Praslin & Mahé – Island Hopping, Underwater Worlds & Tropical Landscapes

After the crossing on the Cat Cocos ferry, we took a taxi to our hotel on Grand Anse beach. On our first day, we explored the north of the island on foot and followed a steeply climbing hiking trail to the magnificent Anse Georgette beach.

During the strenuous hike over the mountain and through the tropical vegetation, we enjoyed wonderful views of the turquoise water and white sandy beaches. Besides the Vallée de Mai National Park, which is worth seeing but rather unspectacular, the beaches are clearly the highlight of Praslin. Anse Lazio stands out in particular. We also struggled up to the Zimbabwe viewpoint in the car we hired from our hotel, although in our opinion it is not really a must, as there is not much to see at the top apart from a radio station; everything else is overgrown.

We found the most beautiful beach of our trip on La Digue. Anse Source d'Argent is truly idyllic. Local people sell coconut cocktails right on the beach, which are perfect for sipping while relaxing on the sand.

On both Praslin and Mahé, you can reach all the main sights easily and very affordably on the blue Tata buses, even though the drivers often seem to push the buses to their limits. :) We could not find a proper bus timetable, but the buses always arrive at regular intervals.

The return journey from Praslin to Mahé was like spending an hour on a rollercoaster because of the very rough seas. Afterwards, however, we were able to settle into our accommodation at Ocean View and enjoy the sunset from the balcony that evening. The underwater world in the snorkelling areas is fascinating, with plenty to discover. We took some beautiful underwater photographs at the beach by our accommodation in Bel Ombre, as well as at nearby Beau Vallon in the north of the island. Unfortunately, it was not whale shark season when we visited, but a boat trip to the snorkelling hotspots is definitely worthwhile. You can see everything from sea turtles and rays to small reef sharks. It is a truly impressive experience.

Our visit to the small but charming capital, Victoria, was also full of memorable experiences. We particularly enjoyed the market, where you can buy local fruit and plenty of fresh fish. The tea plantation was also well worth visiting. At the Tea Factory, we were able to watch the tea being dried and packaged. A visit to the Le Jardin du Roi spice garden is also recommended. There, we saw exotic fruits and plants. For these short excursions, the lovely ladies at the Ocean View guest house arranged a hire car for us for several days. We discovered a very pleasant restaurant during an excursion to the south-east of Mahé. The Surfers Beach Restaurant has a genuine South Seas atmosphere, and the food was delicious too. From there, we continued to explore the southernmost parts of Mahé. Driving to the very end of the road leading to Police Bay was well worth it. There were very few people around, and we found a beautiful, deserted beach. On the way there, we were even able to pick coconuts from the palm trees ourselves.

We had a wonderful time in the Seychelles, with excellent accommodation and very friendly people. God bless the Seychelles!