There are direct flights to the Seychelles from London, Africa and Mauritius and there are connections from Australia via Singapore. Passengers from elsewhere on the Continent fly direct when they take holiday packages. Although there are no direct passenger services, many cruises do pass through Victoria. Check with your travel agent for the best possible connections.

There is a tax of $20.00 for all departures from the Seychelles.

There are regular ferry services between Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Boats can be chartered to the other islands.

Cars can be hired on Mahe and Praslin. Taxis are available on Praslin, Mahe and La Digue, but as drivers rarely turn on the meter, you have to be prepared to negotiate. There is a regular and convenient bus service on Mahe and a limited one on Praslin. Bicycles on hire are aplenty on La Digue. On Praslin they are available but not so common. Mahe being hilly is not suitable for cycling.

Home to some of the most beautiful beaches, the Seychelles experience is one of unspoilt beauty with silver white beaches fringed with palms trees and secluded coves, mingled with modern luxury and warm hospitality in the hotels and resorts of the islands.

Beautiful beaches are not all that the Seychelles has to offer, the Coral reefs that surround the islands is home to a vibrant ecosystem. The Seychelles archipelago offers some of the best diving and snorkeling sites in the world. The island is famed for excellent fishing too and is home for fly-fishing world records. There are beautiful hiking tracks too. The Creole culture of the islands is known for its a distinctive cuisine andthe warm and friendly nature of its people.

Giving the many exciting things that the islands have to offer, if you have a particular interest in any of the activities available, you would need to time your visit depending on what you would like to indulge in.

Our tours are designed to show you all that is there to be seen in the Seychelles. The islands all have their own characteristics, some are intensely private and exclusive like Denis island, some laid back like Mahe, some others touristy. Our tours will take you island hopping between the different large and small islands. For a more extensive holiday, you can include a safari on Mainland Africa in your itinerary.

You can view a map of the Seychelles here – and start planning your holiday.

Geographical facts of the Seychelles Islands

The Seychelles Archipelago can be found in the Indian Ocean 1600 kms off the coast of East Africa and north-east of Madascar. They are the oldest islands on earth, almost 65 million years old. There are 115

islands in all, scattered over 700kms. The islands are of two types, there are the island clusters formed from granite which form the inner islands and the atolls formed from coral that make up the outer islands.

The Inner Islands

The topography of the Inner Islands consists of large boulders of granite mountain peaks covered with forests. The islands themselves are situated on a shallow shelf-like plateau beneath the bed of the ocean.

These islands were supposed to have been formed because of the separation of the supercontinent Godwanaland at the time the earth was taking shape. The main islands are Mahe, Praslin and Silhouette and most activity is concentrated on these islands.

The Outer Islands

The topography of the outer islands is quite different; the surface is flat and is composed of corals and volcanic deposits. Most of these islands are uninhabited. The Aldabra Atoll is the most well known among these islands. It is a world heritage site and is the original home of the giant tortoises, now found all over the Seychelles and Mauritius as well.

Among both the inner and the outer islands, there are some that are open to the public and some that are privately owned. North Island, Fregate Island, Sainte Anne and Cousine Island are the private ones that are owned by a single luxury resort and access to them is restricted to their guests only.

Below is a list of islands in the Seychelles for you to check out and plan your holiday:

Bird Island

Cousin, Cousine and Aride Islands

Denis Island

Desroches Island

Fregate Island

La Digue Island

Mahe Island

Praslin Island

Sainte Anne Island

Silhouette Island

The climate of the Seychelles is heavily influenced by the Trade Winds. The Northwest Trade Winds bring in warm, wet weather from October to April and from May to September, the Southeast Trade Winds bring in cool and dry weather which tends to whip up the waves making some beaches unsafe. The in-between months of March and April, October and November are generally calm.

January is the wettest month and the showers are sudden and heavy. Mahe´ and Silhouette being mountainous get the heaviest rainfall. July and August are the driest months.

The Seychelles lies outside the cyclone zone, but cyclonic activity elsewhere in the Indian Ocean can affect the climate by bringing in windy weather, which generally happens between December and March.

It used to be a whaling station. As the headquarters of the Marine Parks Authority during the Second World War, it was used as a fuel store. Now it is the site of a five star hotel called the Sainte Anne Resort, and only its guests are allowed access to the island.

There is the pretty village of Baie Ste Anne which is the first thing you see as you arrive on the island by boat. The Cote d’Or or Anse Volbert as it is also known is the island’s main tourism centre, which has safe beaches ideal for snorkeling and swimming. Cote d’Or also has many hotels, guest houses and restaurants. The presence of more than a few boat operators and souvenir shops make this place quite a hub of tourist activity.

Other places worth exploring include Grand Anse, which is the largest village on Praslin, Curieuse Island or “The Red Island” just off the north coast of Praslin in the centre of a Marine National Park.

The best time to visit the island is June through October. There is a wide variety of accommodation available. Luxury hotels like the Paradise Sun or L’archipel are on the north coast of the island.

The pace of life is leisurely. Public transport exists, but hired cars and bicycles are good methods for exploring the island.

You can fly to Praslin by Air Seychelles from Mahe, the journey takes just 15 minutes. There is also the option of a fast catamaran ferry or a more relaxed schooner to get to Baie Ste Anne on Praslin.

Most visitors who come to Mahe are in transit to some of the other islands, but Mahe itself certainly deserves a second look if you have the inclination. There are the beaches of course, but to the interior of the island the topography changes to hills densely covered in rainforests shrouded in mist frequently.

Victoria, which is the capital of the Seychelles is situated on the east coast of Mahe. It is a natural harbor created by a string of six small islands that surround it. Sainte Anne is the largest of these islands. It is home to the five star resort Sainte Anne Resort and only guests of this hotel can visit the island. The remaining islands have some interesting piece of history or story of their own. The novelist Wilbur Smith used to live on Ile au Cerf. The island Ile Moyenne has a story about a pirate treasure and the ghost of an old woman and her dogs. Ile Longue which was once a quarantine station is now a prison. Ile Ronde’s famed restaurant, Chez Gaby, was once a leper’s camp!

On the west coast, is Beau Vallon the main tourist centre of Mahe. Beau Vallon has a good beach with facilities for various water sports like sailing, waterskiing, windsurfing, banana boat rides and par ascending.

Other interesting places on Mahe are Baie Lazare with its long expanse of beach, and the artists’ studios in Anse a la Mouche and Anse aux Poules Bleues.

This is one of the most beautiful islands of the Seychelles group and is the fourth largest island in the archipelago. The island is characterized by palm-fringed beaches and towering boulders of granite.

Interesting sights on the island are the bustling fish market at La Passe, and the Veuve Reserve which is home to the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher and a variety of other birds. The island also has the most beautiful beach of the Seychelles, the Anse Source d’Argent with its silvery white sand and beautiful palms trees. The island has a luxury resort called the La Digue Lodge situated a little further inland.

Bicycles available on hire are the best way to explore the most beautiful island of the Seychelles.

Fregate is one of the granite islands. It is surrounded by coral reefs and is quite isolated. Fregate Island has its own contribution to conservation efforts in the Seychelles. The magpie-robin which used to be found only on Fregate, was on the brink of extinction with hardly 20 birds of the species being available at one time. It is now a thriving species and is being introduced to the other islands where it is hoped they will breed and thrive.

Desroches is a small low lying island 6kms long, with secluded fine sandy beaches and a sheltered lagoon. It is a secluded island, sheltered by coconut palms and hardwood trees. It is the place for those who value privacy.

There are only 50 inhabitants on the island, who live in a settlement on the north-western shore of the island. Their occupation is agriculture.

To the south of the island, on an old coconut plantation is a small luxury hotel with its own airstrip.

The island of Desroches is famous for diving. It has a dive centre offering courses. The Desroches Drop is a famed diving spot, from the edge of a coral plateau, marked with underwater valleys and caves.

Big game fishing is very popular and a boat can be hired for fishing trips.