate at Pizzeria Luca, where we were disappointed by the long wait for our food.

The following day, we took the bus to Anse Lazio, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is around a 20-minute walk from the bus stop to the beach, first 10 minutes uphill and then 10 minutes downhill – with a wonderful view of the bay. At Anse Lazio, we once again saw plenty of colourful fish, moray eels, rays, trumpetfish and even lemon sharks. However, there were also many tourists compared with the other beaches. On our final day, two dolphins even visited the bay! In the evening, we tried the excellent fish dishes at Pirogue Restaurant & Bar, a very refined restaurant located directly on the beachfront.

We spent our penultimate day at Côte d’Or Beach. It really is as picture-perfect as it looks on postcards: white sand, a sea in countless shades of blue, palm trees and views of the offshore islands. Right on the beach, you can dine at Café de Arts or stop by for a cappuccino (€5). That evening, the takeaway next to the supermarket was open, so we picked up some chicken curry.

On our final day, a couple we had befriended gave us a lift in their car. As well as Anse Lazio, we visited Praslin’s highest point, ‘Zimbabwe’, where we enjoyed a wonderful view. In the afternoon, we had actually planned to visit the Fond Ferdinand nature reserve, which is somewhat smaller but considered less touristy than Vallée de Mai. Unfortunately, the reserve was closed, so we took a detour to Vallée de Mai instead.

This nature park in the heart of the island is home to countless coco de mer palms and can be explored along various walking trails. We were fascinated by the enormous palms and their even larger fronds. We also managed to see and hear the black parrot, which is found only on Praslin. Finally, we spent a lovely evening enjoying an excellent octopus curry at Pizzeria Berjaya Praslin Beach Hotel.

Praslin, Vallée de Mai Unfortunately, every trip has to come to an end, and it was time for us to travel home. The transfer from the hotel to the jetty, the ferry crossing to Mahé and the onward journey to the airport all went smoothly and ran on time. We can recommend both the Beach House and the Bamboo Chalets 100%! The service provided locally by the Creole staff was also very satisfactory. We are certain this will not be our last visit to the Seychelles, and we hope our travel journal has given you a lovely insight into the islands’ diverse way of life.

Tips:

Pack mosquito repellent – particularly on La Digue, where there are lots of tiny mosquitoes that seem irresistibly drawn to light and drinks. Water shoes are also recommended, especially on beaches with reefs and for walks from bay to bay. Always take plenty of water with you, particularly when walking through the jungle or from one bay to another. Be sure to hire a bicycle on La Digue – it allows you to reach the next bay in no time without having to carry your beach bag. A torch is advisable when cycling in the evening.