Dream Island Hopping in the Seychelles

After arriving at the airport on Mahé, we were met by Creole Travel Service and taken by private transfer to our first accommodation, Blue Lagoon in Anse à la Mouche.

We were welcomed to the property with a drink and were soon able to settle into our spacious first-floor apartment with sea views. The apartments are newly built, modern and furnished to a high standard. The breakfast we had booked was served on our balcony every morning at the agreed time.

As we planned to explore the island using the local buses, we purchased two ‘Visitor’s Card/4 days unlimited’ passes from SPTC at the airport. The bus stop was directly outside our property. We checked the timetables using the clear and easy-to-use SPTC app. The sometimes adventurous journeys added plenty of variety to our holiday.

Our first journey took us, in glorious weather, to Port Launay/ Baie Ternay Marine National Park in the north-west of the island. Port Launay, Mahé The beach was wonderful for snorkelling, swimming and relaxing. After being caught out by the tide here for the first time, leaving our beach towels under water, we planned our daily excursions around the tides using a tide app (Tideschart.com).

On the way back, we stopped at Island Cafeteria, a takeaway in Port Glaud, where we enjoyed an excellent vegetable curry and had a lovely chat with the owner.

Port Glaud, Mahé This was our first experience of the friendliness of the local people, something we encountered many times throughout our holiday.

Our visit to the KotManya Exotic Flower Garden near Les Canelles gave us wonderful insights into the world of exotic plants despite the light rain. We then continued to Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden, which we reached after a strenuous climb. We were delighted by the entire garden and its wide variety of plants. After five days on Mahé, Creole Travel Service collected us from our accommodation at the agreed time for our transfer to the jetty.

On the Cat Cocos ferry, we enjoyed the 90-minute crossing to La Digue, including a stop in Praslin, from the Upper Deck seats we had booked in advance. Upon arrival, we were once again met by Creole Travel Service and taken to La Digue Self Catering, located near the jetty in La Passe. Our spacious apartment here had new Mediterranean-style furnishings, mountain views and a large balcony. It was in a very quiet location and we liked it very much. This was the only accommodation during our holiday where we had not booked breakfast. However, there was a kitchen, and thanks to the excellent nearby ‘Glorious Bakery’ and several supermarkets, we were always able to stock up easily.

Hiring bicycles is a must on La Digue, as they allow you to reach almost any destination quickly and independently. We hired bicycles for our entire stay as soon as we arrived.

For us, the most beautiful beach on La Digue was Anse Patates in the north of the island. Anse Patates, La Digue It was breathtaking early in the morning, when we were the first visitors. This beach is also ideal for snorkelling. One unforgettable day, we cycled to the sweeping Grand Anse beach, with its magnificent white sand and large waves.

Grand Anse on La Digue From there, a jungle trail leads over rocks to the equally spectacular Petite Anse and onwards to the magnificent Anse Cocos. We strongly recommend sturdy footwear for this hike. We booked a fantastic boat trip with Jonathan Liberty Charter: a full-day excursion to Sister Island, Felicite Island and Coco Island.

Felicité The tour was accompanied by a snorkelling guide, who showed us the truly impressive underwater world off Sister Island and Coco Island, with excellent views of the coral and many different fish. On Felicite Island, we enjoyed a delicious BBQ on the beach, with freshly grilled fish, salads and chilled drinks beneath shady palm trees. We ended the day with a vegetarian BBQ and cocktails at the ‘Natural BBQ and Grill’ restaurant, overlooking the spectacular sunset above Praslin. We can also recommend the following takeaways: Avalunch, Glorious Bakery, Rey & Josh.

Early in the morning, we set off by bicycle for our excursion to L'Union Estate. The spacious grounds offer enough activities to fill an entire day.

After a seven-day stay, which we thoroughly enjoyed, we continued to Praslin aboard the Cat Rose ferry.

Upon arriving at the ferry terminal, we were once again met by the reliable and friendly Creole Travel Service and taken by transfer bus to our booked accommodation, L'Hirondelle on the Côte d’Or.

The owner welcomed us personally with chilled fruit cocktails and cool towels, then showed us our well-equipped apartment overlooking the beautifully maintained garden.

Every day, the breakfast we had booked was served on our terrace after being lovingly prepared in our kitchen by a friendly member of staff.

We also wanted to explore this island using the local buses, for which there is a new payment system via the SPTC app (for Praslin only!). You add credit to the app, then scan the QR code when boarding and the fare is deducted. From Anse Boudin, we continued on foot to the fabulous Anse Lazio.

Anse Lazio, Praslin This beach is excellent for snorkelling and swimming. Our visit to the Coco de Mer palm garden at Fond Ferdinand took us up 780 steps along the nature trail to a viewpoint with magnificent panoramic views. The climb was strenuous and sweaty, so the rain provided some welcome relief on the way down.

The boat tour we booked with ‘Starfish’ took us to Cousin Island, Curieuse Island and St. Pierre. We had the advantage of being the only two guests on the boat, which we found very pleasant. On Cousin Island, our guide, Rasta, showed us around and shared plenty of interesting information about the island’s flora and fauna. On Curieuse Island, the second stop on the tour, we were welcomed with a BBQ. Afterwards, we hiked through the mangrove forest to the Aldabra tortoise enclosure. The skipper collected us there and took us to THE snorkelling spot off St. Pierre.

Over the following days, we visited the beaches Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or), Anse Marie-Louise, Anse Kerlan, Grand Anse. For dinner, we recommend ‘Les Lauriers Restaurant (Les Lauriers Eco Hotel)/Cote d’Or’. On the final day of our holiday, Creole Travel Service once again collected us punctually and took us to the jetty. From there, the ferry took us to Mahé. Our onward transfer by bus to the airport followed immediately.

We wholeheartedly recommend SeyVillas and Creole Travel Service, as well as all the accommodation we chose! La Digue emerged as our dream island! Three weeks is the ideal amount of time for island hopping.