The Seychelles for Solo Travellers
La Digue
18 July 2022, arrival at Mahé Airport. After almost 15 years of dreaming, my dream holiday is finally beginning here – in the pouring rain of the north-west monsoon, typical for this time of year. Over the next 10 days, I see the most fascinating beaches, go on some lovely hikes and enjoy excellent food, friendly people and delightful accommodation. However, there are a few details I wish someone had told me beforehand, hence this travel report!
The landing in the storm and rain was a little bumpy, but went well – no one can do anything about the weather. At the airport, I and several others were met by Creole Travel Services, SeyVillas’ local partner, and put on a bus for the onward transfer to La Digue. I had booked the ‘Cat Cocos’ ferry crossing to La Digue, with a seat on the upper deck. Before you are even allowed to board, however, you first have to exchange your SeyVillas voucher for a ticket at the Creole Travel Services office in the ferry terminal – amid the general confusion, I had to ask about this myself.
The ferry itself is actually quite pleasant – it has an open viewing deck upstairs and an air-conditioned lower deck. After just over an hour, the ferry stops at Praslin before continuing for approximately another 15 minutes to La Digue. I STRONGLY recommend checking the general local weather conditions before booking! According to the locals, the sea is only reasonably calm from January to May; in July, when I travelled, the sea is almost always very rough. It is fun for 15–20 minutes, but then the strains of the journey so far, the extreme humidity and everything else begin to take their toll. I ended up using 3 sick bags, as did approximately 90% of my fellow passengers. However, I would like to give special praise to the Cat Cocos crew! The staff were very attentive and patient, and genuinely did everything they could to make the crossing a little easier for us. Lesson learnt: sitting on the upper deck was a good idea; on the lower deck… well… the ventilation is better upstairs. And one thing was certain: there was absolutely no chance I would be taking the ferry back.
On arrival in La Digue, I was met by Creole Travel Services again and taken to my accommodation. A warm welcome awaited me at La Diguoise; the owner, Elodie, could clearly see what I had just been through. My room was ready within a few minutes, and I went straight into the shower and then to bed. The rooms were genuinely quite spacious, very clean, air-conditioned and quiet. Excellent! The large garden with its pool is also very pleasant, and there are several sun loungers where you can relax.
Once I had recovered from the journey reasonably well, I hired a bicycle from reception for the rest of the week – without one, you are rather stuck on La Digue. The price was more than reasonable, at approximately 10 rupees per day. I wanted to use my first ride to pick up a few essentials, only to discover that the shops close by 3 pm at the latest… So I cycled around for a while, had a little look about and returned to my accommodation for dinner. Dinner at La Diguoise is undoubtedly one of its highlights. The menu is displayed at reception in the morning, and you can place your order by 3 pm. There are 4 different main courses, served with rice and salad, followed by dessert. Dinner costs the equivalent of approximately €35 per person, which is very affordable! Excellent!
The following day, after breakfast, I set out to pick up my essentials. First, I cycled to the local MCB branch to exchange some money, then immediately cycled back to my accommodation to collect my passport, which is required… I did not do that again. Cash withdrawals from ATMs are much quicker and more straightforward. They generally only accept VISA credit cards, but you have your money in under a minute and the fee is the same (3%).
Next, I headed to the supermarket to buy a few bottles of drinking water for my excursions, and right next door I spotted a kiosk belonging to ‘Cable & Wireless’, the local telecommunications provider. Although Wi-Fi is available at all the accommodation, it is almost impossible to find in public places. As communication with Creole Travel Services, the car hire company and so on takes place via WhatsApp or telephone, and my Austrian mobile provider would have charged €3 per minute or MB, I wanted to buy a local SIM card (I had packed the SIM ejector tool needed to open my phone’s SIM tray at home). However, the kiosk cannot help with this – you have to buy the SIM card in the shop itself, directly behind it. A passport is also required for this. The card itself costs very little, but the desired prepaid credit first has to be added at a terminal, which the staff are happy to help with. Excellent! I chose a package with 4 GB of data and thought that would be sufficient. What I wish I had known beforehand was that I was only allowed to use 500 MB of it for social media (!). Although it is called ‘Facebook credit’, it applies to all social networks. I could not understand the logic behind this, but that really was how it worked. At least you automatically receive an update on your remaining allowance after every 25% used.
As I also wanted to explore the area a little, I did not always eat at my accommodation and tried several places around the island. ‘Mimi’s Cafe’, halfway between La Passe and Grand Anse, is recommended, with good food at moderate prices. The same applies to the café at L'Union Estate . I also had a very enjoyable meal at the restaurant in the Hotel Le Repaire (Le Repaire Boutique Hotel). The price was certainly at the higher end, but reasonable for the quality. On the other hand, I cannot recommend the ‘Fish Trap’ by the harbour. The food was genuinely very good, but I paid almost €70 (!) there for a main course, dessert and a cocktail. I paid €50 for the same at Le Repaire (Le Repaire Boutique Hotel) . Also very pleasant is the ‘Bikini Bottom’ bar at Anse Severe. The prices were reasonable, and the very laid-back staff also offered tips for spending time on the beach.
My head torch was a constant companion on La Digue, and later on Mahé as well. As there is no street lighting anywhere and my bicycle did not have lights either, the head torch proved to be a very worthwhile investment.
I have mixed feelings about the rain jacket. On the one hand, it rained 1–2 times every day, sometimes quite heavily. On the other hand, it never gets genuinely cold, so there is no chance of catching a chill, and I always dried off relatively quickly. So why carry the jacket around all day?
The undisputed highlights of La Digue are, of course, its photogenic beaches! As it simply has to be done, I started by visiting Anse Source d'Argent. To get there, you have to enter L'Union Estate and pay an admission fee of 150 rupees. This also includes the historic vanilla farm, which is well worth seeing! Unfortunately, you will never have the famous beach entirely to yourself – but the Seychelles are still a long way from the overcrowding you find in Italy, Greece and elsewhere! Most visitors to the national park are there shortly after the ferries arrive – day visitors from Mahé and Praslin. It is quietest shortly before the return ferries depart and after the final ferry has left.
In any case, I would recommend all the other beaches for relaxing. North of the harbour is Anse Severe, where you can watch beautiful sunsets. The beach is also suitable for swimming and snorkelling at high tide (at low tide, you need to be steady on your feet to get across the coral reef – the water shoes I brought to protect myself from sharp coral and rocks proved their worth several times during my trip!). Head a little further north and the crowds quickly thin out, so you will usually have Anse Patates and, above all, the beautiful Anse Gaulettes entirely to yourself. Access to Anse Gaulettes is a little tricky because of the sea wall beside the road, but there is a slightly hidden flight of steps leading down, opposite the studio of the artist who lives there – it is easy to find.
However, I became completely exasperated trying to find Anse Reunion in the village of La Reunion on the west side of the island. It must be there somewhere, but because the west is so densely developed, I could not find any access, or at least none that did not look like private property. Oh well, Anse Severe seems to have more to offer anyway.
As you cannot spend every day simply lazing on the beach, I decided to visit the island’s ‘mountain’, Nid d'Aigle. As an Austrian, I am of course used to rather different mountains, but this trip should not be underestimated! I first cycle towards Belle Vue until the gradient becomes too steep for me. I simply leave the bicycle there and continue on foot. Unfortunately, the trail to Nid d'Aigle is rather difficult to find – as always and everywhere, virtually nothing is signposted. In any case, it starts at Belle Vue, where an arrow points in roughly the right direction. The ascent is certainly physically demanding, especially in the humidity! I would also strongly recommend proper footwear; flip-flops are rather dangerous up there. At times, the path becomes a steep mountain trail, and there are not ladders or climbing aids everywhere, so you occasionally find yourself in ‘four-wheel drive’, scrambling along on all fours.
Once you reach the ridge, there is a viewpoint to the right (the better one, in my opinion), while turning left takes you through the forest for another 15 minutes or so to Nid d'Aigle. Essentially, it is a flat rock that you can walk or sit on. Unfortunately, when I visited, the rock was packed with tourists who simply refused to leave. After waiting for 20 minutes, I headed back. But the forest itself is also lovely to see!
After 5 days on La Digue, I continue on to Mahé. As already mentioned, I have had enough of the ferry, so I book a helicopter transfer instead. For €869, you get 3 seats and a transport allowance of 325 kg in a ZilAir helicopter. In other words, if 3 of you fly, you can split the cost. The helicopter is worth recommending not only because there is no rough sea to contend with, but also because the journey takes only around 15 minutes and the views are spectacular. Incidentally, SeyVillas refunded me for the cancelled ferry journey and the shorter hotel transfer that very same day.
Mahé
Day 1 on Mahé: After breakfast, I wait to collect my hire car. This was arranged directly by SeyVillas, rather than by Creol Travel Services or the hotel, both of which would also have offered this service. The gentleman is supposed to arrive at 9.00, but after I chase him up by phone, he finally turns up at 10.00. We inspect the car together and note down the existing damage, and I am also advised of the €20 cleaning fee charged if the car is returned with too much dirt or sand. Having learnt from bitter experience, once I have taken the car over, I get out my phone and meticulously photograph it inside and out, and do the same when returning it. However, this turns out to have been unnecessary: the gentleman from Macael Car Rental is surprisingly relaxed and friendly, and he is not concerned that I have grazed a kerb (probably the only one on Mahé…) with a hubcap – something I would particularly like to praise!
The car is a ‘Hyundai i10 Grand’ – for someone used to an old Passat, it feels like a shoebox, but never mind: I am on holiday alone, so I reckon it will be enough. A few hours later, I am already wondering whether I could get a smaller car. The roads on Mahé are generally in good condition, but they are usually reduced to the absolute minimum width and often have no centre markings. Worst of all, there is no verge whatsoever, and the carriageway is nearly always raised. In other words, the ground often drops away so steeply on both sides of the already narrow road that any mistake would guarantee serious damage to the car. Combine all this with the unfamiliar experience of driving on the left (what are the right-of-way rules here?), and it makes for a rather uneasy feeling. Fortunately, people tend to drive at a fairly leisurely pace in the Seychelles. Admittedly, nobody could tell me what the general speed limit was, despite my asking several times, but given the lack of town signs and signs marking the end of speed restrictions, it hardly matters anyway. It appears that the maximum speed is 40 km/h almost everywhere, rising to 65 km/h on a few stretches around Victoria and even briefly to 80 km/h.
To keep the dirt from my planned beach trips out of the car, I put my spare beach towel in the boot and decide to start with a short drive for practice: to Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden, the spice garden in Anse Royale. Fortunately, the route is described well in my guidebook, as signs and directions are usually nowhere to be found in the Seychelles. There is plenty of parking once you arrive; you pay the entrance fee of around 100 rupees and are then free to explore the grounds, equipped with a plant guide and a basic map. A worthwhile excursion, even if, like me, you do not have green fingers at all. However, I would strongly advise against the restaurant there: I paid the equivalent of €40 for coconut juice and a pancake (at a restaurant on La Digue, I paid around €20 for the same thing…).
Then I continued to Anse Intendance in the south of the island. There is a large, free car park and a paved path down to the beach. Nice! The beach itself is equally lovely, a magnificent photo opportunity and ideal for relaxing and enjoying the shade of the palm and takamaka trees. It was not particularly suitable for swimming due to the enormous surf, although it is of course possible for experienced swimmers.
As I still have time, I drive a little further north to have a look at Petite Anse. Following the map, I head towards the beach until the road becomes increasingly adventurous and I should really have arrived. Instead of any sort of beach access, however, all I find are the Four Seasons Hotel’s imposing walls and fences, complete with intimidating security guards, barriers and all that sort of thing. As I later discover, there is no need to be put off by this! As all beaches on Mahé must be open to the public, the security staff also have to allow ‘ordinary’ tourists into the grounds! I was advised simply to say at the entrance that I wanted to visit the bar, and then there would be no problem.
Somewhat bemused, I park a little further down the road in front of a sign reading ‘To the beach’. It turns out to mean the neighbouring Anse Soleil, which is a truly wonderful, picture-postcard beach! Strangely, you have to walk through a café to reach the beach (?) Perhaps I simply did not find the other entrances (?). Never mind: the beach itself is beautiful and, thanks to the surrounding rocks, reasonably sheltered from the heaviest surf. It is therefore quite good for swimming and snorkelling.
The centre of Mahé is my next destination the following day. My first stop is the Tea Factory, where you can take the tour for a handful of rupees. Unfortunately, the factory is not operating on the day of my visit, but you can still view the machinery and rooms at close quarters. To finish, I treat myself to an excellent vanilla tea and pick up a few souvenirs. A little further along the road is Mission Lodge Lookout – the ruins of a mission school and a viewpoint once visited by the Queen. Opposite the entrance, there is a spacious car park and the ticket office. You are then free to explore the grounds of Mission Lodge Lookout; you receive an information leaflet, while various signs explain the ruins and the site’s history. Together with the viewpoint, it is genuinely well worth seeing! Next, I want to visit Petite Anse, but I finish in the mountains far too early, so on the way back I stop at Sauzier Waterfall. You can either park at the church below or drive right to the top, where there is space for around 6–7 cars. When I was there, nobody else was around. At the very top, there is also a ticket office for the waterfall; I believe it cost 50 rupees, which is reasonable. A short, easy footpath then leads to the waterfall, where you are rewarded with a truly beautiful piece of nature!
When you are already up there, naturally you want to see a beach too! So I drive a short distance further to Port Launay South Beach, where there is convenient parking and you can visit the lagoon. Unfortunately, the associated beach is very busy with tourists, probably because of the resort located there, although it does at least offer several good bars and restaurants. At the far western end, however, I find a quiet spot and go snorkelling in the bay. Visibility underwater is rather poor that day, but it is still an enjoyable outing and the swim does me good.
As I still have time, I decide to visit Baie Ternay, a little further north. Driving there is extremely arduous – the narrow, steep road with its poor visibility offers hardly any room to pass; several times I have to reverse and pull onto the hazardous verge. Eventually, I have had enough, leave the car and walk the final 1,000 m. Along the way, you repeatedly pass the ‘homes’ of hundreds of colourful crabs, and various birds can also be spotted here. Unfortunately, Baie Ternay is a complete disappointment from the landward side: the beach is an estimated 10 m wide, surrounded by impenetrable jungle. I have no idea what the author of my guidebook saw here… The bay definitely has more to offer when approached from the sea by water taxi, which I would be more inclined to recommend (as far as I have read, they depart from Port Launay or Beau Vallon). However, if you have a soft spot for ‘lost places’, Baie Ternay is still worth a look: shortly before the bay, you will find the ruins of a village, including its church, already heavily overgrown by the jungle.
The next day, I have a trip to the north planned, which means I have no choice but to drive through Victoria, and the Seychellois way of doing things strikes again: nothing is signposted, there are no directions, the road layout is confusing, and even the satnav on my phone does not quite know what is going on. A passenger with a good sense of direction, satnav and a map would be worth their weight in gold right now! There is a large car park near the history museum, where friendly attendants are already waiting to guide you in. You have to buy the parking tickets separately from a small supermarket across the road – and the ticket only becomes valid once you have either ticked or scratched off the day, month, year and time. A pen in the car would be useful right now! I also buy a cola and give it to my attendant, who then shares a few tips with me. My first stop is the history museum, one of my personal highlights of the trip! As a huge history fan, I am probably a little biased, but you can see the attention to detail throughout the two-storey building. For me, the crowning glory is the exhibition of state gifts upstairs – fascinating and amusing at the same time! The Clock Tower is directly in front of the museum and also serves as Victoria’s main traffic hub. As I will have to pass through here later and a sizeable, confusing traffic jam has formed, I take a seat in a café and watch how the traffic flows – it was very enlightening! Afterwards, I go for a walk around the city. It turns out that all the locals I had previously spoken to about it were right: Victoria does not have all that much to offer :-D I have a look at the visually striking Hindu temple and spend a few minutes watching the activity at the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, and then I run out of ideas. So it is back to the car and onwards.
My next stop is Bel Ombre, south of Beau Vallon, which you reach from Victoria via an, as ever, narrow and winding road. I want to see the Anse Major Trail and follow the advice in my guidebook: simply drive to the end of the ‘proper’ road and park by the ‘La Scala’ restaurant. The guidebook must be a little out of date, as parking is now prohibited there... So I park in a lay-by around 100 m back along the road. You could also continue towards the Anse Major Trail along a difficult single-track road. There is space for around 10–15 cars at the start of the trail, though it was already quite busy by early afternoon.
The Anse Major Trail itself quickly becomes my absolute highlight of the trip! The path is well maintained and cleared, offering breathtaking views of bays along the coast and mist-shrouded mountains inland. The same applies here: flip-flops are not suitable! Although you do not have to scramble along the path in ‘four-wheel-drive mode’ as you do on La Digue, there are slippery rocks every few metres. At the end of the trail lies the lovely Anse Major beach. Unfortunately, it is quite busy, as water taxis also stop here, but I still manage to find a quiet spot to settle down and go snorkelling. Be aware: it is not possible to reach the beach from the trail without getting your feet wet! The sea has completely washed away the land bridge, so you have to wade through knee-deep water for a few metres. You need to be prepared for that! On the way back, I am caught in another rain shower, which eases after around 15 minutes. A little more seasoned by now, I wait until the rain subsides slightly and then continue walking in the drizzle, which is actually quite pleasant
My actual aim for the day was to watch a sunset in Beau Vallon. So I get back into the car and head north from Bel Ombre. According to the map, there is only one road, so it should be easy to find. Or so I thought... suddenly, I am back in front of the Clock Tower in Victoria... I must have missed a left turn somewhere. Once again, there are no road signs, no markings... I should have used the satnav! Since I am already in Victoria, I decide to play it safe and drive around the northern tip of the island, which is guaranteed to take me to Beau Vallon. That works quite well, and there is plenty of parking and a good selection of places to eat once I arrive. Naturally, there are also vendors on the beach, and naturally, they try to rip you off – be careful! Unfortunately, the sunset itself is a little disappointing because of the dense cloud cover, but that is hardly Beau Vallon’s fault. After dark, I drive back to Pointe au Sel. It is one nerve-racking moment after another: no street lighting, narrow roads, people and unlit bicycles in the road... driving in the Seychelles at night requires nerves of steel.
The penultimate day arrives, and what else is there left to do? So I add a visit to the nearby Takamaka Rum Distillery to my itinerary. It turns out to be very enjoyable! Free guided tours are offered 3 times a day, led by a very energetic woman in either English or French. There is plenty of information, presented with humour and a relaxed manner – excellent! At the end of the tour, you can taste the different varieties of rum, and this is the only part you have to pay for. You can buy a wristband at the till in the shop, which entitles you to take part in the tasting. At 150 rupees, the tasting was definitely worth it! Each variety is explained in detail, and water is provided free of charge. Highly recommended! I then spend the rest of the day at Anse Royale, which I can only recommend with some reservations. There is barely any shade, and the stretch of coast is rather narrow. Only at the far northern end, near Souris Island, is there a small, sheltered section of beach where the snorkelling is also very good. You can easily spend 1–2 hours there!
On the final day, I lounge around on the beach and in the garden of the Crown Beach Hotel , constantly staying in the shade and mostly wearing a top, yet I still get sunburnt – the sun is incredibly strong, and SPF 30 was clearly nowhere near enough! A nice touch: breakfast was included on the final day, as was afternoon tea, and I was also able to have a shower before leaving; this was even explicitly offered to me at check-out. I also spent quite a while chatting to the woman at reception about life in the Seychelles, which was very interesting!
During my stay in the Seychelles, I also wondered what souvenir I could take home for my mum. In the end, I found some ‘Seyte’ tea from the Tea Factory and a few packets of spices from the Jardin du Roy. Despite extensive research on all sorts of government websites, however, I could not find out whether you are allowed to take any other ‘natural products’ home with you. All I could establish was that you are not allowed to take shells, as crabs live in them. But coconut shells? A handful of sand? It was not specified anywhere. In the end, I did not pack anything else, as I wanted to avoid any problems at the airport.
One more note about the seaweed: almost everyone I asked back home advised me against travelling during the monsoon season, as supposedly heaps of smelly seaweed wash ashore everywhere. I could not find any at all on La Digue, and only the odd patch on Mahé—certainly nothing in large quantities.
