Island Hopping on Praslin, La Digue and Cerf

Praslin

The Seychelles welcomed us with rain – so much rain that we were unable to land on Mahé and had to circle the island for 1 hour. As we had booked our flight to Praslin for 2 hours after our scheduled arrival, we were already getting very nervous on the plane. Of course, however, the small domestic aircraft could not take off either, so we were able to catch our flight a little later without any problems.

15 minutes later, we landed on the (sunny) island of Praslin. We wanted to exchange some money there, as we had not had time to do so on Mahé. Unfortunately, the counters were closed for lunch. So we withdrew some money from a cash machine and took a taxi to the jetty (400 rupees). The taxi driver was very helpful and immediately informed our hotel, New Emerald Cove, that we were delayed and arranged for a water taxi to be sent. It was already waiting when we arrived at the jetty. The journey to the hotel, New Emerald Cove, takes between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on the tide (at low tide, the boat has to travel more slowly). We chose the hotel because we had read that the snorkelling here was excellent.

And we were not disappointed! During the rest of our trip, we never found anywhere with a more beautiful underwater world than this. We saw 2–3 turtles every time we went snorkelling, as well as rays, reef sharks and an incredible variety of colourful fish. There are also so-called pools in the sea, meaning that you can still snorkel there at low tide. Getting to them can be a little tricky, and you have to search for places where the water is deep enough to make your way through. But it is worth it!

Otherwise, the hotel is very quiet. We would definitely recommend booking a standard room, as these have a veranda, whereas, strangely, the superior rooms do not (although they are apparently more spacious).
However, I do not know what the situation will be like after the hotel renovation, which is due to begin in December 2017. Dinner was always very good; breakfast was the same every day, but it was fine. Drinks at the hotel are very expensive! A 0.3-litre beer costs €6! We therefore stocked up on drinks at the small supermarket by the jetty, which is a 5-minute walk away. We also booked an excursion through the hotel to Curieuse and Coco, followed by snorkelling around St Pierre. Coco is very beautiful – the birds nest on the ground, and the beach there is amazing!
Coco Island Curieuse is also well worth seeing, particularly the walk across the island. However, we cannot recommend snorkelling off St Pierre – there is hardly anything to see: few fish and no coral. We also took the bus to Fond Ferdinand once – the bus timetable is available at the hotel. However, the buses do not always keep to it. Ours arrived after 09:30 rather than at 09:00. The park is well worth visiting. Visitors are divided into 2 groups – German and English – each accompanied by a guide who provides plenty of information. You are not allowed to walk through the park on your own. After climbing countless steps, you reach the highlight: a spectacular viewpoint with magnificent views towards the jetty and across the surrounding islands!
View from Fond Ferdinand The walk takes approximately 2 hours and is easy to manage in sandals! For our journey to Anse Lazio Anse Lazio, Praslin, the lady at the ticket desk at Fond Ferdinand arranged a driver for us (400 SCR), as we did not want to wait for the bus any longer. After 6 days, we continued our journey to La Digue.

La Digue
Our accommodation was the Le Repaire Boutique Hotel, close to the harbour. The hotel is quite new and very beautifully furnished. The beach in front of the hotel is ideal for watching the sunset, Sunset at La Repaire but unfortunately it was covered in seagrass, so it was not particularly suitable for swimming. However, if you walk a few metres further, swimming is perfectly possible, and the hotel also has 2 small pools. On La Digue, hiring a bicycle is highly recommended (simply ask at reception). On one occasion, we turned right from the hotel and cycled to Anse Source d'Argent (arrive before 09:30 to beat the crowds coming over by ferry from Praslin!)
Anse Source d'ArgentBar at Anse Source d’Argent and to Fond de l'Anse (Grand Anse). On another occasion, we turned left towards Anse Severe (the snorkelling here is wonderful!) and continued along the east coast to the end of the road.
Anse Patates, La Digue There are also several supermarkets near the hotel, including a larger one (STC), with a cash machine right next door. We highly recommend Gala Takeaway in general, and the smoked fish salad in particular! You can also order a whole grilled fish here for 150 SCR (it must be ordered the day before) – it was delicious! We booked a highly recommended snorkelling excursion to the Sister Islands, Félicité and Marianne, with Jonathan from Liberty Charter. Although the underwater world was not as beautiful as it was in front of the New Emerald Cove Hotel, we still saw turtles, rays and plenty of fish. The trip also takes you all the way around La Digue, allowing you to see Villa Anse Source d'Argent from the sea. The full-day excursion costs €110 and includes a barbecue on Marianne. After 5 days, we were very reluctant to say goodbye to La Digue and continued on to Mahé. The ferry crossing was fairly calm and took approximately 1.5 hours, including changing ferries on Praslin.

Cerf

At the jetty on Mahé, we arranged a taxi, which took us to Eden Island for 200 SCR, where our shuttle boat from Villa de Cerf was already waiting. The boat journey to Cerf takes 5–10 minutes. Our accommodation – Villa de Cerf – has only 4 rooms. The 2 rooms on the upper floor are definitely nicer than the 2 downstairs, as they have private balconies with wonderful views of Mahé and the sunset. The pool is huge for just 4 rooms, and there are plenty of sun loungers. However, they are only available by the pool – there was nowhere to lie on the beach, nor was there any shade. The snorkelling in front of the hotel is also lovely, with beautiful coral to see. I also saw rays every time. We booked our excursions directly with Anna – she organised everything for us. We went on an excursion with James to Moyenne, with a snorkelling stop in St Anne Marine Park beforehand (€25 per person). You are dropped off on Moyenne and collected again 3 hours later. A path runs all the way around the island, offering wonderful views and secluded coves along the way.
Moyenne Island You also keep coming across tortoises (there are apparently 130 on the island!). Of course, we also explored Mahé on a day trip. Anna recommended Benedikt, who drove us around all day and showed us the island. We started in Victoria – the market, Hindu temple and so on – before continuing along Sans Souci Road to Mission Lodge, then descending to the coast on the other side of the island. From there, we headed south, where we stopped at Anse Parnel.
Anse Parnel We had a delicious lunch there (red snapper). The excursion costs €85 per person, including lunch. We can also recommend the walking trail on Cerf (approximately 1.5 hours there and back), which leads to the other side of the island. It is certainly a sweaty climb, but the view from the top is worth it, and the trail itself is also very attractive.
View from Cer over Baie St. Anne After 14 days on these dreamlike islands, it was already time to return to grey, cold Austria. However, the memories of this wonderful holiday will certainly keep us warm for quite some time!