Breathtakingly Beautiful Islands with a Hint of Island Adventure

Foreword

Hello everyone, I spent almost 2 weeks in the Seychelles with my girlfriend. To be precise, we visited 3 islands, and I have to admit that I did not get too involved in planning the trip beforehand. Franziska, my girlfriend (still ☺), booked everything from the accommodation and hire cars to the boat trips, which thoroughly impressed me.

About the trip

We arrived from Mauritius and were already well and truly in holiday mode. We included the Seychelles because it was cheaper to fly home from there, which suited us perfectly! We had only booked the flights for the entire trip around 4 weeks beforehand. Our aim was to spend time among the locals rather than stay in 5-star DELUXE hotels. Not because such a hotel room would be outrageously expensive, but because we wanted to experience more of the island spirit while also supporting the local community. Looking back, we certainly managed that! We caught fish and grilled them together, were invited to dinner by a local family and, thanks to recommendations from the locals, discovered lots of lovely spots.

Seybrew is the local beer – being from Bavaria, we are rather spoilt when it comes to beer, but we thought it was good. Alternatively, there is Takamaka, the island juice (rum). You should definitely try it.

In the restaurant On Mahé, where we spent 4 days, we first drove our hire car around all the Anses (= beaches), starting with Police Bay in the south. After a full day of visiting truly beautiful beaches, this one was still the loveliest. We returned that evening and, as the name of the beach seemed to predict, the police were actually there. They stopped us and warned us about the current. Once on the beach, we witnessed a rare species of turtle laying its eggs. We watched this remarkable natural spectacle in awe for more than half an hour!

On another day, we went on a boat trip with snorkelling, a beach BBQ and a visit to the tortoise island in Curieuse Marine National Park . Although the small pier in Victoria gets quite hectic early in the morning and you have to work out which boat you are meant to board, it was a lovely and thoroughly enjoyable day. We dived down to look for starfish and could decide how long our small group wanted to spend at each spot. The guides were very helpful and told us how badly the coral was doing, something we unfortunately found to be true across the Seychelles. On a more positive note, they also shared plenty of fascinating information that gave us a deeper appreciation of the islands’ beauty and marine life.

Manuel snorkelling Despite the heavy swell, a catamaran took us to La Digue. Fortunately, my girlfriend had remembered her travel-sickness chewing gum ☺ In our opinion, La Digue, the bicycle island, had even more beautiful beaches. Grin! Hard to believe, but absolutely brilliant!

Barracudas on the barbecue My girlfriend had not booked bicycles for us, and they were all taken because a large ship had docked off the island that day, so I found us a tandem from a neighbour near our accommodation. After a few initial attempts and deciding who was allowed to sit at the front, everything went like clockwork. What looked like large rocks blocking the cycle path turned out, on closer inspection, to be tortoises. Tiny food stalls kept us supplied with mostly delicious takeaway curries, because playing in the waves, cycling and lying in the sun all make you hungry. Creole food with mango salad, fish and rice on the beach is unbeatable.

Dream beach on PraslinBeach on La Digue Our final stop was Praslin, where we admired the world’s largest seed, the ‘Coco de mer’, in the national park. Afterwards, we bought a fisherman’s last fish of the day directly from his boat and brought our trip to a relaxing close. By then, certain things had become part of our daily routine: snorkelling, buying fresh fish and deciding which beach to visit that day. Here is a little tip: in the north, you can walk through a hotel complex to reach a dream beach that surpasses many of those we had seen before, Anse Georgette. Our guidebook said that advance registration with the hotel was required. After receiving no reply to our email, we simply drove there very early one morning. Following a friendly chat at the entrance gate, we were allowed in even though the guest list for the beach was already full.

The Seychelles truly impressed us, especially because you can arrange so much independently and spontaneously once you are there without having to book everything far in advance. With a little flexibility and a sense of adventure, an incredible amount is possible here. We would happily return, but after the holiday it was time to head home to the mountains for some snowboarding