Travelling by Catamaran

We arrived at the harbour on Eden Island at midday, full of anticipation and ready to begin our catamaran tour. Unfortunately, check-in on the catamaran was delayed because the boat was not yet ready. However, the long wait on the jetty gave us our first opportunity to meet the lovely people with whom we would spend the next few days on the catamaran. When the catamaran was finally ready to depart and everyone had settled into their cabins, the sails were hoisted and we set off towards our first destination, Sainte Anne. It grew dark during the short crossing, and we anchored off the coast of Sainte Anne, where we spent our first night.

After our first night on the water, the second day brought our first real challenge: the 50 km crossing from Mahé to Praslin across the slightly rougher open sea. We could lie in the sun on deck and watch the flying fish around the boat, or read a book in a shady spot. Provided we did not get seasick, of course.
Before heading to Anse Lazio on Praslin for the night, we stopped to snorkel off the private island of Félicité. We discovered a spectacular underwater world of colourful fish, rays, small sharks and coral, or enjoyed a sunset cocktail with a generous amount of Seychellois rum. Afterwards, our chef on board treated us to a wonderful meal. The food was very good and remarkably varied, especially considering that we were on a boat.

On the third day, we sailed along the north coast of Praslin, stopping at Curieuse and St. Pierre Island before reaching our final destination for the evening, La Digue.
On Curieuse, we were able to feed the wild tortoises with bananas we had brought along and even stroke them. During a short walk through the island’s interior afterwards, we also had the chance to admire its unspoilt natural beauty. We particularly liked the many colourful crabs hiding in their burrows beneath the mangroves.
St. Pierre Island was also very impressive. This charming little island is home to a variety of animal and plant species, as well as the typical granite rocks and even a few small sandy beaches.

After spending most of the previous three days on the catamaran, we explored La Digue independently for the whole of the fourth day. We hired bicycles for €10 and used them to visit the idyllic beaches of Anse Source d'Argent and Grand Anse, as well as the island’s wonderfully unspoilt interior. Although Anse Source d'Argent is considered the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles, it was not crowded, and at Grand Anse we had almost the entire beach to ourselves.

Another particularly lovely thing about La Digue is that there are hardly any cars. Almost everyone, tourists and locals alike, gets around by bicycle.

On the fifth day, we left the catamaran after one final, excellent breakfast on board and continued our journey on Praslin. We explored the Vallée de Mai, with its famous coco de mer, and Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or) independently before travelling home.