Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. It is part of East Africa near Madagascar and Mauritius. We considered the famous paradise islands, Bali, Fiji, Bora Bora or Maldives but Seychelles won me over due to its unique rock formations. Not to mention, it was a destination on my ‘100 places to visit’ poster. This country is the furthest I’ve been from home… To get to the famous beach, it would take a flight to Europe or the Middle East (about 10 hours from Seattle), then another 10-hour flight to Seychelles’ only international airport on Mahe Island and another 1.5 hours on a ferry with two transfers. It’s not that bad when you explore each stopover. 

Day 1 – Wednesday, July 10 2019

We landed in Mahe, SEZ and took a rip-off taxi for 500scr ($36 USD) to the ferry terminal. The high-speed ferry was a nice boat but extremely rocky and thrilling. But we were so jetlagged, we passed out like babies in a rocking cradle. We picked up our rental car and Chi started driving on our left. He says it was like learning to drive again. Our hotel, Acajou was a small resort, unlike Cuba or Mexico accommodations. 

We drove to Constance Lemuria and walked about 10 minutes to Anse Georgette. It was a gorgeous quiet beach but the waves were a bit strong to comfortably swim in. You can get in about waist-deep and the temperature was refreshing. The sun started to set and the rocks gave off a warm glow. 

We hiked out and drove back to our resort to change and get ready for dinner at Les Lauriers. The food was a buffet style for 500scr ($36 USD) and it tasted okay. The restaurant environment was beautiful though. 

Day 2 – Thursday, July 11 2019

No time to lounge, we took a tour to visit a few surrounding islands; Felicite, Coco, and Sisters. While we didn’t touch land on any of these islands, they were beautiful to look at and fantastic to snorkel around. 

There were plenty of tropical fish to see but the coral didn’t look too healthy compared to our other snorkel trips. It’s tragic that Seychelles’ reef is also affected by climate change.

On our journey to the second snorkel spot, we spotted a huge manta ray swimming near the surface. It was amazing to see. We also saw a jellyfish and a sea turtle approaching it for a snack. We stuck our GoPro in the water for these amazing shots. 

At our last snorkel, I jumped in and spotted another manta ray right in front of me. It was surreal to watch it swim away quickly and it wasn’t as scary as I imagined.  

After lunch, we took a water taxi to Curieuese Island to see Aldabra giant tortoises. The adults looked fake or like big rocks. But they were adorable to watch them sunbathe or slowly move around eating leaves. We even took bananas to feed them. The babies or teenagers were also cute but I liked the big adult ones more. 

We also saw our first Coco Der Mer, a sea coconut that is native and exclusive to Praslin and Curieuse islands. It’s huge and quite interesting looking.

We hiked through the mangroves to Anse Jose. It was a very different hike than any rainforest or forest I’ve been through. The mangroves were exotic and it was funny to see all the crab freeze to prevent us from seeing them or scamper away.

Once we got to Anse Jose, we were the only two people on this beach. While there was some seaweed, it was calm turquoise waters and very refreshing after our hot hike. It was a great way to end an active day. 

We had dinner at La Palma Gelateria and this meal was great. I really enjoyed this creole chicken with cream sauce.

Day 3 – Friday, July 12 2019

I’ve always been curious about scuba diving but nervous to try due to my mediocre swimming abilities and the idea that you are meters submerged under the sea. You cannot speak and you can only rely on your air tank. I have an idea of the training and certification most people need for their first dive and I did consider trying it in a pool before. But I was never driven enough to try it and nor did the opportunity arise. 

This change upon planning for Seychelles. For 90E, I was able to take an intro dive and upon contacting the staff it sounded like no certification, prior training or advanced swimming skills was needed. The diving school will provide a briefing, training in a pool and then try it near St. Pierre island, which is about 3 meters deep and frequently snorkeled. This was the opportunity that pushed me to go. 

We arrived at Octopus Dive Center that morning to find out there isn’t training in a pool and we would start about 10 meters deep. I was even more nervous but I had to pay attention and trust our guide. We had a 30 min briefing on how to descend while depressurizing yourself, underwater hand signals and techniques to remove water from your goggles, monitor your air and swim. 

We geared up with weights and tanks to the boat. It was about 60lbs but manageable. We got on the boat and within 10 minutes we were ready to dive! I was still nervous but from my experience with bungee jumping, you just gotta go for it and don’t think about it. The staff inflated my jacket and I leaned back into the water holding my face mask and mouthpiece. I wasn’t sure what to do but the guide told me to swim to the back, grab the line and wait for her. The waves were strong but I’ve had a few experiences being dropped into the ocean before. Yes, it was scary but I had to focus on relaxing and breathing with my mouth.  

Chi went into the water after me and another girl after her. The other girl started to descend first but freaked out and came back up. I grabbed the line and started to descend with the guide next. She released the air in front of my jacket and reminded me to slowly follow the line to the bottom while releasing pressure from my ears. Step by step I did it and touched the ground. I was running on adrenaline but tried to relax and not think about scary scenarios. 

We let go of the ropes and started to follow the guide. Swimming was pretty easy and I felt like a mermaid. As we swam, we saw more coral and fish. It was exciting and beautiful, just like the first time we snorkeled.  We spotted a baby shark, octopus, and a sea turtle.

We loved the experience. You feel much closer to the sea life compared to snorkeling. But I am not sure if I’d be rushing to get my certification for more. I would do it again but not anymore deeper or longer… at least for now.  

After our snorkel, we had lunch at our hotel and I enjoyed the local favorite, Octopus curry. It was pretty good. The octopus was soft like calamari. Next, we drove to Anse Lazio only to discover big waves and crowds. We didn’t stay too long. 

We went back to the hotel to swim at Anse Volbert, the beach in front of our hotel. It was much calmer and quite nice. The only scary thing is stingrays! As I walked toward Chi, he spotted a stingray and I jolted out of the waters. We then strolled along the beach as the sun started to set. We spotted another stingray and a jellyfish in the waters. 

We ended the night with some cheap takeaway food to enjoy in our room. It was not that good but we didn’t have many options. 

Day 4 – Saturday, July 13 2019

It was a rainy night and this morning I planned to visit Fond Ferdinand nature reserve. The hotel staff told us it was closed on Sundays despite the research I did. My gut said to try going anyways and it was open! However, I was almost not allowed to hike due to the wet trail and my Birkenstocks sandals. After a plea, they allowed it and it wasn’t bad at all. 

The tour guide explained the palm forest and the rare coco der mer, the world’s largest seed. It was a short but uphill climb to see a beautiful view of the nearby islands. Too bad it was a grey morning. 

We took a 15-min ferry to La Digue. It was very rocky but luckily a quick ride. The weather wasn’t great. It was sporadically raining. Nonetheless, we rented bikes, grab some takeaway and started to wander the island on bikes.

We saw Anse Severe which was nice but we were eager to go to Anse Source d’Argent, the beach we came for. So we biked our way there and explored the beach. The weather was grey but dry. Because of this, we had the beach mostly to ourselves. The waters were rough and there were seaweed and coral in the water. I was hoping tomorrow would be better. We traveled so far for this beach and I want to enjoy it in nice weather!

We had dinner at a La Digue Pizzeria. Ironically, I had a burger and Chi had lasagna. There isn’t much nightlife in Seychelles. But it’s nice to sleep early and wake up early. 

Day 5 – Sunday, July 14 2019

I dreamt of sunshine and woke up to a clear morning. The weather report said partial sun around 10am so we ate breakfast quickly and headed to the beach. There weren’t many people here yet and the sun was beaming out for good photos. While the evening sun would be better to minimize shadows, it was still better lighting than yesterday. 

It was breathtaking. The rocks were glowing and it was truly a beautiful sight. The tide was low so you could really walk out and see all the rocks from afar. The waters were calmer and turquoise but the sand was rough. To be honest, I’ve been in clearer waters and softer sands (Cuba, Thailand & Bahamas) but these rocks are one of a kind and paired with the lush greenery. 

The sun stayed out most of that morning and we got to enjoy the waters and snorkel a bit. I could have stayed there all day. But Chi insisted on lunch and checking out Grand Anse, another beach but not suitable for swimming due to its dangerous currents. 

Grand Anse was a nice beach with softer sand. Shame that the waters are too rough to swim. I ran out of time to hike to the nearby Petite Anse and Coco beach. It started to spit rain every so often too. 

We bike back to get ready for our romantic dinner on Belle Vue mountain. Once we got inside, it started to pour outside. Regardless, the shuttle picked us up and drove us up a steep incline to see a view of Praslin and neighboring islands. Fortunately, the rain stopped and the clouds moved on. We enjoyed the spectacular view with a home-cooked creole dinner. It was my favorite meal in Seychelles. 

Day 6 – Monday, July 15 2019

We started our journey back to the main island, Mahe. The boat ride back was rocky and thrilling. It felt like our speedboat jumped in the air a few times. We checked into our hotel, Coral Strand Resort and enjoyed the Beau Vallon beachfront. While I wanted to swim, the waters were a bit wavy and I was discouraged by seeing two other visitors getting stung by jellyfish! So I strolled along the beaches and people watched.

We had an Italian dinner at La Perle Noire. While Chi loved his seafood linguine, I thought my tropical grilled red snapper was mediocre.  

Day 7 – Tuesday, July 16 2019

It was a cloudy morning but we ventured out to explore the island. We started with Victoria, the smallest capital of the world. It was really nice to see how simple the locals lived. There was no McDonald’s or Starbucks… oddly only a Baskin-Robbins.

The biggest attraction is the Sir Selwyn-Clarke market. This was a tiny food market with a couple of souvenirs shops on the second floor.

Next, we ventured to Anse Royale, a beach popular for snorkeling. There weren’t many people, nor fish to see. It also started to rain so we moved on.

We headed to Anse Intendance but there were huge potholes filled with water that we feared our little Kia would get stuck in. So we skipped that beach and continued to Baie Lazare. We had a delicious lunch at La Gaulette and then as the sun came out, we enjoyed Gaulette beach. Waters were too wavy for my liking so I just lounged around and watch some surfers.

We drove past Grand Anse and took a quick peek. Nothing too special. We headed back and had an Indian dinner at Mahek in our hotel. It was pretty good and a nice change from the usual Creole or American food. 

After dinner, we met an astronomer to look into his telescope. Clouds came in and out but we were able to see Jupiter, Saturn, and our moon. While he was a bit too chatty, it was really fascinating to see. We went to bed after and started our flight home the next morning. 

Seychelles was beautiful and we did enjoy our time here. However, since it is a very far (and expensive) beach getaway, I don’t think we will return. We’d want to go to other famous beach islands (Bora Bora or the Maldives) or somewhere closer to home (Hawaii or Bahamas).  

For the most part, food is nothing to write about and there isn’t too much exotic or unique culture here. But I did love that Seychelles is not overly touristy like Thailand and it is off the beaten path for most North Americans.  

Also, perhaps the weather influenced the beach conditions but I think better beaches can found elsewhere in the world (softer sand with calmer and clearer waters). But those granite rocks found on La Digue is what made this trip worth it. For that one of a kind beach experience, you will have to visit Seychelles.