A Parental Leave Journey to Paradise

We flew direct from Frankfurt to paradise in around 10 hours, travelling overnight. After taking the ferry from Mahè to Praslin, we collected our hire car directly at the harbour. Water taxi By ‘we’, I mean my partner, our 6-month-old baby and me. Our adventure for the next 3 weeks could now begin. Our plan was to go island hopping, exploring a new island each week: Praslin, La Digue and Mahè. On Praslin, we received a very warm welcome at our beachfront accommodation, Villa Anse La Blague. Anse La Blague, Praslin From there, we set off on our excursions around Praslin. Our personal highlight was our independently organised visit to Curieuse, the tortoise island. We arranged one of the taxi boats that regularly depart from the beaches, which took us to the island. We were then free to see the tortoises and follow the trail to the other end of the island at our own pace. It was incredibly impressive to observe the animals and even stroke them. The views along the trail and the fascinating wildlife are also highly recommended. Giant tortoise on Curieuse Our favourite beaches on Praslin were Anse Georgette and Anse Lazio. It is important to know that advance registration is required for Anse Georgette, which our accommodation arranged for us. You should also be aware that the route to the beach passes through hotel grounds and takes a little time and effort. But it is worth it! The view of the bay is simply stunning. The same goes for Anse Lazio. It is a wonderful place to relax and snorkel, with the chance to see sea turtles, rays and all the other marine life typical of the Seychelles. Anse Lazio, Praslin After a week on Praslin, we continued to La Digue by ferry. The island is considerably smaller than Praslin and has one very distinctive feature: the bicycle is the main form of transport. Our accommodation, Chloe's Cottage, provided bicycles for us, so we were able to start exploring the island as soon as we arrived. It is worth mentioning that La Digue is a very green island and, not least because of its relaxed traffic situation, definitely a special recommendation for everyone.Gecko The best cold drinks can be found at the ‘Bikini Bottom’ bar, which is located directly on the beach and offers a wide selection of fresh cocktails and smoothies. The island also has magnificent sunsets, best enjoyed from Anse Source d'Argent. At weekends, local people gather there too and simply enjoy life.

Our recommendation: just go with the flow and soak up the atmosphere. The waves at Grand Anse are very impressive, although they also make it too dangerous for swimming. Our highlight was the feeling of completely slowing down as we cycled around, occasionally encountering free-roaming tortoises crossing the road and always receiving friendly greetings from local people. Our final stop was the island of Mahè. We stayed directly on the beach at Jamelah Beach Guest House. From there, we were able to explore the island independently with a hire car. The island is full of energy, whereas La Digue felt rather dreamy. This provided quite a contrast for us, but did nothing to diminish the beauty of the Seychelles.

Our highlight was the Copolia Lodge Trail . Sturdy footwear and plenty of water are essential for this walk. After an hour’s hike covering 1.4 km and 500 metres of ascent, you reach a plateau with outstanding views across the island. The Takamaka Rum Distillery is also worth a visit. As well as a tasting, it offers an excellent food truck and cocktails following the complimentary tour. We found the most beautiful beaches in the north. Our personal highlight was Sunset Beach, simply because it was always quiet, offered excellent snorkelling and gave us another opportunity to experience the Seychelles’ underwater world first-hand.

Conclusion: We spent 3 incredibly wonderful weeks together as a family in the Seychelles and would like to encourage others to travel with a baby. Local people are extremely welcoming towards children, and we could not have wished for a better destination for our parental leave trip. We would make the same decision again without hesitation.View of Ste Anne Marine Park We experienced everything with our baby in a carrier. It is also worth knowing that pavements of the kind typically found in Germany simply do not exist. We would also recommend hiring a car to anyone travelling to the Seychelles, as it allows you to experience even more and embrace the adventure to the full. La Digue