A Holiday in the Seychelles Paradise

After taking the ferry to Praslin, we arrived at our guest house, Le Tropique, on the west coast of the island. The incredibly friendly host welcomed us with freshly harvested coconuts. The local beach was Grand Anse, which, as we had feared, was covered with some seaweed. Even so, it was still possible to swim there.

Over five days, we explored many parts of the island.

The northern coast in particular, with Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, was stunning. We were granted access to Anse Georgette on Tuesday with permission from the nearby Constance Lémuria Resort.

On Wednesday, we travelled from beautiful Anse Volbert on the east of the island to Curieuse Island in a small boat. Several giant tortoises bred on the island were already ‘waiting’ for us there. After a short stay on the beach, we set off on a short hike with a few climbs to the other side of the island, where a delicious fish and chicken barbecue awaited us.
We spent the time before our departure for St Pierre cooling off in the gorgeous bay of Anse Badamier. Afterwards, we continued to St Pierre Island to go snorkelling. Here, we were able to admire the Seychelles’ beautiful underwater world. A small sea turtle was the highlight.

In the evening, we enjoyed a barbecue on the beach, which a couple we knew who were familiar with the Seychelles had ‘booked’ with some local people. The tuna in particular was absolutely delicious.

After a lovely time on Praslin, we continued to La Digue, where we spent 4 nights at La Diguoise. The room could not be locked, and the shower had very low water pressure (according to the housekeeper, air had entered the water pump due to a power cut), so it was not the best start. However, nothing went missing, and the water pressure was restored by the second day.

But now for the island’s more enjoyable ‘features’:
These include the national park in the south-west of the island, Anse Source d'Argent with its enormous boulders on the beach, the three beaches on the east coast – Grand Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Cocos – and the excellent Gala Takeaway.
Because of the high waves and strong currents, we only went waist-deep into the water at the three beaches.

We explored the north and east coasts by bicycle, the island’s main means of transport, and Anse Patates was particularly memorable. After making our way past the small rocks in the water, we were able to admire a wonderful underwater world, including a ray.

On La Digue, we also experienced the ‘sanctity’ of Sunday – many local people attended morning Mass with their children, dressed in especially beautiful outfits. The alternation between French and English hymns during a service held in the local language was particularly interesting. At the end of the service, birthday songs were sung for six people.

After La Digue, we returned to the main island of Mahé.
The capital, Victoria, which is also the smallest capital city in the world, has the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market as its main attraction, with numerous stalls selling fruit, vegetables, fish, spices and souvenirs.
On Mahé, we stayed at Grann Kaz by Anse à la Mouche in the south-west of the island. The guest house opened in 2016 and was therefore suitably modern.
Unfortunately, there was only one small shop near the guest house, and it was closed for the final four days.

Mahé has several beautiful beaches to offer – as well as the ‘well-known’ beaches in the south-west, Anse Intendance, Anse Takamaka and Baie Lazare, we particularly liked Anse Soleil. It has a wonderful beach and sea that is ‘suitable’ for swimming and snorkelling. The only drawback is the steep path to and from the beach, which takes a little effort.

To our surprise, we encountered two small lemon sharks in the water at Anse Takamaka, causing quite a stir among some tourists. As the sharks were no more than half a metre long and posed no danger to people at that size, everyone calmed down very quickly.

We discovered another gorgeous bay at Port Launay North Beach, where the Constance Ephelia resort is located. The beautifully turquoise water is ideal for swimming and snorkelling.

On our final day, we went to Eden Island, the new reclaimed district off the coast of Victoria. Here, we managed to persuade a boatman to take us to Cerf Island for 2.5 hours.
Once on Cerf, we set off on a short hike to a viewpoint overlooking St Anne Marine National Park. From there, we had a wonderful view of the islands beyond Cerf.

One culinary hidden gem is the Surfers Beach Restaurant at Anse Parnel in the south-east of the island – we ate well there at relatively reasonable prices.
The Takamaka rum distillery in the south-east of the island, Takamaka Rum Distillery , (Anse aux Courbes) offered an interesting insight into local alcohol production.