Paradise on Earth
If, like me, you enjoy travelling the world and want to visit as many countries as possible, you will of course have heard of the Seychelles. But there are always those 3–4 countries that you think you will never manage to visit. For me, the Seychelles was always one of them. You see pictures online of beautiful white beaches and giant tortoises, but I had always associated the islands with luxury holidays and a long, complicated journey. Once you look into it more closely, however, you quickly realise that this is not the case. A trip to the Seychelles does not have to be luxurious, and although the journey is long, it is not complicated.
We opted for classic island hopping across the three main islands. Our flight took us from Frankfurt via Dubai to Mahé. Once there, we travelled by shuttle straight to the port on Mahé. After a short wait for the ferry and a journey of around 60 minutes, we arrived on our first island…
Praslin
We were collected from the port by another shuttle and taken straight to our accommodation. The journey itself gives you a taste of what awaits over the next few days: incredible beaches and scenery beyond anything you could have imagined. The next morning, our hire car was delivered directly to our accommodation. After a quick check of the car and some instructions – as some of the roads are not exactly wide and traffic drives on the left – we felt fully settled in and were ready to embark on our adventure! Our highlights on Praslin were definitely the beaches Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette. In my opinion, these two beaches are almost impossible to rival anywhere in the world.
We were also very impressed by Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or) and Vallée de Mai, with its legendary Coco de Mer palm, which is native only to Praslin. We also loved simply driving around the island and taking everything in.
We also took a day trip by boat to Curieuse, the tortoise island located just off Praslin. Alongside two snorkelling stops and lunch, the highlight was, of course, spending time with the giant tortoises that roam freely across the island. After 5 nights on Praslin, we took the ferry from Praslin to our next island…
La Digue
As soon as we arrived on La Digue, we hired bicycles from our accommodation and set off straight away. You immediately notice that everything moves at a much slower pace here, and you instantly get that island feeling. The island is considerably smaller, so you can reach almost anywhere by bicycle within just a few minutes. At least, that is true near the coast – the centre of the island was a little too hilly for us to tackle by bicycle. The clear highlight of La Digue is L’Union Estate Park and Anse Source d'Argent!
Cycling through the tropical forest is also beautiful, as is walking the Grand Anse, Petite Anse & Anse Cocos route.
You may also come across one or two giant tortoises at the Bikini Bottom beach bar on Anse Severe. After 4 nights here, we once again took the ferry, this time back to the largest island in the Seychelles…
Mahé
As on Praslin, we had once again opted for a hire car, which was delivered directly to our accommodation. After driving across the island, we were amazed by how large and varied Mahé is. You could easily spend an entire holiday here without ever becoming bored. What we enjoyed most was relaxing at Petite Anse. This beach is actually part of the Four Seasons Resort, but many people do not realise that you can still visit it. As a result, it was never crowded, and there were usually only a handful of visitors who were not hotel guests. You can simply register at the hotel gate and walk down to the beach. The path descends steeply, offering a beautiful view of the beach from above.
If you enjoy rum, you should definitely visit the Takamaka Rum Distillery . Free guided tours of the distillery are offered daily, and you can also take part in a rum tasting. For a small fee, you can sample all the different varieties – it is well worth it!
Sadly, our time in the Seychelles passed far too quickly, but we had an indescribably wonderful time here! The islands are so close to one another, yet so different. Each island has its own character and a completely different atmosphere. It is genuinely difficult to put our experiences into words, as this country cannot really be described. You simply have to experience it for yourself!
Booking our trip through SeyVillas was the best decision, as you can tailor everything to your individual preferences and budget. The process is always extremely transparent, and any questions or requests are dealt with as quickly as possible. For example, we enquired about both of our hire cars through SeyVillas. They obtained a quotation, forwarded it to us and then left us to decide. Excellent! We are incredibly grateful and happy that this holiday was made possible for us in exactly this way!
