You’re welcome in advance for this Seychelles travel guide! I’s everything I WISH I could have read and known before I went!
If I knew what I’m about to tell you, I would have spent more days on La Digue for sure. I also would have planned my activity logistics better! I spent way more time on the main island of Mahé, and also driving around it than was needed!
We also had a lot of rain, so I wish I would have planned better for what to do if that happens! You can’t avoid it of course, but at least there’s a photo app for that 😉
So here’s all of my Seychelles travel tips, from preparation and planning, to must see and do places. Oh, and an explanation about what the hell a “butt nut” is!
The Seychelles is a small group of islands in the Indian ocean off the east coast of Africa. It’s near several other beautiful island countries like Mauritius, La Reunion, and Comoros. So if you’re going there, you may want to consider adding in a few other destinations as well!
Although Seychelles is part of the African continent, it seems much more like a European country. Probably (jk, this is a real reason) because the last people to colonize it before its independence were all European.
What’s important is to know that there are multiple islands. I’ll get to the best ones at the end of this Seychelles travel guide!
Spoiler alert: Seychelles travel is pretty expensive. But rightfully so…it is in the middle of the ocean after all.
Try searching flight directly to the Seychelles first just in case there’s some specials. If you’re terrified of the results, start playing around with Flight Roulette. Try mixing and matching your own layovers, using Dubai, Paris, Kenya, and Ethiopia as possible first legs.
To be honest, I used ALL my points from my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card for the one way back home to LA which would have been $1200 (YES, credit cards with points really can score you tons of free flights).
There’s a couple factors that go into deciding what the best month to visit Seychelles is. Usually people are concerned about warmth and rain. But you should also factor in the trade winds, which blow gross seaweed onto the beautiful beach shores.
Since the Seychelles is near the equator, it has pretty warm weather year round. The hottest months are December to April. Wet season is supposed to only be January-February, but I went in June and it rained on and off the majority of the week I was there.
It is said that April, May, October, and November are the best months for Seychelles travel. Both because of the nice weather, and low trade winds blowing seaweed in!
Yes, I would definitely say the Seychelles is safe for tourists! All of the islands are very small and laid back, and locals are very friendly.
The only thing I would suggest is keeping an eye on your belongings when visiting the crowded beaches like on La Digue. But that’s something I’d recommend anywhere in the world where there’s crowds of people!
Unless you already know exactly what you want to see and where to see it, you won’t know where to book your accommodation in Seychelles. You can find that info in the next section, but first I’ll tell you about the epic places I stayed!
Most of the time I did my Seychelles travel I stayed on the main island called Mahé. It’s where all the mountainside villas are! I haven’t seen villas this epic since the Maldives and Indonesia! But neither of those places had them perched high above the ocean like these ones!
The Four Seasons Resort Seychelles in Mahé is owned by the Prince of Abu Dhabi so you know this place is going to be baller AF. It’s basically like its own small city. There’s luxury villas and the roads to get to them embedded in the hills like a mini version of the Hollywood Hills.
To get around you get chauffeured by buggies (golf carts with extra rows of seats) that are on call at all times. Each villa has its own infinity pool overlooking the resort and beach below. They also feature an outdoor shower with the same view!
Their private beach has its very own collection of the iconic “giant wavy boulders”. So feel free to go get your photo-taking on!
Can you imagine arriving on a small plane to an island that has “Four Seasons” emblazoned on the runway? And the entire executive hotel staff waving as you arrive? Welcome to Four Seasons Resort at Desroches Island, the most thoughtfully and intricately decorated resort I’ve seen in a while!
After stepping off the plane you’ll be escorted by a short buggy ride to your own beachfront villa. Complete with mini infinity pool and several lounge areas. As I mentioned, the decor really blew me away. Especially the boho bags and sun hats they hang in the living room for you to borrow!
Take a ride around the property on the bicycles that are parked outside your villa. Then check out the placid infinity pool overlooking the beach. Then go to the white lighthouse for a birds-eye view of the ocean, and drool-worthy dinner below.
Spend a full day biking or taking a buggy around the small island of Desroches as well! You’ll see several hidden gem beaches, as well as a tortoise sanctuary! Be sure to stop and say hi if you see Desroches’ oldest and largest tortoise named George!
If you want the most royal treatment imaginable, stay at MAIA Luxury Resort and Spa. Not only did this resort have one of the most impressively designed villas I’ve ever stayed in, but it was also all-inclusive, AND came with a full-time butler!
There’s an infinity pool overlooking breathtaking views of the mountains and ocean in each villa. But, my favorite part was the separate shallow wading pool with two red sun chairs…and an outdoor bathtub in the middle of it. It’s where I had my 100th Country Party!
The spa of my dreams is also at the MAIA. It’s like having your own private jungle oasis to have a thoughtfully performed massage ritual. My oasis even had a small natural waterfall in addition to a separate outdoor shower and bath!
There’s a good chance many of you are here to figure out where those stunning, token photos of the famous beaches with the big boulders in the Seychelles are, so I’ll just get to the point. They’re mostly on the island of La Digue.
Therefore I’d have to say that the best Seychelles island to visit is La Digue if I had to only pick one. It’s also the one I really wanted to see the most. I just assumed it was remote and hard to get to since all the photos you see on social media have 0 other people in them. Don’t be fooled. La Digue is fairly easy to get to, but that also means it gets crowded.
But there’s other islands too that have more than enough reasons to visit them as well! I’ll explain the ones I went to (which are also the top ones).
As I mentioned, La Digue is the island where those Instafamous beaches are with the handsome granite boulders and crystal clear water. You can do a day trip there or you can stay overnight. Even though I didn’t (because I didn’t know how easy it was to get there) I would definitely recommend staying at least two days there.
The number one beach you probably want to see is called Anse Source d’argent. You’ll need a bike or buggy to get there from the ferry port which you can book on arrival. You’ll also to pay a small fee for entry to the park. Try to walk around and scope out the different areas for a spot that’s not crowded!
Here’s my full list of:
In case you haven’t guessed by now, “Anse” means “Beach”.
To get to La Digue, your best option is to take a ferry to Praslin Island first. Then a separate ferry to La Digue.
The ferry from Praslin to La Digue is:
You can book tickets at the ferry terminals but you should probably just get them in advance to avoid lines or possible sell outs. Visit SeychellesBookings.com to get them.
Praslin should be renamed “Garden of Eden” because this is where the famous Coco de Mer (AKA “butt nut”) are indigenous to. I’ll get into my obsession with these giant tree nuts in another post, but essentially I’m so fascinated because I’ve never seen anything like it.
The female seeds literally look like a human female’s genitals, and the male stamen looks like a penis. Well…an artistic version of one, but you get my point.
ANYWAY. Praslin is home to Valleé de Mai nature park where the ancient Coco de Mer trees are protected. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where I bought my $360 butt nut.
Seeing and buying the butt nut was definitely the highlight of my visit on Praslin. But there’s also a lot of beautiful beaches as well!
Hire a taxi to take you to Anse Georgette which has been voted as one of the top beaches in the world! It’s also hard to get to. You not only need a taxi from the ferry, but then you need to go onto the Constance hotel property. Then walk about 30 minutes to get to it unless you can sneak onto a buggy!
Anse Lazio is another beautiful beach in Praslin, but I didn’t have time to go because I needed to catch the ferry to La Digue.
That being said, the ferry information for Mahê to Praslin is:
You can book ferry tickets in advance on Seychelles Bookings.
See my full post about the Butt Nut’s below!
Mahê is the main island of the Seychelles and also the largest by an exponential amount. It’s where the main airport is and where all the glorious 5 star luxury resorts are that were listed. But there’s other things to do there as well.
Downtown Mahé is really cute, and almost reminds me of some parts of Havana. There’s a huge marketplace with various fruits, veggies, spices, and fish for sale. You can also buy things like coconut oil that come in a plastic Coco de Mer (AKA “butt nut”) shaped bottle!
Honestly, I’m including it in my Seychelles travel guide only if you have time to kill. I’d definitely suggest trying to see all the beaches and Coco de Mer trees first!
There’s also a brand new shopping center area called Eden Island that’s pretty popular. They have tons of shopping and dining options, and a marina filled with speedboats and yachts. If you’re the type of traveler that likes to shop, this area is for you. If you’re not (like me), ignore this paragraph.
For lunch, you definitely want to stop at Jardin du Roi. A lovely woman runs this property that is a mix of a spice garden, museum, and restaurant. Take a self-guided tour of the property to see all of the delicious spices that grow on the island. There’s even a small Giant Tortoise sanctuary . Then indulge in an authentic Seychellois meal of all their local favorites!
If I hadn’t been staying at the Four Seasons Desroches, I probably would have no idea the island exists. I didn’t read about it in any other Seychelles travel guide, or see posts about it. But I’m extremely glad I got to go, because this Seychelles Island is a completely different experience!
For starters, the island is very secluded, quiet, and relatively untouched. The only accommodation on Desroches Island is the Four Seasons. It’s only inhabitants are the people who work there, and a small village of about 50 people who take care of the island.
There’s a large tortoise sanctuary on Desroches Island, as well as two 100+ year old Giant Tortoises that roam freely. Be careful though, they’re used to being fed so will run up to you expecting a treat!
Desroches Island has several beautiful, pristine beaches all around it that you can get to by bike or buggy. To get to the island itself you need to take a small plane from Mahe.
That’s all for now! I hope you’ve enjoyed my comprehensive Seychelles travel guide! If this post helped you, I’d appreciate if you could help me by sharing it and leaving a comment below! That’s what makes me able to post free tips and itineraries!
Please CLICK HERE to see my Amazon list of everything I used and would highly recommend bringing! Also includes which cameras I used for the images above!
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Seychelles Tourism Board, Four Seasons, and MAIA Luxury Resort, however all awesome experiences, writing, and photos are my own!
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Hey there! New to your blog and its soooo helpful, so thank you! I am planning to do a Kenya Safari next June and then a trip to the Seychelles after. I bought the tickets already (from LA) to Nairobi, and inquired about your travel company for Kenya (waiting on a quote). My question to you is, do you recommend going to the Seychelles for the end of my visit? I am traveling with my husband (we're both 33) and our daughter (11) and Mother in Law (55). What African island do you think would be the perfect conclusion to a long safari? We're looking for great Scuba Diving (we're both certified) beautiful beaches and nice resorts. Not tied to the Seychelles, Bazaruto Island looks amazing as well. Which do you think was the better one? Thanks for the input!
Hi Silvia! Thanks so much for checking out my blog! Actually if you're going to be in Kenya, an easy/beautiful option might be Zanzibar! I remember free diving with a pod of dolphins there, it was so magical, plus the culture is very rich and interesting. Otherwise I'd have to definitely say Seychelles for the beaches and nice resorts :) Plus many of them like the Four Seasons are super kid-friendly! Have a great time!!