July 2024: 3 Weeks of Beaches, Sea, Nature and Adventure!

We spent 7 nights on Praslin. We arrived at Acquario Villa in the afternoon, and our hire car was delivered promptly the following morning. We had booked self-catering accommodation, and as it was quiet in early July, we were upgraded to a very pleasant little apartment with a veranda, where we felt very comfortable. The accommodation also offers a laundry service, which we used twice. With all the activities and the warm, humid climate, we often worked up quite a sweat, so having fresh clothes was a real treat.

Generally speaking, early July is very quiet. The main influx of visitors apparently does not begin until August, or around Christmas when it is cold in Europe. A great many visitors to the Seychelles come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy. Our accommodation was by Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). As we discovered, this is one of the more expensive areas of Praslin. Restaurants closer to the jetty or airport are cheaper. However, we had dinner from the takeaway at Côte d’Or several times, and on two occasions the manager of our accommodation treated us to delicious Creole specialities prepared just as she cooks them for her own family. She made so much that we could reheat the leftovers for lunch or dinner the following day. The food was a real highlight! On Praslin, we decided from day to day what we wanted to do and, of course, also visited the ‘typical’ attractions such as Vallée de Mai, Anse Lazio, Anse Georgette... There really are an incredible number of beaches on Praslin. Some are very small and hidden away, and you might encounter a local family there – or no one at all.

With a hire car, you can simply stop wherever you like and enjoy complete freedom. However, we also saw many visitors using the bus, and as there really are plenty of bus stops, exploring the island without a hire car should not be a problem at all. At Vallée de Mai, we joined a guided tour, which costs an additional €10. It is well worth it! One of our highlights was an excursion to Cousin Island, where birds nest, and Curieuse Island. We deliberately chose a half-day excursion without a barbecue or snorkelling. July is during the south-east monsoon, and the sea was quite rough in places. This was also why we did not go diving, even though we are divers.

The weather can change quickly. It was also often cloudy. Although this is pleasant because you perspire less and are less likely to get sunburnt, the beaches naturally look much more beautiful in the sunshine. Tip: The ‘museum’ on Praslin is not worth visiting. Admission is very expensive, the ‘guided tour’ lasted only 10 minutes, and the tortoises are kept in a very small enclosure and are not particularly interactive. The Aldabra tortoises on Curieuse are the complete opposite. They roam freely, and it is great fun to watch them!

The ferry crossing takes only around 20 minutes, which is just as well. The sea was rough, so the journey was not particularly pleasant. When we arrived on La Digue, we experienced a bit of culture shock. It is a colourful and bustling beach-holiday island; people simply have a different vibe and are not quite as calmly businesslike as those we encountered on Praslin. La Diguoise has very attractive grounds. Our standard room, however, was slightly less impressive. We could use only one plug socket, and as the room was right next to the kitchen, it was noisy in the evenings and cooking smells drifted into our room. We were allowed to use the pool belonging to the larger apartments, which was fantastic! The accommodation is owner-managed, and the owner makes delicious jams from a wide variety of fruits. They are served at breakfast and are also available in small jars that make wonderful souvenirs. It would be lovely if the tortoises kept in the garden were given more space. They are always very pleased to have visitors.

We spent 6 nights on La Digue. At first, we thought that would be far too long. However, we found plenty to do, and the days flew by. We hired bicycles for the duration of our stay. They were not particularly good, but we were able to get around the island easily enough. On our first day, we cycled north from the harbour towards Chez Jules . The following day, after breakfast, our Créole representative came to see us, and we booked an excursion to Anse Marron through him for the next day. We were asked to meet opposite the hospital at 8.15 am, so we ate breakfast extra quickly. However, it was 9.30 am by the time our small hiking group finally set off. It was not an ideal start, but the tour itself was all the better. We made our way over and under rocks, and partly through the water. The tour was an experience in itself, and Anse Marron even more so. Best of all, the sun was shining that day, so the colour contrasts were at their most striking. The return walk would normally have taken us past Anse Source d'Argent , but as it was high tide, this was not possible, and we were collected by boat instead. Once ashore, everyone was given a coconut before the group dispersed. When leaving Union Estate, you still have to pay the admission fee, and entry is valid only for that day. You can, for example, go back in later to watch the sunset – which we did after having a shower at the apartment, as we were only a short distance away – but the ticket is not valid for 24 hours, despite this information persisting.

Other activities included an excursion to Anse Cocos – the walk there is also very beautiful – which takes you past Grande Anse and Petite Anse anyway, as well as a visit to Anse Patates, a very small but genuinely lovely cove. I also visited the small ‘Veuve Reserve’ park on my own, hoping to see a male Seychelles paradise flycatcher – and I was not disappointed. We had already seen a female on the way to Anse Marron.

Bird Island was a must for me on any trip to the Seychelles after I had seen a documentary about it. Even getting there on the small plane is an adventure!

As we had taken the 7.30 am ferry from La Digue – and I was very glad to be back on solid ground! – we arrived at the airport quite early and had to wait there for a while until our flight to Bird Island at around 2 pm. Each person is allowed a total baggage allowance of just 15 kg, so we packed smaller bags. Tip: There is a lounge right next to the domestic terminal at Mahé Airport where you can leave your luggage. It is not particularly cheap – we paid around €75 for 4 days and 2 pieces of luggage – but we were very glad that we could store our ‘excess baggage’ there safely. Note: Beach towels are provided on Bird Island, but towels are only changed every 3 days.

The plane lands on a grassy strip on Bird Island, so it seems only fitting that the luggage is taken to the chalet by tractor! The chalets are very prettily furnished, and every two chalets share a separate kitchen hut, which is set slightly apart because of the animals roaming freely. It was not very busy in mid-July, though: we and a family from England were the only guests. The concept on Bird Island is that dinner at 7 pm is included in the booking – and getting delicious vegetarian food is absolutely no problem at all! – while guests otherwise cater for themselves, as full board is no longer available. There is a small shop on the island, and drinking water is provided in the kitchen hut.

As we visited the Seychelles during the south-east monsoon, the sea around Bird Island was also quite lively. However, turtles were spotted while snorkelling, and I saw a reef shark from the beach. We spent 3 nights on Bird Island, and they flew by! The island covers less than 1 square kilometre, yet I still managed to walk around 50 km during our stay – or at least that is what my step counter claimed. It is simply tremendous fun to walk along the beach, watch the sea and the many birds, and look for and stroke the tortoises. We also walked along the beach in the evenings and at night, looking for sea turtles laying their eggs, as some fairly fresh tracks had raised our hopes. Unfortunately, we had no luck. On the other hand, we were there during the breeding season and saw lots of chicks waiting to be fed, both on the ground and in the trees.

Darrel, a local who has lived and worked on Bird Island for many years, gave us a truly wonderful and interesting tour of the island, showing and explaining many things we would not have noticed without him. And of course Esmeralda also deserves a mention. He (!) is one of the most famous tortoises, if not the most famous tortoise of all. Esmeralda is now well over 200 years old and spends most of his time asleep in his favourite spot.

After taking countless photos and eventually getting rather tired feet, I would gladly have stayed on Bird Island for another 2–3 days simply to read and relax at leisure. Everyone is incredibly friendly, and I will never forget our stay! We spent 3 nights on Bird Island, from Friday to Monday.

The return flight to Mahé was very straightforward. There is no security screening on Bird Island; your luggage is simply weighed again and you provide your own weight. We stayed on Mahé for 4 nights, although we had booked 5 because our return flight did not depart until midnight. Our hire car was once again delivered very punctually.

As we had already had a very active holiday, we took things easy on Mahé. We visited the capital, Victoria, twice and went to the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market to buy spices and immerse ourselves in the hustle and bustle. Otherwise, we drove along Sans Soucie Road, where various trails also begin, and spent a day on the beach at Port Launay Beach. We also visited the old prison near Police Bay. It is very well hidden but worth a visit, especially for fans of abandoned places. One can only imagine how poor the prison conditions there must have been…

Mahé is much busier than the other islands, and you need to watch out for the buses hurtling around the bends! Our hotelLazare Picault Hotel at Baie Lazare was in a somewhat secluded and therefore quiet location. The many steps up to our room also kept us fit during the final stop of our trip! Unfortunately, this accommodation does not provide beach towels, and the ‘kitchen’ really consists of little more than a fridge, sink, kettle, cutlery and cups. Breakfast was not particularly lavish, but it was tasty and filling. The staff are very friendly and polite!

Baie Ternay: Very peaceful and secluded, with only a handful of visitors. In fact, there was remarkably little litter in natural areas throughout the Seychelles!

One brief note for fellow animal lovers: We repeatedly saw a stray dog on La Digue. I fed it, as did other tourists – do not forget water! – but I could not find dog food in any of the shops. We then visited the Seychelles Pet Haven Society near Victoria on Mahé, where I spoke to the woman in charge. You can tell immediately that she cares for the animals wholeheartedly! She advised me that a tin of tuna would be better than bread. The shelter works closely with Germany and is heavily reliant on donations! As I like to know who I am donating to, we handed over the money in person. I knew immediately that the donation was in good hands there. You can visit between 11 am and 2 pm from Monday to Saturday. Anyone who has this information before travelling and would like to help can contact them in advance via WhatsApp – the number can be found online; simply add the country code – and, if needed, bring dressings and other supplies, which can be collected from you at the airport.

We had really been looking forward to visiting the Seychelles, and we genuinely experienced the liberal and open-minded outlook on life mentioned in the guidebooks. The order in which we visited the islands and the number of nights we spent on each one were perfect for us. Although I would happily have stayed on Bird Island for another 1–2 nights.

We had a wonderfully relaxing time and would once again like to thank you for the excellent travel planning and support! The transfer on La Digue could still be improved, but apart from that everything went exactly to plan, and it was incredibly pleasant not having to worry about a thing! Other guests we spoke to had chosen a different order – Mahé, followed by Praslin and finally La Digue. For us, however, this order (Praslin, La Digue, Bird Island, Mahé) was exactly right! We settled in properly on Praslin and had plenty of energy for lots of activities. We then had more of a beach holiday on La Digue, with Mahé right at the end. Many flights do not depart until late in the evening (the British family we met on Bird Island also flew back to Dubai with us shortly before midnight), and if you are already on Mahé, there is no stress at all about reaching your flight on time. So the order and number of nights were absolutely perfect for us! If you do not have a late check-out, you can shower at the airport; the showers are by the toilets between the domestic terminal and the drop-off area.

Most accommodation provides beach towels. If not, it is worth bringing so-called sand-free beach blankets. The sand is so fine that it is very difficult to get it out of the fabric again

You can withdraw cash free of charge from ATMs displaying a symbol with two hands Euro banknotes are very widely accepted, so make sure you bring some cash as well. You can also exchange euros at good rates in bureaux de change (some shops and restaurants exchange money too). All our accommodation had a safe, and we were never hassled or approached by beggars, so we felt very safe

The weather can change in an instant. A waterproof bag for your mobile phone, camera and other valuables is definitely recommended

Waterproof walking shoes are ideal for many activities.

Some accommodation offers a laundry service. We did not see any public launderettes Cent coins are very attractive but are no longer worth anything, so you will rarely receive them as change. If you collect them, however, you can exchange 1 rupee for cent coins at a bank on Mahé