The Seychelles and Sea Turtles
We chose the three most visited islands in the Seychelles for our trip: Praslin (4 and a half days), La Digue (3 and a half days) and Mahé (4 and a half days).
After our first night on Mahé, necessary because of our late arrival, we headed straight to Praslin aboard the Cat Cocos. We then discovered our hotel, located very close to the jetty at Baie Sainte Anne: Colibri Guest House.
The setting overlooking the bay is spectacular! The view from our chalet was superb, and the sound of the waves was incredibly relaxing. We switched off immediately!
We really enjoyed this hotel because, as well as the view, the room was lovely, the restaurant served delicious food at a very reasonable price (€25 for the set menu – it was Creole Week, and we thoroughly enjoyed the traditional dishes), and the setting was pleasant, with a beautiful infinity pool. It is all surrounded by a lovely garden, with direct access to the sea – there is no beach, but it is a snorkelling spot – and sun loungers!
Our only slight disappointment was that the photos make the chalets look detached, when they are actually adjoining and can therefore be a little noisier depending on the neighbours. We were not able to enjoy the hotel as much as we would have liked, as there was so much to do on Praslin!
We explored the island by car, visiting the sublime beaches of Anse Lazio, of course, but also the small coves in the south and deserted Anse la Blague. We also took an excursion to Curieuse and St Pierre Islet (Curieuse Marine National Park) and walked through the Vallée de Mai.
We could have done more hiking, which we enjoy – Glacis Noir, for example – after our unsuccessful attempt to reach Anse Georgette from Anse Lazio. We would have needed GPS to avoid getting lost, and as it was getting late, we preferred to turn back.
Next island: La Digue. We had been particularly looking forward to this stop because of the laid-back atmosphere described in the travel guides: everyone gets around on foot or by bicycle... This is true for tourists, but quite a few vehicles now use the small road running along the west coast, including taxis and delivery vans.
There is plenty of accommodation here, with more currently under construction... but as soon as you move away from this road, it once again becomes the island we had hoped for. It is a delightful island, small but with plenty to do: climb to the summit of Nid d'Aigle, cycle along the north and east coasts and, of course, visit the beaches of Grand Anse and Petite Anse for a swim in the waves, as well as Anse Source d'Argent.
Like many visitors, this last beach was our favourite of the entire trip! We loved the succession of small coves framed by spectacular rocks, the lush natural scenery behind them and the calm lagoon.
We preferred it first thing in the morning or at sunset, when we were almost alone and the light was soft. The lagoon is also very pleasant for snorkelling, preferably at high tide as it is quite shallow.
We even came across a sea turtle there!
On La Digue, we also did the hike to Anse Marron with a guide – a fantastic and energetic experience!
As is often recommended, you should stay on La Digue for at least three days. Our 3 and a half days proved too short to fit in an additional excursion to Coco Islet.
If we were to do it again, I would prefer somewhere set farther back from this area. We had originally wanted to stay by the sea, but the beach at Anse Réunion itself was ultimately of little interest.
Our final island was Mahé , where we stayed at Coté Sud in Quatre Bornes, right in the south, as its name suggests! It was a lovely holiday cottage featuring beautiful materials.
Mahé is just under 30 km from north to south, but be aware that with the small roads and traffic jams around Victoria, it took us a good hour to reach either the capital or Morne Seychellois National Park.
Close to the cottage is the beautiful Anse Intendance, which was rather windy when we visited!
Highlights in the south included Anse Takamaka, Anse Soleil and Petite Anse, where we enjoyed some wonderful snorkelling. We also liked the small beach at Fairyland Beach (Relax Beach) and snorkelling near Souris Island.
We loved our visit to Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden, which gave us the opportunity to learn more about the plants. We also enjoyed its peaceful setting and the restaurant’s deliciously fragrant dishes.
As nature lovers, we simply had to go for a walk in Morne Seychellois National Park.
Finally, we visited Victoria for some shopping, particularly at Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, where we enjoyed some excellent fish dishes.
We spent our final sunset – and took our final swim – at Anse Intendance, which was calm this time, with reef shark fins visible in the distance.
