From the beautiful beaches to the unique experiences, here’s what you need to know about the Seychelles and why this island is a must-visit.
WHERE IS THE SEYCHELLES?
As an island lover, I’ve always wanted to visit the beautiful islands we have right here in Africa like Mauritius, Zanzibar, Mozambique and Madagascar, and of course my dream island – the Seychelles. The Seychelles is located in the East of Africa, about a two-and-half hour flight from Mauritius.
There are many ways to get from South Africa to the Seychelles, you could either do a layover (through Ethiopian Air and Kenya Airways), or a direct flight from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg via Air Seychelles. The direct flight is approximately four hours 45 minutes from Johannesburg to Seychelles International Airport and around five hours to return. While direct flights are often pricier, there are often times it works around the same as a layover.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
The minute you take your first step out of the plane, you will feel the humidity of the Seychelles and it can be quite overwhelming. Your first craving is aircon! The Seychelles doesn’t have the distinct four seasons, but rather a wet and dry period. The best time to visit the Seychelles is between April to June and October to November. I visited during the last week of June and every day was quite sunny, with just a few passing showers.
English, French and Creole are the most spoken languages on the island. The Seychelles can be quite expensive as their economy primarily relies on tourism and fishing. Food and accomodation is likely to set you back a pretty penny. The current exchange rate is R1.20 to SCR1.
However, if you are exchanging your rands for cash, you pretty much pay more for Seychelles Rupees and a surcharge. OR Tambo International Airport does not exchange SCR, so you can exchange at the Seychelles International Airport as well as other places on the island.
You can swipe your credit card at most places. However, you would need cash for taxis to get around the city.
THE ISLANDS OF THE SEYCHELLES
Mahe, located in the capital of Victoria is the main island in the Seychelles and also the most-populated as 90% of the nation’s residents live here.
Praslin is the second largest island, which also has an airport. You can therefore travel from Mahe to Praslin via plane (20 minutes) or speedboat/ferry (one hour). Praslin is home to one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, Anse Lazio.
While another one of the bigger islands, La Digue, is home to one of the world’s most photographed beaches, Anse Source d’Argent. This beautiful beach features crystal-clear turquoise waters, natural granite formations and white sand. All three islands should be on your itinerary!
FAST FOOD AND SHOPPING
While in the Seychelles, you will be enjoying a lot of local cuisine as there are not many fast food chain restaurants. According to our driver, there is only one Burger King on Mahe, located at the airport. However, there are quite a few good restaurants to try, a few ice cream spots and street food to enjoy.
The best meal I had on my trip was chicken tacos at Sey Si Bon on Eden Island, so full of flavour!
There isn’t much shopping you could do in the Seychelles aside from souvenirs. When it comes to luxury brands, clothing and make-up, the island unfortunately does not have that much to offer.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
The Seychelles is known for their Aldabra giant tortioses. You can feed these gentle creatures in many places such as the Seychelles Botanic Gardens, La Digue and a few other islands. I was lucky enough to be able to feed these giant tortoises on the resort I stayed at, in Beau Vallon.
There are lots of places to do snorkeling, jet skiing and kayaking on the different beaches. However, the most scenic place to do the clear kayak is definitely Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue.
You can do a tour for around SCR250, which will take you into the lagoon, and close to the waves to see the beauty of the island from the waters. On the tour, the guide will talk you through interesting facts, such as an unstable boulder located very high up the boulders, expected to fall within a year or two. There are also the romantic “kissing” rocks and many other granite boulders to view.
You could also do scenic hikes such as the Copolia trail, Anse Major trail and more. The Seychelles is certainly worth the visit and you don’t actually need much more than a week!