Mother Nature was unbelievably generous with the Seychelles, a fabled paradise whose islands lie scattered across the Indian Ocean. Spellbinding beaches are the main attraction, and what beaches! Exquisite ribbons of sand lapped by turquoise waters and backed by lush hills, palm trees and boulders in every size. Beyond the beach, diving and snorkelling are brilliant in the warm waters amid abundant marine life, while few places on the planet do ocean-side luxury quite like the Seychelles.
Mahé is the largest island, home to Victoria, the capital city, and entry point to the Seychelles, with some fabulous resorts, restaurants and beaches. It is also the busiest island, with glorious Praslin and La Digue a short boat ride away. Even further out, there are real lost-world islands to be found.
A wicked seductress, Praslin has lots of temptations: stylish lodgings, tangled velvet jungle that’s ripe for exploration, curving hills dropping down to gin-clear seas, gorgeous stretches of silky sand edged with palm trees and a slow-motion ambience. No, you’re not dreaming, but this is the Seychelles you dreamed of when you first imagined this tropical archipelago.
Lying about 45km northeast of Mahé, the second-largest island in the Seychelles is closer to the sleepiness of La Digue than the relative hustle and bustle of Mahé. Like Mahé, Praslin is a granite island, with a ridge of small mountains running east–west along the centre, and the svelte interior, especially the Vallée de Mai, is fascinating for its flora and bird life. Its combination of manageable size (you’re never more than an hour’s drive from anywhere else on the island) and gorgeous beaches makes Praslin a fine option for your Seychelles holiday.
A marvel. A simple word but one that conveys so many aspects of the Seychelles’ third-most inhabited island. The coastline, one bewitching bay after another, is studded with heart-palpitatingly gorgeous beaches. The hilly interior is cloaked with tangled jungle, tall trees and wild hiking trails. Yet, miraculously, despite being just a 15-minute ferry journey from Praslin, the vast majority of it is untouched by development. You don’t have to look further than Anse Marron – it’s one of the planet’s most beautiful beaches but accessible by foot only. And even where infrastructure exists – around the sleepy tropical port in La Passe and La Réunion – everything is so laid-back that visiting feels like a step back in time. One of the most charming elements is that the preferred method of transport for locals (and visitors alike) is the old-fashioned bicycle, with trucks, taxis and electric carts left to make guest appearances.
The months from June to September have more wind, which makes the temperatures bearable. On the southeast coast the sea is rougher in these months and less suitable for diving. Between November and March it can be windy and gray in the Seychelles. The temperature in the Seychelles is around 30 degrees on average throughout the year. A timeline can be seen in the overview below. The greener the box is by the month, the better it is to travel to this country in that period!
