The perfect mix of beaches, food and animals

My wife and I spent 11 nights on the Seychelles and took the opportunity to visit 3 islands - Praslin, La Digue and Mahé. It is hard to say which one we liked most as all of them have their charm and their outstanding beaches and locations. However, there are some recommendations we want to share with others who think about booking a trip to the Seychelles. Heads up - book it! :)

Beaches

Depending on what you look for, there is a beach for every preference. Long white sandy beaches where you can easily walk into the water on sand and swim in blue and calm waters are Beau Vallonon Mahé, Grand Anse on La Digue and Anse Lazio on Praslin. All of them can be also easily reached by car/bike so there is no need to walk much.Smaller bays with aesthetic rocks on each side and pools that allow for snorkeling are Anse Royale on Mahé, Anse Cocos (the third of three beaches that can only be reached via hiking, bring plenty of water) on La Digue, Anse Georgette (registration needed at Hotel Lemuria) on Praslin. Be aware that you will need water slippers to enter the sea comfortably and some are quite wavy and have a longer (walk-only) way to get there. But you will be rewarded! White sand, blue sea and very few people can be found on Mahé at Anse Intendance, on La Digue at Petit Anse and on Praslin at Anse la Blague. Most of them do not have any facilities, so bring your own food and drinks. Anse Royale

Sites to visit

Of course you come to the Seychelles to see the fabulous beaches but there are some other places we found quite worth visiting. On Praslin visit the “small sister” of the famous Vallée de Mai parc - Fond Ferdinand. You will get to see many Coco de Mer plants plus additionally an exceptional viewpoint and many more plant species like cinnamon and nutmeg. At the site, there are some tortoises to see and they offer free guided tours (around 3hrs, hike up 700 steps to the viewpoint). Viewpoint Fond Ferdinand On La Digue the Union Estate surrounding the famous Anse Source d'Argent is a nice display of vanilla plantations, coconut production, antique houses and, again, tortoises in a closed area. On Mahé you have a variety of diving schools that offer taking you to nice sites. Check out their schedules, most of them go to the famous St Anne Marine park, but also other places where you see corals coming back to life in all different forms and colors. Anse Severe, La Digue

Animals

Different to what we thought, there are very few stray dogs and cats on the islands. We were happy to see the occasional friendly cat close to restaurants. Birds are everywhere and also fruit bats circle around when sunset approaches. Look out for the endemic green gecko on trees - a cute but fast companion. Tortoise Wild tortoises we saw only on La Digue close to the Bikini Bottom Bar in the northern part. Held in closed environments are some at the Fond Ferdinand Park (Praslin) and the Raffles Hotel (Praslin) and the Union Estate (La Digue). Submarine life is coming back after quite some destruction due to storms and global warming. Happy to see that some places look really healthy with different kinds of corral and fish. You will see parrot fish, angel fish, doctor fish, snappers, trumpet fish and if you are lucky also turtles, sharks, murray eels and “Nemo and Dorie”, depending on the season. We recommend here Anse de Blague on Praslin, Anse Coco on La Digue and Felicité and Ave Maria Island (boat trip from La Digue) and Anse Royal on Mahé.

Food

Creole curries, fish and rice make up the most of the kitchen and they are delicious, no matter where and which mode of preparation you chose. We rarely had meat and took advantage of the fresh and high quality seafood that is offered everywhere. We tried different kinds of curries (prawns, fish, octopus), roasted or fried prawns, octopus or Calamari, Fish Burger and the classical fish and chips. We particularly liked the numerous take away stores where you can select from a “bar” and see what you get. Sometimes you can chose between rice/noodles/chips and you can have salad with it - always go for this as there are varieties on the Islands with carrots, cabbage, tomatoes and even mango. Food is generally not spicy and cooked well. On some of the busier beaches you can get fruits and fresh coconut to drink - always take this opportunity as the coconuts are delicious and healthy. Grab some snacks at the bakeries - samosas for savoury, coconut cake for sweet - and try the occasional sundowner with the local Takamaka rum or a refreshing SeyBrew beer. Del Place Restaurant, Mahé

The places we want to highlight are

Leo’s Foodbus at Cote d’Or, Praslin (take away, some seating there, favorites are the fried prawns and fish burgee) and Soley Kouse Restaurant Grand Anse, Praslin (small menu, grilled fish with sides, octopus in season, make a Reservation) Glorious Bakery (sweets and sandwiches, good coffee) and Avalunch (take away and dine-in, huge portions, favorites are roasted octopus, fish fingers and the salad), both at La Digue Harbour Del Place Restaurant (high end seafood, favorites are the tapas platter mix and tuna grilled, make a Reservation), Mahé and Ice Cream at Beau Vallon, Mahé (try the cinnamon ice cream)