A Fantastic Holiday in the Indian Ocean on La Digue and Mahé

The two of us, both in our mid-forties, stayed for 10 nights at Patatran on La Digue after a relatively tiring journey from Hamburg in early November 2017.

Hotel Patatran The standard room was excellent, even had a sea view and was perfectly adequately equipped; only the bottles occasionally tumbled out of the fridge.

We always got up very early to make the most of every minute, and I went fishing before breakfast almost every morning. The rocks in front of the Patatran were ideal for this. The only problem was that the fish were either too small to have them prepared in the kitchen or so large that they snapped my line.

Even so, it is fantastic to see the rocks lit by the morning sun and to watch dolphins from the breakfast table. Anyone who goes snorkelling first thing in the morning can see plenty of rays and swim alongside them.

Getting from Anse Caïman to Anse Cocos is quite an adventure,

Anse Caiman Anse Cocos so you should definitely pack reef shoes and not, like me, rub your feet raw on the reef at low tide while trying to reach Anse Caïman. With the dead coral and low tide, that happens very quickly.

On top of that, you then have to make your way through the jungle to reach Anse Cocos, and the 5 km as the crow flies back to the hotel takes longer than you might expect, as the tide changes every 6 hours. Another fascinating experience is switching on a torch after dark. You can see some fairly large millipedes: one kind is not unpleasant-looking and is not poisonous, A friendly millipede while the other is less friendly (its bite feels like a wasp sting).

Venomous millipede We were never bored during our 10 days on La Digue, and there was always something new to discover. The coves and their beaches are uniquely beautiful, and you can pick papayas or bananas in the jungle or eat coconuts.

We visited all the beaches but, due to a lack of time, did not make it up the mountain on La Digue even once. On a day trip to Praslin and Fond Ferdinand, you can enjoy views of La Digue from the very top and even see Mahé. We also watched the guide feeding a tame conger eel, or something similar.

View of La Digue from Fond Ferdinand By the way, never open a BiFi or anything similar on the beach at Anse Cocos, because dogs will suddenly appear out of nowhere and want some too. Oh, and it is worth mentioning that more bins should be provided there, as it is disgraceful that some people leave their rubbish all over the countryside! One thing you really must do is the tour to Anse Marron

Anse Marron, La Digue Anse Marron, La DigueAnse Marron, La Digue with Robert. He explains a great deal, although only in English, and showed us how to open coconuts without a knife.

Tour guide Robert There was so much to see on the tour, including a large shark near Anse Union .

Shark at Anse Marron If anyone knows what species it is, please let us know. The photo was taken by a drone. We even managed to photograph the Seychelles paradise flycatcher, a bird found ONLY there.

Paradise Snapper I must not forget the delicious lunch Robert conjured up during the tour. Superb! It cost €40 per person and was genuinely worth it. Even though we are adventurous, we would never have found the beach on our own. The tour takes several hours, and you need to be fit!

You should definitely follow SeyVillas’ advice regarding ‘Where am I allowed to swim, etc.?’, as the currents must not be underestimated. You should also familiarise yourself with the tide timetable, which was displayed at Patatran.

We only walked straight through Anse Source d'Argent because we were looking for seclusion, which we found wonderfully at other beaches. Oh, and you can also get cocktails on the beaches – delicious and fresh!

Tip: If you do not want to pay the €6 per person admission fee, you can walk through the water from Anse La Réunion to Anse Union at low tide. ALL beaches are technically free, but at high tide you have to cross private property, and then you have to pay.

As for our half-board, the food was tasty. It was almost the same every day, but the fish was excellent, even if it was not one I had caught myself. The only thing missing from the cold cuts was some sausage, and the jam at Patatran... well. Anyone who likes a British-style breakfast will be happy.

We visited as the south-west monsoon was changing to the north-east monsoon, and the sea was relatively calm. Even at low tide, if you look very closely, you can see moray eels in just 30 cm of water

Underwater world or watch sea snails,

Snail and even find what look like poppy-seed rolls – or rather, starfish.

StarfishStarfish If the sea looks good for snorkelling, make the most of it, because visibility will be good. You do not really need a bicycle either, as everything can be reached on foot, and you can enjoy fantastic sunsets at the heliport on the west coast.

Sunset Our 10 days on La Digue were a dream, followed by another 5 on Mahé. We hired a car for 3 days and had no problems whatsoever, because it is not Spain! The AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa was excellent. We only had breakfast there, and it was very generous; there were even sliced cold meats for me. In the evenings, we ate at various takeaways, for example after visiting Anse Forbans.

Anse Forbans We had pizza at nearby Anse Royale. Excellent and inexpensive, even if it was not romantic. There was also a small market. There is another takeaway about 150 m to the right when you leave the Avani, together with a supermarket where you can stock up on supplies.

Using the Maps.me app, we followed the Copolia Lodge Trail through the jungle all the way to the top, where there are superb views of Victoria. It is strenuous and takes around 1 hour each way, but it is well worth it. We photographed an animal there but do not know what it is.

Tour of CapoliaCapolia tour You can also have a lovely time right up in the north at Anse Machabée. On the drive back, avoid Victoria if you are not accustomed to driving on the left, as it will make you sweat even more.

The north of Mahé The bay in front of the Avani is ideal for snorkelling thanks to the protective reef.

Underwater world at Avani BeachAvani Beach Anyone determined to catch fish should walk through the woods to the next bay on the right, but watch out for the spiders.

Spider on Mahé With a little luck, you may see turtles at the surface of the water. Otherwise, you might also encounter one on land.

Giant tortoise As for fishing, we booked a rather expensive but superb big-game fishing day with Billy’s Charter. He was kind enough to collect us from Port Launay North Beach, and we caught wahoo

Wahoo and giant trevally,

Giant trevally as well as jobfish, which was absolutely delicious, and yellowfin tuna. Quite honestly, fishing is my hobby, and this was indescribably brilliant!

Us with our catch Even my wife caught something, and that is saying something. The crew were superb. They only spoke English, but they were excellent, and non-alcoholic drinks were included.

The holiday was over far too quickly. We had initially considered the Maldives, but the Seychelles were incredible! Absolutely brilliant. Another excellent touch was that, although our flight on the final day did not leave until 23.50, after taking one last sunset photo we were allowed to shower and prepare for our departure in the spa area at AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa. But first, one more pizza from the takeaway next door!

Our last sunset on Avani Beach We will be back, but first we need to save up! because our friends in the water are hoping so too

Lemon shark and those on land.

Hermit crab says ‘Bye’