The only thing I knew about the Seychelles was that their flag is the most colorful of all. And now I know that’s exactly how the country should be described.
White beaches, clear blue water, green forests, yellow fruit and red flowers – these are the islands they make movies about.
The Seychelles belong to the African continent and consist of more than 150 islands in front of the African coast.
The most visited & inhabited islands are Mahé, La Digue and Praslin. Because of financial reasons, I only visited Mahé – this is for sure already more than worth it!
The official languages spoken are French, English & Seychellois Creole – so pretty easy to get by as a European.
Even though it’s known as an expensive honeymoon-destination, we managed to get there “on a budget”.
Budget: 1100 EUR
Travel time: January
Duration: 6 days
Weather: 25 – 30 °C
Budget Overview in EUR for 6 days:
| Per person, when costs are split in 2 | Total (if not split by 2) | |
| Flight | 725 | |
| Accomodation | 160 | 370 |
| Car rental | 108 | 216 |
| Gas | 20 | 40 |
| Food & souvenirs | 100 | |
| Total budgetperson | 1100 |
Flights:
We flew with Emirates from Brussels to Dubai (6h), then from Dubai to Mahé (4h). (layover 3 hrs in Dubai). Depending on the time of the year, the price varies, but if you can find something affordable, Emirates is always worth flying with.
What to do on Mahé:
– Beaches, beaches and more beaches. It’s obvious: If you don’t like beaches, don’t go there. The main activities are swimming in the crystal clear water, lying on the white sand beaches and hiking through the tropical forests.
The best: Anse Royal, Anse Intendance, Anse Baleine, Port Launay/Glaud (last one touristy, but amazing).
The good: Anse aux Pins, Grand Anse
The not really worth it: Beau Vallon (too touristy), Anse Major (probably used to be great, now quite dirty because of many tourists).
– Hiking: The views and environments are amazing. Mahé consists of very steep hills, so be prepared for some uphill walking.
Anse Major trail: great trail, amazing views, leads to the beach of Anse Major, but many tourists and even construction work going on for a new resort.
Morne Seychelles National Park: Several trails starting from the main road (Copolia, Salazie, Casse Dent, Morne Blanc) – amazing unspoiled nature.
– Visit the the capital city, Victoria. Even though it’s small, it’s definitely wort a visit.
– The Mission Lodge: The French, the English, they were all there and left their marks. The colonial history is seen in the remains of a school, build for the children of the slaves.
– Tea factory: closed at the time I was there, but seemed like worth a visit. You can visit the plantation & try the tea at the café.
– Beau Vallon evening market: every wednesday evening there’s a local evening market at Beau Vallon beach. The soap-souvenirs can be a rip-off (after using them twice, the upper layer came off and we found out that it was just soap from Palmolive and not handmade), but the atmosphere and especially the food is amazing.
– Port Glaud Waterfall: a 10min walk from the main road, you can find this beautiful waterfall in Port Glaud. Not ideal for swimming, but could be possible.
How to get around: You could use the busses, but we rented a car, because sometimes the hills can be very steep to walk and to have more ‘freedom’. The roads are very good, but make sure that you know how to start and drive on a steep hill.
Careful: driving on the left side of the road! But since there’s only 1 main road around the island, this was not too difficult to get used to.
Most online companies will rent the cars for about 50 euros/day, but I found a cheaper one that’s really great: Alpha Rent A Car, contact for info and reservations via alpha@seychelles.net
The price is only 36 EUR/day, tax & insurance included. Pick-up & drop-off at the airport.
Accomodation on Mahé
It’s true – the resorts and hotels are VERY expensive. Your best option is AirBnB. We stayed at Judy’s place, called Lighthouse65, price 45 EUR/night for 2 people (+ 22 service costs & 20 eur cleaning) – which is very cheap for the Seychelles. Judy’s a very nice person and can give you some good local tips. There’s a small supermarkt nearby and the beach is almost across the street.
Another option is Kayola Self-catering appartments. The location is clean, the views amazing, but the cheapest apartement is not as spacious as Lighthouse65.
Food: we mostly got food from local shops, because it was cheaper. Fruit & Vegetables you can find at the market or at stands along the road. There’s a restaurant at the main road (crossing with road to go to the lighthouse accomodation) where we got to eat fresh fish.