Island Hopping in the Beautiful Seychelles

This year, we wanted to spend our annual long-haul holiday somewhere warm, with beautiful beaches and opportunities for snorkelling. We were torn between very different destinations, including Thailand, Vietnam, the Caribbean, Mauritius and the Seychelles. In the end, we chose the Seychelles because, despite the higher prices, we kept coming across reviews describing independent trips with stays in small guesthouses and wonderful island hopping. We personally are not really resort or all-inclusive holidaymakers, so island hopping in the Seychelles while staying in small guesthouses sounded like our perfect holiday. At first, we wanted to book everything ourselves as usual, but then we discovered SeyVillas’ excellent website. We quickly realised that we could still put together and plan everything individually ourselves, while also having the reassurance of support and assistance. This, together with the excellent help from our travel adviser, Madline Kipker, ultimately persuaded us to book a two-week island-hopping trip, including flights and even an arranged hire car – a holiday we will remember for a very long time.

Full of anticipation, we read up on the different islands and bought guidebooks, snorkelling equipment and an underwater camera. Now the holiday could begin. On 19 May 2024, the day finally arrived and we set off for the beautiful Seychelles.

Our first stop was Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles. We decided to start there because we wanted to spend plenty of time exploring, hiking and experiencing a little culture at the beginning of our holiday. Mahé seemed perfect for this.

When we arrived at our accommodation, La Résidence , relatively early in the morning, we were allowed to check into our room earlier than expected. We had a room on the first floor. We particularly liked its open-plan design and large balcony. The furnishings were not the most modern, but everything was very clean and in good condition. We had chosen the accommodation because it is in the southern part of the island, which is particularly well known for its beautiful, less touristy coves.

The very next morning, we set off on our first hike. As we had seen in the weather forecast that it was expected to be clear and cloudless, particularly between 8 and 10 am, we made an early start.

We headed to the north-west of the island. Our destination was the Morne Blanc Trail. The trail leads through dense jungle to a beautiful viewpoint that offers a superb view of Mahé’s west coast when the sky is clear.

As the climate in the Seychelles is humid, meaning that the ground and plants in the jungle are often wet, we would definitely recommend sturdy footwear that will not slip easily. Although it is not a particularly long hike – the return trip took us around 1.5 hours – the tropical climate and fairly steep ascent should certainly not be underestimated. Bring plenty of water. Because we set off so early, we had the entire trail and the viewpoint all to ourselves. By the time we returned to our car at around 10 am, things looked very different, with lots of people making their way up. So, if you would like to enjoy the peace and quiet, it is best to arrive early. After the hike, we had a delicious breakfast at the Tea Factory, where we had also parked our car.

We bought a very tasty orange tea there, which we drank with breakfast over the following days. After the strenuous hike, we enjoyed some time at the lovely Port Launay North Beach and rounded off the day with a visit to the beautiful Sauzier Waterfall.

The following day was to be a beach-hopping day. We wanted to explore most of the beaches in the south-west of the island. We visited the following beaches: Anse Soleil, Petite Anse, Anse Takamaka and Anse Intendance. All the beaches had beautiful turquoise-blue water that was perfect for snorkelling and swimming.

However, the waves at Anse Takamaka were very high that day, so some caution was needed. We particularly liked Petite Anse Beach. You do have to walk through hotel grounds to reach it, but the hotel staff were very friendly and allowed us through after we signed in at the entrance. As this was our first beach of the day and we arrived early, at 9 am, we still had it completely to ourselves. There was not a single hotel guest on the beach.

The scenery was simply breathtaking, and the southern end of the beach near the rocks was excellent for snorkelling. The same was true of Anse Soleil Beach, where we saw several colourful fish and even a few remaining patches of live coral.

On what was already our final day on Mahé, we planned to explore the south-east of the island. We visited the very beautiful Fairy Land Beach as well as Anse Forbans. In the afternoon, we wanted to join a guided tour of the Takamaka Rum Distillery. Free guided tours are offered there at regular intervals in the afternoons. For a small additional charge, you can even take part in a tasting of the different varieties of rum after the tour. We really enjoyed the tour. It was very informative and not at all boring. The distillery grounds are also beautifully designed and well maintained. We did two different tastings. I chose the lighter rums, while my boyfriend tried the stronger ones. The rum certainly had quite a kick, so afterwards we first had to get something to eat from the food truck on site. The food there was delicious.

For our final evening on Mahé, we had dinner near our accommodation at Perry's Grillz. We can highly recommend it. The curries and desserts were delicious, and the view from the hillside is beautiful. However, because the restaurant is situated on a hill, it is not particularly easy to find, so it is best to ask the local residents in the village for directions if necessary.

The next stop on our island-hopping trip was Praslin. We spent some particularly wonderful days on the beach here and saw some of the best sunsets of our lives. We decided to arrive by small plane and leave by ferry so that we could experience both ways of travelling. A quick tip if you are arriving by plane: our flight departed in the morning, and we had to return our car at the airport beforehand. It ended up being rather tight for time because we had not realised how heavy the traffic would be on the road towards Mahé Airport. We suspect that many people were travelling north along the main road towards the capital, Victoria, for work in the early morning. Instead of 30 minutes, it took us more than an hour to travel from our accommodation to the airport.

We were therefore worried that we might be refused check-in so shortly before departure. However, the domestic airport is very small, and everything is handled calmly and at a relaxed pace. So arriving 30 minutes before departure was not a problem. Still, make sure you allow plenty of time if you are also travelling north on the main road early in the morning. We really enjoyed the domestic flight over the small islands. Fortunately, there were not many clouds, so during the 15-minute flight we could admire the beautiful islands of the Seychelles.

After arriving on Praslin, we enjoyed a welcome drink and checked into our accommodation, The Old School Self Catering. We were also very pleased with its facilities and location. The only slight drawback was the lack of a balcony. This meant that we could not dry our swimming and snorkelling gear very easily. One particularly great feature of the accommodation was the Number 1 bakery on the ground floor. We started almost every morning here with delicious coffee, juice and sandwiches.

Our highlights on Praslin were definitely the beaches in the north: the world-famous Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette. We watched beautiful sunsets and swam in the crystal-clear water. The latter can only be accessed via a golf course. With help from our accommodation, which phoned the golf course, we registered our visit the day before.

Another highlight was our excursion to Curieuse and St Pierre Island. We opted for a full-day trip to both islands, including snorkelling and a barbecue. There are many different trips available to the two islands. It is best to compare which option offers the best value for you and negotiate a little with the operators, whether you choose a half-day or full-day excursion, with or without a barbecue. If you only book a ferry transfer to Curieuse, make sure you know where you will be dropped off and collected again. Depending on the location, you may need to cross a small section of the island to reach the tortoise sanctuary. We really enjoyed our tour. The barbecue on Curieuse was absolutely delicious, and we even made two longer snorkelling stops: one at Anse La Farine and one at St Pierre. Although many of the corals here have also died, we could still admire some intact reef and plenty of colourful fish. We even spotted turtles and rays on two occasions.

The stop at the sanctuary on Curieuse was, of course, also wonderful. It was fantastic to observe the giant tortoises roaming freely and to feed them. Another thing we did on Praslin was visit Fond Ferdinand, where you can admire the famous native coco de mer palms. You can also see them in Vallée de Mai on Praslin. Visiting both nature reserves would certainly be worthwhile, but we chose Fond Ferdinand because its guided tour was considerably less expensive. (The very informative tour, lasting approximately 2 hours, is included in the admission price.) Afterwards, you can also walk to a small viewpoint, which takes approximately 30–40 minutes and offers views across the whole of Baie Ste Anne. A few more words about food: Praslin also has plenty of small supermarkets, where we bought some of the food we needed for self-catering. Above all, though, we can highly recommend Leo’s Foodbus at Anse Volbert. We often stopped here for a curry, sandwich or burger. One evening, we also enjoyed a local all-you-can-eat buffet at Les Lauriers Restaurant.

The price is, of course, considerably higher than at the food trucks. However, the fish and all the salads and curries on offer were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the food, and the setting is beautiful. We had a lovely romantic dinner. Booking in advance is recommended. Everything also went smoothly here with the arranged hire car and our transfer to the next island.

Our next stop was La Digue. The island is known for being a place where you get around solely by bicycle. Cars are prohibited here. This naturally creates a completely different island atmosphere. However, precisely because the island is so famous and also considerably smaller than the previous two, some of the beaches felt a little busier to us. At times, we had to share Anse Source d’Argent and Anse Patates with more people than we were used to on the beaches in southern Mahé. Even so, they never felt overcrowded.

The world-famous Anse Source d’Argent did not disappoint. The scenery looked just like a film set from an advert. We were fortunate, however, to have sunshine and very little wind. If the wind is blowing from the wrong direction and the sky is overcast, you naturally have to accept that the scenery may not look quite as idyllic as it does online. The water is also very shallow in many places. It is perfect for lying or sitting in, but keen swimmers will probably be better off elsewhere. The grounds at Anse Source d'Argent (admission of approximately €10 is payable at the entrance) are very well maintained, with beautiful palms and small walking trails that allow you to stroll along the entire beach. We went on a fantastic Robinson Crusoe Kayak Tour, offered directly on the beach. The trip in the glass kayaks was really enjoyable, and we learnt how to open a coconut. Unfortunately, due to the large number of visitors at the beach, one of our bicycles was taken or accidentally swapped. As a result, we had to walk all the way back to our accommodation. Tannette, the very kind owner of our accommodation, was extremely understanding, and we eventually managed to find and retrieve the bicycle. Even so, we would recommend bringing a lock to avoid this sort of situation. We were also very pleased with Tannette’s accommodation on La Digue, Tannette's Villa. Once again, we had a fantastic balcony, and a delicious breakfast with fruit, juice and pancakes was even included. That was more than enough for us. It was also great that, as mentioned, we could hire bicycles from the accommodation for a small charge. If you would prefer somewhere with fewer tourists than Anse Source d’Argent, cycle to Grand Anse (the route is slightly hillier, so you should allow around 30 minutes by bicycle from the harbour.) From there, you can enjoy a short walk onwards to Petite Anse and Anse Cocos. At first, we could not find the entrance to the small walking trail. It is tucked away slightly behind Grand Anse. If you cannot find the entrance, it is best simply to ask at the beach bar. We had initially considered climbing over the large rocks at the end of the beach, which would have been completely wrong. The walk to Anse Cocos takes approximately 45–60 minutes.

At Anse Cocos, there was a delicious BBQ on offer, and you can bathe in a natural swimming pool at the northern end of the beach if the waves in the sea are too strong. From Anse Cocos, we walked a little further to Caiman Beach Bar. We had the small beach and the beach bar entirely to ourselves and enjoyed a refreshing drink.

Unfortunately, we did not go on any other tours on La Digue. However, friends told us about a fantastic excursion to Félicité and Coco Island, as well as a guided hike to the very secluded beaches in the south of La Digue, beyond Anse Source d’Argent and Grand Anse. During our kayak tour at Anse Source d’Argent, we were explicitly warned not to hike through this southernmost area alone, as the jungle is dense, it is easy to get lost or slip, and people have even gone missing there. So, if you would like to explore the area, a guided hike is probably worthwhile.

For food on the island, we can recommend Rey & Josh Café and Takeaway, where we ate every evening. The curries and fish dishes were excellent. We enjoyed delicious drinks at sunset at Bikini Bottom bar.

Our final stop was Cerf Island, where we simply wanted to unwind once more without any major excursions or hikes. As there are not many restaurants and no small supermarkets at all on the island, we stocked up on everything we needed for the 3 days on Eden Island beforehand. The small ferry to Cerf Island also departs from there. We stayed at Fairy Tern. We really liked the apartment.

We had a lovely, spacious first-floor apartment with a huge balcony overlooking the sea. The older couple who owned it were very friendly. During our stay, they were also being assisted by a younger couple who helped with the guests and management. They gave us some excellent tips about the island, such as the short hike to the viewpoint on Cerf, and also arranged a delicious BBQ for us one afternoon.

Fairy Tern also has its own kayaks, which guests can use free of charge. We paddled around the entire island in them during our stay.

We visited the islands north of Cerf in Sainte Anne Marine National Park, including the sandbank near Long Island and Île Moyenne, as well as the small Cachée Island to the south-east of Cerf. Once again, the water was wonderfully clear and turquoise-blue, and we marvelled at the many colourful fish and rays.

For us, the stay was the perfect end to our trip. At Fairy Tern, we felt wonderfully undisturbed and were able to simply unwind. In the evenings, we admired the beautiful starry sky from our balcony.

We spent our final day before flying home at a hotel on Mahé. We chose the hotel so that we could enjoy a leisurely breakfast before our flight, and because it seemed a little safer to be on Mahé on the day of departure rather than on another island. The resort was a little dated, and we had much preferred all of our guest houses. However, the breakfast was truly excellent, with an enormous selection. It was therefore perfectly fine for 1 night. The hotel also had a lovely location directly on Beau Vallon beach, and our final 1.5 days there gave us the chance to explore a little of the north of the island as well. We took the bus to Victoria so that we could also see the capital of the Seychelles.

We enjoyed our final magnificent Seychelles sunset at Beach Shak. We particularly liked the drinks at this bar.

We had 2 wonderful weeks in the Seychelles and made memories that we will probably never forget. We were impressed by the crystal-clear water and the beautiful greenery across the islands. We believe that it is certainly possible to travel around the Seychelles on a reasonable budget by staying in guest houses, self-catering or eating at takeaways. This can still provide a little of that backpacking and independent-travel feeling.

We would also like to say thank you once again to SeyVillas, who worked with us to plan a fantastic trip based on our preferences and wishes, and made us feel very reassured about all the transfers. Everything went incredibly smoothly, and if we ever travel to the Seychelles again, we will certainly be in touch.