The Seychelles are sold as a single postcard, but they are 115 islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, and the ones most people visit could not be more different from each other. Mahé is the busy granite hub with a capital and a road; Praslin is palm forest and quieter coves; La Digue has no airport at all and moves by bicycle. Picking wrong means paying resort prices for the wrong kind of quiet.
The granite islands are among the oldest on earth, chunks of a Precambrian landmass broken off some 750 million years ago, which is why the boulders at Anse Source dArgent look sculpted rather than weathered. The country population is only about 98,000, scattered mostly on Mahe, and the Creole culture that binds them mixes African, French, and Indian threads into a food and a festival calendar unlike anywhere else in the Indian Ocean. That smallness is the point: you can cross from one language to another and one beach to another in the time it takes to drink a coconut, and the scale keeps the crowds off all but the famous few shores.
Moving between the islands is where the budget hides its teeth. The inter-island ferries, Cat Cocos and the smaller shuttles, run on island time and cancel for swell, so build a buffer day rather than book a same-day international connection. Within the islands, Mahé has buses and taxis, Praslin has buses and a few cars, and La Digue is bicycle and ox-cart only, with rentals at the jetty for about 150 SCR a day and almost no lighting after dark. If you are prone to seasickness, the short Praslin to La Digue crossing is usually calm, but the Mahé to Praslin run in the southeast trade winds, July to August, is the one that empties breakfast over the rail.
For a first visit, the simple loop of Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue covers the famous beaches, the palms, and the granite without the cost or the flight time of the outer coral islands, and it leaves room to return for Aldabra and the dive camps later. The local currency, the Seychelles rupee, is what you want for small stalls, but euros are accepted almost everywhere and spare you the poor exchange at the airport.
Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue
Mahé holds the capital Victoria, the international airport, and the widest range of restaurants, but its beaches, Beau Vallon chief among them, share the island with traffic and hills. Praslin is where the Vallée de Mai grows the rare double coconut, the coco de mer, and where Anse Lazio regularly tops lists of the world’s beaches. La Digue is the smallest and slowest, famous for Anse Source d’Argent, a plate of polished granite boulders and shallow turquoise water reachable only by bike or ox-cart. The heights of Mount Kilimanjaro are the opposite of this, but both are about arriving by effort. The baobabs of Avenue of the Baobabs make a Madagascar neighbour worth the extra flight.
The Beaches and the Wildlife
Beyond the sand, the Seychelles hold creatures you will not see elsewhere: the Aldabra giant tortoise, some weighing 250 kg, on Curieuse Island, and the Seychelles black parrot, found only on Praslin. The coral islands north of the granites, Bird and Denis, are for divers and the April-to-May calm. The Okavango Delta shares the same idea of rare animals in a fragile place. The Victoria Falls are a different continent but pair on a southern Africa ticket.
Best Time to Visit
April to May and October to November are the two inter-monsoon lulls, with flat seas, little wind, and the best diving. July to August brings the southeast trade winds, good for sailing but choppy for island hops. The Zanzibar archipelago is a cheaper Indian Ocean alternative with the same turquoise logic.
Getting There, Costs & Logistics
Air Seychelles and a few European carriers fly into Mahé; from there, the ferry to Praslin takes about an hour and costs 60 to 90 EUR, and the catamaran to La Digue is another 15 minutes. Resorts run 400 to 1,500 EUR a night, self-catering guesthouses on La Digue from 90 EUR. The old towns of Tallinn and the lakes of Banff & Lake Louise are easy to picture on the long flight home, both being places that reward slowing down.
Where to Stay
First-timers split four nights Mahé, three Praslin, two La Digue. Beau Vallon on Mahé is the lively base; Cote d’Or on Praslin is the beach-with-options pick; La Passe on La Digue puts you by the ferry and the bike rentals at 150 SCR a day.
Food and Practical Tips
Eat grilled red snapper, octopus curry, and the ladob dessert of banana in coconut milk at a takeaway for 100 to 200 SCR. Carry euros in cash for small islands, because card machines fail. Reef-safe sunscreen is mandatory near the marine parks, and the granite makes flip-flops slip, so bring reef shoes. Browse our Travel Guides archive for more island guides.
Under the Water: Diving and Snorkelling
The beaches get the photos, but the reefs are the quiet star. The granite islands sit on a shelf where boulders continue underwater as swim-throughs draped in soft coral, and the April to May calm gives visibility past 30 metres. The coral islands north, Aldabra’s neighbours, are the big-fish sites: shark banks, manta cleaning stations, and walls that drop out of sight. A single boat dive with gear runs 70 to 120 EUR; a resort house reef snorkel is free and often better than a paid trip because the fish are used to swimmers. The marine parks, Ste Anne off Mahé and Curieuse off Praslin, cap visitor numbers, so the coral is healthier than in most of the Indian Ocean, and the giant tortoise on Curieuse is a guaranteed meeting. If you are not certified, a discover-scuba morning from Beau Vallon is the gentle way in, with instructors who keep the first dive in shallow sand before you trust the drop-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Seychelles island should I visit first?
Mahé, because the airport and ferries are there; then Praslin for the palms and La Digue for the famous boulders. Trying to see all three in under five days means living on boats.
How do I get to La Digue?
Fly or ferry to Praslin, then take the 15-minute catamaran to La Digue. There is no airstrip on La Digue, so the sea crossing is unavoidable.
Is the Seychelles expensive?
Base resorts start near 400 EUR a night, but guesthouses and self-catering on La Digue and Praslin bring it down to 90 to 150 EUR. Food and ferries add up, so budget daily spend of 100 to 200 EUR per couple outside the resort.
When is the sea calmest for diving?
April to May and October to November, the inter-monsoon lulls, with visibility past 30 metres. The July to August trades stir the water but suit wind sports.
Can you see giant tortoises in the wild?
On Curieuse Island, a short boat trip from Praslin, free-roaming Aldabra tortoises live in the scrub; the ones at the archeological site are habituated and easy to photograph.
Do I need a visa for the Seychelles?
Most visitors get a free visitor’s permit on arrival, valid up to three months, with proof of accommodation and a return ticket. No advance visa is required for the majority of nationalities.
| Island | Get there | Best for | Typical room (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahé | International flight | Capital, variety, nightlife | 150-1,500 |
| Praslin | 1 hr ferry | Palms, Anse Lazio | 120-1,200 |
| La Digue | 15 min from Praslin | Boulders, cycling | 90-900 |
| Silhouette | Charter flight | Remote luxury | 900-2,500 |
| Desroches | Charter flight | Diving, solitude | 800-2,000 |