Hiking and Relaxing in Harmony

After spending 5 days in our favourite city, London, we flew to Mahé with a short stopover in Istanbul. Once there, we hired a car so that we could make the most of our 5 days exploring the largest island in the Seychelles. Our accommodation was the perfect start to the most wonderful trip of our lives. Susanne, the owner of the self-catering accommodation Bel Horizon Residence, treated us to delicious fruit from her own trees every day, lent us her kayaks free of charge so we could paddle around on the sea, and she and her team were always on hand with help and advice.

Every evening, we could end the day together on the accommodation’s private beach and experience one unforgettable sunset after another.

We went on lots of hikes on all 3 islands, as this allowed us to combine discovering the incredibly beautiful flora and fauna of the Indian Ocean islands with exercise and really exerting ourselves. We adapted our sleeping pattern to the sun, getting up at 6 am and going to bed again at around 9 pm. This meant we could start the day early and often had the first attraction of the day entirely to ourselves.

On the second day, after hiking, we drove to a unique waterfall to cool off. A full tour of the island on our own, discovering and ticking off the standout beaches, rounded off our time on Mahé perfectly. Looking back, however, we can say that there is no need to visit all of the island’s top beaches if you still have Praslin and La Digue ahead of you, as everything awaiting you there will probably surpass the beaches of Mahé.

The 5 days flew by, and we took a small plane from Mahé to Praslin. We can truly recommend this flying experience to everyone. It was breathtaking to see the many little islands from afar yet still so close, and we would choose to travel this way again any time. After collecting our luggage from what might be the smallest baggage carousel in the world (see photo), a short taxi ride took us to our new accommodation.

Cap Jean Marie Beach Villas, our little self-catering cottage, was right on the beach. We only had to step off the terrace and our feet were already touching the sand. We found that overwhelming. Once again, we could enjoy gorgeous sunsets on our own beach, and before we knew it, we had spent an entire day wearing nothing but swimwear and walking around barefoot because it felt as though it were our very own beach – our own little sea in our own little sandy garden…

We also explored Praslin on foot. We could reach the starting points of many short hikes directly from our accommodation, while for the others we took the bus (incredibly cheap and definitely another exciting island adventure).

Hiking, Praslin We had no trouble visiting the island’s most beautiful beach, Anse Georgette, using a pass given to us by the owner of our accommodation. (You can only enter with a reservation, or with this pass.) Our highlight on Praslin was a full-day boat trip to Curieuse Island, where a guide took us on a walk through part of the small island and introduced us to native birds and other wildlife, the impressive mangrove trees, and vanilla and cinnamon, along with their properties. We enjoyed a delicious Seychellois barbecue there and had plenty of time to feed and stroke the giant tortoises in Curieuse Marine National Park. Afterwards, our boat took us to a fantastic snorkelling spot. It was an unforgettable day that we can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone.

Tortoises on Curieuse

The final island, La Digue, was the crowning glory of our honeymoon. Breathtaking beaches, friendly and open people, delicious food and complete peace and quiet. It felt so good! P.E.A.C.E. After all the excitement of the wedding, we were finally able to switch off completely on La Digue. We had never seen such beautiful beaches, never sweated so much while hiking and never been able to relax so thoroughly.

Sunset on La Digue We also loved our accommodation, Villa Creole. Private sun loungers on the beach and crystal-clear water with views of Praslin and Mahé. Beautiful.

The highlight of our time on La Digue was also the highlight of the entire trip. Equipped with water shoes, trainers, swimwear, sun cream and lots and lots of water, we hiked along the south coast with a local guide. We waded through the warm seawater, climbed over rocks and crawled through the mangroves. The guide not only fascinated us with interesting information about the island’s flora and fauna, showed us how to open coconuts and prepared a delicious lunch for us in a bay while we were snorkelling, but he also helped me overcome much of my fear through his love of palm spiders and his patience – I have always had a phobia of spiders. What can I say?

In the end, I even let a spider crawl onto my hand, resulting in a funny photo that we still look at again and again to remember the moment and laugh about it… And, of course, as photographic proof for our family and friends – and for you…

Spiders on La Digue

Conclusion

The Seychelles exceeded our expectations. It was important to us that we did not just lie on the beach with the sun on our stomachs for 2 weeks, but that we could also stay active, go hiking, climb mountains, snorkel and cycle. All of that is possible on each of the 3 islands, and we were absolutely delighted with our honeymoon. It was varied, exciting and relaxing all at once, and the accommodation booked through SeyVillas was beautiful.

We have already recommended the Seychelles as a holiday destination and SeyVillas as a tour operator to several of our engaged friends.

Rings in the sand