Our Dream Island-Hopping Adventure on Praslin, La Digue and Mahé

On 1 November 2018, we departed Frankfurt on time with Qatar Airways, heading for Doha. After a 3-hour stopover there, we finally continued towards Mahé. Once we arrived on Mahé, we first went to what was probably the smallest baggage carousel we had ever seen. All our suitcases had arrived, much to everyone’s relief! We were immediately welcomed by a friendly member of Creole staff, who gave us information about the next stage of our journey. We then flew directly to Praslin in a small propeller plane, which took around 20 minutes. Not all the suitcases could be taken on board, as the aircraft would otherwise have been too heavy.

So we climbed into the little plane and off we went. It was an unusually bumpy ride, but still quite an experience.

Propeller plane over the Seychelles Praslin

We could already admire the wonderful islands from the air, and our excitement about the holiday ahead on these dream islands grew. The missing suitcases were delivered to our accommodation very quickly. At the airport, we were once again welcomed by a friendly member of Creole staff, who took us to our first accommodation on Praslin, the Ocean Jewels Resort. There, Sophia gave us a warm welcome and showed us around our dream villa, where we would be staying for 5 days. There were 4 of us travelling together, so we had an entire house to ourselves. Upstairs were 2 bedrooms and a huge balcony overlooking the turquoise sea. Downstairs were the kitchen, living room and guest toilet, as well as another large terrace. Beyond that was a beautiful garden, with the sea just 30 metres away.

Ocean Jewels Resort The Grand Anse is a very long, white beach where you hardly see another person. There was some seagrass on the beach during our stay, but that did not bother us. It is entirely natural and shows that the ecosystem here is still intact. The beach is simply a dream, as are the sunsets in the evening, when the sun goes down between the islands of Cousin and Cousine! We had booked a hire car in advance through SeyVillas, and it was delivered to us right on time on our first day. We immediately set off to visit the Vallée de Mai. We chose a tour with a German-speaking guide and headed into the forest beneath the dense canopy of coconut palms. It was not long before we saw the first enormous coco de mer nuts. We were even allowed to lift them ourselves and examine them closely. Our guide repeatedly pointed out birds and small lizards, and showed us the many different species of palm that only grow here on Praslin.

In the Vallée de Mai Over the following days, we took several more trips in our hire car along the sometimes very narrow roads, some of which were also remarkably steep, with gradients of up to 30% – something you rarely see! We also visited the beaches of Anse Boudin, Anse Takamaka and Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or) in the east of the island. Unfortunately, we had occasional rain showers, so we do not have any particularly lovely photos to share from here. We especially loved the south-east of the island and Anse la Blague. There was not another soul around, just us and a picture-perfect bay. We then continued along adventurous roads to Anse Consolation, where we ate the best smoked fish salad at a restaurant by the harbour. Continuing towards Grand Anse, the coastal road offers wonderful views and one beautiful beach after another. We simply stopped whenever we found a particularly lovely spot.

Anse Consolation, Praslin Through Sophia at our accommodation, we had also booked an excursion to Curieuse. We set off directly from our beach at 9 am, with just the 4 of us, a skipper and a guide. We travelled past the beautiful beaches of Anse Kerlan and Anse Georgette to Curieuse. There, we were dropped off for a swim in the turquoise-blue water before walking along a path to the other side of the island. The route led through a small forest and over hilltops with spectacular views of the islands, then down along wooden walkways through the mangroves. Finally, we reached our destination, home to more than 200 free-roaming giant tortoises. We gave them plenty of attention, and they rewarded us by staying still for some wonderful holiday photos. We were also treated to an excellent BBQ here. After our time on Curieuse, we continued to St Pierre, a tiny, picture-perfect island, for some snorkelling. We were amazed by the enormous shoals of fish. Our time on Praslin came to an end far too quickly, but the next highlight was still to come.

Giant tortoise La Digue

We were collected punctually on Praslin and took the ferry to La Digue. After a short crossing over the calm sea, shimmering in every imaginable colour, we reached La Digue. A friendly member of Creole staff was already waiting to arrange a taxi to our accommodation, the Etoile Labrine. Once again, we received a warm welcome, this time with a glass of ice-cold citronella tea. Even our bicycles were already there, just as requested. We quickly unpacked our suitcases and then set off by bicycle for what is probably the best-known beach, Anse Source d'Argent.

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue Passing countless coconut palms and vanilla plantations, we reached the beach. It was a dream. We went straight into the water and could see wonderfully colourful fish even without snorkels. The enormous granite boulders were equally breathtaking. It looked just like the familiar images from the brochures.

We rounded off the evening here with a delicious cocktail at sunset. The next day, we set off by bicycle through the little town of La Passe, passing the beautiful Anse Severe and continuing to Anse Patates. Unfortunately, snorkelling was not possible there that morning because the waves were too strong and could throw you against the reef’s sharp edges. The bay itself, however, was simply stunning. After a short stay, we continued past the beaches of Anse Gaulettes, Anse Grosse Roche and Anse Banane, stopping for a break at Chez Jules, a small restaurant with direct views of the sea. Refreshed by coconut water and a delicious meal, we continued as far as Anse Fourmis. Eventually, however, the road came to an end, so we cycled back at a leisurely pace and spent the rest of the day, including sunset, at Anse Severe.

We enjoyed some wonderful snorkelling here and saw our first sea turtle and a ray. The following day, it was time to find another dream beach, so we cycled to Grand Anse through Vallée de La Retraite, a wonderfully dense forest that provided welcome shade while cycling over a fairly steep hill. The Grand Anse is wild and unsuitable for snorkelling or swimming, as there is no coral reef protecting it, but this magnificent beach framed by granite boulders is still a wonderful place to linger.

Grand Anse, La Digue In the afternoon, we cycled back and stopped for a short break at Tante Mimi Restaurant, which was directly on our route. There, we enjoyed a delicious Creole smoked fish salad and a cool SeyBrew.

The next day, we set off for Nid d'Aigle. It was a truly strenuous climb up La Digue’s highest mountain, partly along narrow paths through dense forest, but once at the top, we were rewarded with magnificent views across the islands surrounding La Digue.

Nid d'Aigle The very next day, we had booked another boat trip for snorkelling, directly through Etoile Labrine. The owner’s father has a sailing boat, which we took to Sister Island, Felicite and Coco Island.

Once again, there were only four of us on board, along with the father and a guide, both of whom took wonderful care of us. We snorkelled at several different spots, and the guide always kept a watchful eye on us and the underwater world. This meant that, just off the small Coco Island, we were lucky enough to see a larger sea turtle and swim alongside it – the highlight of the trip for us.

On our final day, we once again enjoyed a day at Anse Source d'Argent. Our stay on La Digue and at Etoile Labrine was simply wonderful. All the staff at Etoile Labrine took excellent care of us, especially Jamal, who was there for the guests from morning until evening. The guest house also stands out for its beautiful garden, cleanliness and, above all, friendliness.

The following day, it was time to leave for the main island of Mahé. As we had come to expect, we were collected promptly and shown exactly where to go at the harbour, as our journey to Mahé was now by Cat Coco express ferry.

Mahé

After we had all made it through the crossing to Mahé without feeling unwell, our driver was already waiting for us at the rather larger harbour and took us to our final accommodation, Tropical Hideaway. Once again, we received a warm welcome, and an initial breakfast package was already waiting for us in the fridge. We were delighted by our lovely new apartment on the top floor, with views of Mahé’s enormous mountains.

We immediately headed to a supermarket around the corner to buy a few things, before going straight to the nearby Beau Vallon beach. You can enjoy wonderfully long walks along the beach here and eat delicious, freshly caught fish at one of the small stalls just behind it. The following day, we were due to collect our hire car. Unfortunately, something had gone wrong with the booking, but SeyVillas refunded us the cost without any fuss, and the owner of Tropical Hideaway lent us his car, which we used to explore the island over the next few days.

We set off towards Victoria, then continued south past some fantastic beaches. Our first destination was the Takamaka Rum Distillery . You can enjoy a lovely stroll through the garden, admire the two tortoises, Taka and Maka, and sample the excellent rums produced here. It is well worth a visit! We continued past Anse Royale, with our next stop at Police Bay, a beautiful, wild and deserted beach. However, as swimming is dangerous here too, we drove on to Anse Intendance, a 1-kilometre dream beach where we plunged into the powerful waves to cool off. We then continued to Anse Takamaka and ended the evening at another secluded bay, probably Baie Lazare, before returning to our accommodation via the pass near Anse Boileau.

Anse Intendance, Mahé Our next excursion took us to the north of the island, to North Point and Carana Bay. After driving past some lovely little coves, we crossed to the western side of the island via Sans Souci Road. We made a brief stop at the Mission Historical Ruins on Sans Souci Road, where there were wonderful views. Along the path to the viewpoint, signs provided information about the plants and several endemic species; among other things, we were also able to see a cinnamon tree here. On the west coast, we first stopped for a swim at Grand Anse, where we were once again almost alone on the seemingly endless sandy beach. We then drove north again to Port Glaud and on to Sauzier Waterfall, where some very daring young men jumped from a tree into the waterfall’s pool or slid down the steep rocks.

We continued by car along a very narrow road all the way to Baie Ternay Marine National Park. At the end of the road, we refreshed ourselves with an overpriced but quite tasty coconut – although, to be fair, there really was nothing else there. We then drove back and once again found our own deserted Robinson Crusoe cove, probably Anse Souillac: not another person in sight, just us and the crystal-clear water enclosed by granite boulders. We spent the rest of the day here.

Anse Souillac We devoted our final day to visiting Victoria. First, we explored the colourful Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, which is a good place to buy spices and fresh fruit, including delicious mangoes. Afterwards, we strolled through the streets past the Clock Tower, the colourful Hindu Temple - Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar and small shops, where we picked up a few more souvenirs.

Sadly, the next day it was already time to return to Germany, but the memories of a wonderful holiday in the Seychelles will remain with us. Once again, our heartfelt thanks to the SeyVillas team for this holiday. Everything truly went perfectly from beginning to end: the advice beforehand, the organisation of the trip, the support on site and the selected accommodation. There is genuinely nothing we could fault.

Our next trip to the Seychelles will definitely be with SeyVillas again.

With thanks from Claudia and Christian