A Wonderful Active Beach Holiday on Praslin and La Digue

Sunday, 17.09. – Day 1

After changing planes in Abu Dhabi, we land on Mahé on Sunday morning. From there, we continue straight on to Praslin with Air Seychelles. Once we arrive at the airport, we take a taxi to our first accommodation: L'Hirondelle near Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). The room is spacious, with a fully equipped kitchen, a balcony and a large bathroom. As we are still quite tired from the journey, we only take a stroll along Anse Volbert today before heading out for fish in the evening.

Monday, 18.09. – Day 2

On our first full day on Praslin, the original plan is to head straight to the well-known Anse Lazio. However, as we have not quite worked out the bus timetable yet and the bus travelling in the opposite direction arrives first, we spontaneously decide to head towards Mount Plaisir instead. Once we arrive at Mt. Plaisir, we set off on our first hike towards Anse Georgette. We spend the day there enjoying the lovely weather and sipping the odd coconut. In the evening, we pick up a takeaway from MA’s Takeaway and eat it on our hotel balcony overlooking the sea. And so, the first wonderful day of our holiday comes to an end.

Anse Georgette, Praslin

Tuesday, 19.09. – Day 3

Today, we really do make it! This time, we catch the right bus and spend the day at Anse Lazio. With our hammocks in tow, we make ourselves comfortable on the beach and pass the time snorkelling, taking photos and relaxing. In the evening, we pick up another takeaway and eat it directly on the beach this time. To round off the day, we enjoy the sound of the waves while tucking into our vegetable curry.

Wednesday, 20.09. – Day 4

As the weather is a little unsettled today, we make our way to Vallée de Mai. At the entrance, we decide against a guided tour and explore all the paths on our own. This gives us time to really take everything in, look out for birds and other animals, and take plenty of photos. The whole atmosphere is truly unique, and we are delighted by every animal we spot. One of the highlights is the ‘Black Parrot’. After around five hours there, we head back to our accommodation and pick up another takeaway for dinner, which we eat on the beach as we did the previous evening.

Thursday, 21.09. – Day 5

Today, we are already leaving our first accommodation. Before we do, however, we get up very early and enjoy the sunrise at Anse Volbert. To make the most of the day, the plan is to leave our luggage at the accommodation and head towards Anse Lazio once more. However, we are caught out by the rain, so we change our plans once we arrive and return to L’Hirondelle early. Even after checking out, we are still able to shower and change on the ground floor beside reception before taking a taxi to our next accommodation in Grande Anse. Our next accommodation, the Beach Villa Guesthouse, is also beautiful and directly on the beach: from the terrace of our bungalow, we have a direct view of the beach and the sea. Once we have arrived, we decide to take a stroll along Grand Anse. In the evening, we round off the day with the catch of the day at Breeze Garden restaurant, around a 10-minute walk away. Really delicious food and friendly service!

Friday, 22.09. – Day 6

Today, we travel by boat to Curieuse Island with the owner of our accommodation and a group of other guests. First, we visit the giant tortoises and have time to stroke them and take photos. Afterwards, we follow a well-maintained trail towards Anse St. Jose, where we have a barbecue for lunch. The food here is also really good, with a selection of salads, freshly grilled fish and meat, accompanied by rice. We then continue by boat to St. Pierre Island, although unfortunately the rough seas mean that snorkelling is not possible today. We therefore carry on to Petite Anse Lazio, where anyone who wishes can go snorkelling. At around 16:30, we return to the Beach Villa and are glad that we joined the excursion.

Curieuse

Saturday, 23.09. – Day 7

Today, we take the bus back to the other end of the island and then hike the Anse Lazio & Anse Georgette Trail . The humidity makes the hike rather sweaty, but the views definitely make it worthwhile. We spend the rest of the day relaxing at Anse Georgette.

Hike to Anse Georgette

Sunday, 24.09. – Day 8

The plan today is to travel to Anse Lazio and spend the day there. However, when we arrive at the final bus stop, it begins raining so heavily that we take shelter at the stop. When it still has not stopped after 30 minutes, we decide to board the next bus back and return to our accommodation. We spend a wonderfully relaxing day there, reading and listening to music on the hotel’s sunloungers on the beach, before taking another afternoon stroll along Grand Anse as far as the airport.

Monday, 25.09. – Day 9

After breakfast, which is always really delicious and beautifully presented, by the way, we set off towards Fond Ferdinand. The steps up to the viewpoint are strenuous, but the view of Baie Sainte Anne makes it worth persevering to the end. In the late afternoon, we stroll along Grand Anse again until we reach a large piece of wood lying directly on the beach. We watch the sunset there and take photos. Tip: make sure you bring torches for the return journey so you can find your way back easily in the dark.

Fond Ferdinand, Praslin

Tuesday, 26.09. – Day 10

Our last day on Praslin! Our time on Praslin has been wonderful, but it is time to move on. Today, we take the ferry from Praslin to La Digue, where we walk for 10 minutes from the harbour to our third and final accommodation,Fleur de Lys. The property consists of several detached bungalows, each with a fully equipped kitchen, a terrace, and separate living room and bedroom. The bathroom is also very spacious. Bicycles, including locks, can be hired directly from the accommodation, which we do straight away. We explore the island by bicycle, first riding all the way west to Anse Fourmis. We then turn around and head in the other direction to Grande Anse, where we treat ourselves to a coconut. The beach is less suitable for swimming, but its rough waves make it all the more beautiful to visit.

Wednesday, 27.09. – Day 11

Today means an early start – the alarm goes off at 4.50 am, and shortly after 6 am we set off on today’s hike from Anse Source d'Argent. Getting up early and visiting the beach first thing is certainly worthwhile – apart from two other people, we are the first and only ones on this dream beach! Truly unique. We then begin our circuit of the south, which we plan to tackle independently today. Starting from Source d’Argent, we hike towards Anse Marron and on to Grande Anse. The path is sometimes very difficult to find, but a hiking app helps us navigate quite well. Only the final stretch shortly before Grande Anse is relatively difficult to negotiate, with lots of rocks and several very narrow sections to clamber through. There is certainly a reason why this tour is generally only recommended with a guide; however, if you are fit and experienced, are prepared to be a little creative with route-finding and follow the route on the hiking app, you can manage it independently. Most importantly, set off early and at low tide, and take enough food and drink with you! The route can also be walked in the opposite direction, starting from Grande Anse; all the guided groups we met coming towards us were walking that way. Once we reach Grande Anse, we first take some time to relax before rounding off this long and eventful day at the Italian restaurant Le Repaire in the evening.

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue

Thursday, 28.09. – Day 12

After breakfast, which is brought directly to our terrace here, we set off by bicycle towards Grande Anse. We lock up the bicycles there and continue on foot along the Caiman Trail to Anse Cocos. When we arrive, we are delighted by this beautiful beach and pleased to find the natural pool, where it is safe to swim. As the waves grow increasingly high in the afternoon, we pack up our things, stop for a fresh lime juice at Cocos Beach Bar and then cycle back to our accommodation. Once again, we enjoy the excellent pizza at the popular Le Repaire (Le Repaire Boutique Hotel).

Friday, 29.09. – Day 13

Today, we get back on our bicycles and cycle as far as Anse Fourmis, where we leave them and follow the path towards Anse Caïman . After only a few metres, however, the path consists entirely of large rocks and involves quite a bit of climbing, so we simply enjoy the lovely view from a larger rock and then turn back, as our energy is gradually running out. Instead, we decide to spend the day at Source d’Argent. In the evening, we treat ourselves to another meal from Julie’s Takeaway and eat our curry at the accommodation.

Saturday, 30.09. – Day 14

As it is raining today, we first spend a little time relaxing at the accommodation. As soon as the weather improves slightly, we get back on our bicycles and spend the rest of the day at Anse Severe, where we sip a drink at Bikini Bottom Bar, right on the beach, in the afternoon. To raise a final toast to all the impressions and experiences of the past two weeks, we return to Le Repaire for dinner one last time.

Sunday, 01.10. – Day 15

After two wonderful weeks, our holiday comes to an end. We take the ferry directly from La Digue to Mahé, followed by a well-organised shuttle service from the harbour straight to the airport. There are free showers available there, which are relatively clean and were very welcome before the long flight home. Conclusion: Praslin and La Digue are two beautiful islands with dream beaches, numerous hiking opportunities and friendly people. Personally, we found that two weeks was certainly enough for these two relatively small islands, but we were still glad to have had so much time there. It allowed us to explore everything thoroughly and truly soak up the atmosphere of both islands. We can therefore wholeheartedly recommend Praslin and La Digue!