Travel to the Seychelles

larger populated islands and intimate private atolls

The Seychelles is a group of islands lying in the Indian Ocean to the east of Africa, arguably the world’s most alluring tropical islands.

The islands are scattered across over a million square kilometres of the Indian Ocean. The most remote atoll of Aldabra is fully 1200 km from Mahé.

These tiny but gorgeous specks of granite, shrouded in rich tropical forest, lined by white-sand beaches and fringed by intensely rich coral reefs.

Main islands

Given its reputation as a virginal beach paradise, it may come as quite a surprise to discover that the three main islands of the Seychelles are actually a very real places, quite heavily populated, full of local colour and with a wide range of lower cost small hotels, guest-houses and self-catering cottages. These three islands are located within 40 km of each other and are connected by regular hopper flights and ferries.

Mahé Island is the largest and most populous island, with considerable settlement around much of its shoreline. It therefore tends to work best for people who are particularly keen to stay at a simpler guest-house and get out to explore the local culture. It can also work for people who are happy to stay within the confines of a larger resort and are therefore not bothered by the heavy development elsewhere.

La Digue Island is the smallest and most laid back of the three main islands, with a significant settlement, but no motorised transport. However accommodation is limited to rather simple options only.

Praslin Island is nowhere near as busy as Mahé, but nor is it as peaceful as La Digue, it lies somewhere in between. For many people this compromise really hits the spot, with plenty of activities and a very good range of accommodation.

Smaller islands

Most of the smaller islands in the Seychelles are home to just a single lodge, which means that they are able to offer some really superb private experiences.

The Inner Islands are those which lie within around 50km of the three larger islands. Most are easily accessed and easily combined with other islands, but are distant enough to feel properly remote. There are presently several good options here.

The Outer Islands are those which lie between 200 to 2000 km from the main group. They tend to be much more difficult or costly to access and are less commonly combined with other islands. There is rarely more than one or two viable lodge options amongst them.

The Seychelles are a very long way from Africa. The lodges here therefore tend to feature only rarely in safari and beach combinations. These islands are far more commonly visited as a separate trip, usually for 7-14 nights, usually split between two or three lodges.

The usual stay duration at this particular lodge is 3-7 nights.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Seychelles is generally considered to be during the May-Oct dry season.

It is worth pointing out that the Seychelles experiences prodigious rainfall, far more than most other islands in the Indian Ocean.

Getting there

The Seychelles really are tiny specks of land, set out in the vastness of the Indian Ocean.

There are direct flights to the islands from Europe and the Persian Gulf.

Although we can and do combine the Seychelles with safaris on mainland Africa, this tends to happen relatively rarely. The main airport on Mahé is 2200 km from Nairobi and 3800 km from Johannesburg. For most people, the tropical beaches of East Africa end up being an easier and cheaper option.

But for some, the powerful allure of these beautiful islands is too much to resist and they are happy to stay overnight in Nairobi or Johannesburg, before flying out to the Seychelles.

Where to stay

Most people visiting the Seychelles split their time between two or three lodges on different islands. The most popular option is to combine a lodge on one of the larger islands (Mahé or Praslin), with a stay at a private island lodge.

best visited during the May-Oct dry season