5 Days in Seychelles

This five-day plan is for travelers who want the full spread of Seychelles: granite mountains, a Creole capital, three islands and the beaches that justify the long flight. The pace is relaxed, with one island change every two days and no back-to-back travel days. You will use the blue public buses on Mahé and Praslin, the inter-island catamarans between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, a rented bicycle on La Digue and the occasional taxi where the bus network runs thin.

Days 1-2: Mahé, from Victoria to the South Coast

Open in Victoria early in the morning, busiest on Saturdays, when the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market is at full volume: fishmongers hacking tuna on the ground floor, vanilla pods, chili pastes and breadfruit chips upstairs. The Seychelles National Museum of History sits a short walk away and takes under an hour, which is the right dose to understand why a country with no indigenous population ended up speaking Creole French with English road signs. After lunch, take a Port Glaud … read more 👉

This five-day plan is for travelers who want the full spread of Seychelles: granite mountains, a Creole capital, three islands and the beaches that justify the long flight. The pace is relaxed, with one island change every two days and no back-to-back travel days. You will use the blue public buses on Mahé and Praslin, the inter-island catamarans between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, a rented bicycle on La Digue and the occasional taxi where the bus network runs thin.

Days 1-2: Mahé, from Victoria to the South Coast

Open in Victoria early in the morning, busiest on Saturdays, when the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market is at full volume: fishmongers hacking tuna on the ground floor, vanilla pods, chili pastes and breadfruit chips upstairs. The Seychelles National Museum of History sits a short walk away and takes under an hour, which is the right dose to understand why a country with no indigenous population ended up speaking Creole French with English road signs. After lunch, take a Port Glaud bus over the Sans Souci road and get off for the Morne Blanc Trail, a steep 45 minutes up through mist forest to a cliff edge that drops toward the west coast. Carry on down to Port Glaud for a late swim off L’Islette, a tiny island so close to shore you can almost wade there at low tide.

Sleep two nights around Baie Lazare, where guesthouses cost less than on the north coast and the southern beaches are a short bus ride away. Day 2 belongs to them. Anse Intendance has big surf and a long, palm-backed curve that is better for watching than swimming from May to October. Anse Takamaka is the calmer neighbor with a beach bar, and Anse Royale on the east side has a reef close to shore for easy snorkeling. Buses link all three, though waits of 30 to 60 minutes are normal.

Days 3-4: Praslin’s Quieter Side

Catch an early bus to Victoria and the morning catamaran to Praslin, about an hour across. Instead of queueing at the famous palm forest, spend the afternoon at Fond Ferdinand, a guided reserve above Anse Marie-Louise where coco de mer palms grow wild and the summit rock looks across to La Digue. On Day 4, go early to Anse Georgette, which you reach through the Constance Lemuria resort (book the gate access a day ahead) and which has some of the clearest turquoise water in the country. Anse Lazio is next door, ideal for a midday swim among the granite boulders at either end. In the afternoon, take the bus to Baie Sainte Anne for the 15-minute ferry to La Digue.

Days 5-6: La Digue by Bicycle

Rent a bike the moment you arrive on La Digue; the whole island runs at pedaling speed. Ride to L’Union Estate first thing for Anse Source d’Argent, where the sculpted pink-gray boulders look their best before the day-trippers land around 10am. Save the afternoon for the north coast, a flat 20-minute ride to Anse Patates and little Anse Patatran, both good for snorkeling when the sea is calm and nearly empty by late afternoon. Your final morning is free for one last swim before the ferry back toward Mahé.

If you have a spare morning on La Digue, hire a guide for the scramble to Anse Marron, a boulder-ringed pool at the island’s southern tip that no road or bike track reaches.