1
Nov
2015
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Seychelles : One Week Itinerary

We are off to Seychelles in mid November… and we can’t wait to hit the azure blue waters and the emerald green hills. We have been figuring out what to do during the week… browsing the net, reading books and magazines and speaking to those who have already been there. Options are plenty, ranging from doing nothing on the sunbed to diving and hiking. Obviously, Ankur wants to do the former and I want to do the latter. With quite some effort, we have finally come up with an itinerary that makes both of us smile.

Here is what it looks like….

Mahe: Day 1 and Day 2

Our flight lands in Mahe at 7 am, which means we get the entire day to ourselves. We intend to rent a car at the airport and head straight to Kempinski. Considering that Seychelles is renowned for luxury resorts, we thought that we should experience it for at least 2 days. The intention is to enjoy the property’s facilities… restaurants, pool, bar, private beach, spa. In fact, we are looking forward to a relaxing massage in spa and letting the bubbly flow while watching the sunset. A little pampering hurts no one, does it?

Perfect setting for a resort... (pic courtesy: Kempinski, Mahe)

Perfect setting for a resort… (pic courtesy: Kempinski, Mahe)

Needless to say, I believe that Ankur will enjoy these two days the most.

On Day 2, we may go for a hike to Morne Blanc, which will takes us to an elevation of about 850 meters. The hike typically takes 60 – 90 minutes one way. Reviews of the same say that views from the top make the effort worthwhile. A little exercise should help us enjoy a sinful dinner at the Kempenski even more!

Praslin : Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5

Praslin is home to the famous national park Vallee de Mai, the only place in the world to see the Coco de Mer tree is found in its natural habitat. Coco de Mer is the largest nut in the world.The mature fruit is 40–50 cm in diameter and weighs 15–30 kg. The park is said to be the original site of the Garden of Eden and I am sure that there is a reason for it! The park has a few walking trails, the longest one taking 3 hours to complete. On Day 3, we intend explore Vallee de Mai for a few hours, with a picnic basket in hand.

Coco de Mer fruit (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Coco de Mer fruit (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

I am not sure how much energy we would have in us after having walked through Vallee de Mai… but if we do have any energy left after the walk, we would love to spend the evening with some bubbly on Anse Kerlan, a quiet beach on the Western side of the island, renowned for pretty sunsets.

Sunset at Anse Kerlan (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Sunset at Anse Kerlan (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

For Day 4, Ankur and I have different plans. Weather permitting, I intend to go for a two cylinder dive on a dive boat. I am sure the crystal clear waters are full of life forms that are even more colourful than a rainbow. The dive school is at Anse Volbert, very close to our B&B. Possibly, I would be gone for the first half of the day, which gives Ankur ample time to down a couple of beers and watch the waves wash the sandy shores.

Sting Ray...keeping my fingers crossed to see many more of these (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Sting Ray…keeping my fingers crossed to see many more of these (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Post lunch, we intend to visit Anse Lazio, which is supposed to be the prettiest beach on Praslin. This beach is not accessible by public transport and we would definitely need to rent a car. I haven’t been able to find details of any restaurants in this area. Hence, we are contemplating carrying a packed sunset supper with some wine for Ankur and some fruit juice for me. One of us needs to be sober to drive back… and hence the juice!

Anse Lazio on the island of Praslin (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Anse Lazio on the island of Praslin (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Day 5 is devoted to beach hopping on the island of Praslin, with a fancy lunch at one of the classy resorts on the island. We would love to try some Creole cuisine and do hope that there are some vegetarian items on the menu.

An alternate plan that we are toying with is to explore the tiny island of Curieuse, just off the Praslin coast. Curieuse island is home to over 150 Coco de Mer trees and over 300 giant Albadra tortoises. Lets see what we feel like doing… driving around in our car… or hopping across to the neighboring island!

Giant tortoise (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Giant tortoise (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

La Digue : Day 5 and Day 6

On Day 5, we intend to hop on a morning ferry and reach the little island of La Digue a couple of hours before noon. Apparently, life runs at an easy pace here and no motorised vehicles are allowed. Most tourists rent bicycles and hop from one beach to the other, which is what we want to do! We have no plans on which beaches we will visit, and which ones we won’t… so long as one evening is spent on Anse Source d’Argent – one of the most photographed beaches in the world. This is our day to feel like kids who have recently learnt to ride a bicycle and can do what they want in Nature’s lap!

Anse Sourse d'Argent on the island of La Digue (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Anse Sourse d’Argent on the island of La Digue (pic courtesy: Seychelles Tourism Board)

Day 6 is devoted to our fins! The best snorkelling in Seychelles is supposed to be around Coco Island. We plan to do a day trip, hopping from one neighbouring island to the other (including Coco Island), with our snorkeling gear. We did snorkel a lot in Maldives earlier… and the thought of swimming with turtles is making us feel super excited again!

Victoria, Mahe: Day 7

We will reach Mahe by noon on Day 7 and exploring the smallest capital city of the world is on the cards. I am very keen on seeing the Hindu temple in the capital… its always nice to find something that reminds one of home! I am equally excited about seeing the architecture of the churches that sings tales of the past. While I would be happy looking at structures, I am sure Ankur would prefer chatting up with a local on what the Creole culture is all about.

Local  market at Victoria

Local market at Victoria

While we would love to spend more time in Victoria, we won’t have the liberty of doing so as our flight departs from Mahe at 9 pm. The thought of the vacation ending isn’t making me feel great, even though I am simply writing the itinerary now!

Hopefully, another island nation will soon make to our list. Until then, stay tuned… posts and pictures coming up from Seychelles, starting mid November.

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10 Responses

  1. I like the way you have planned your trip to Seychelles. The proper plan i guess always helps in enjoying and living every moment on any trip. Many will benefit from your post by aptly planning their trip as well.

    1. Thanks Darshik!
      We just got back from the Seychelles last night and having an itinerary surely helped. There is so much to do at Seychelles that prioritising was really important for us!

  2. Swati

    Hi,

    We’ll be visiting Seychelles for our honeymoon in Feb, 2017

    In Mahe – we intend to stay at kempinski.

    Could you please suggest places to stay in both Praslin and La Digue.

    We too have a week in hand and want to cover the most. So if you could share your exact itinerary as well – that’ll be helpful.

    1. Hi Swati! You will love Seychelles … it’s such a beautiful place! Our one week itinerary is up on the blog – let me know if you can’t find it and I will send the link to you.
      Kempinski was lovely! In Praslin, we stayed at Aquario and would highly recommend the place. At La Digue, we did not like our guest house but can recommend Le Domaine d’Orange, which seemed great and well located. Feel free to ping if you any other queries.

  3. Gaurav

    Thanks for valuable Info !!
    I will be also in last week of february for my honeymoon in 2017 and would definitely take upon the recommendation from your blog itinerary .Could you please suggest special deal offer sites where we can look upon for good deals.Also, we are vegetarians so will we face problem in Prasle or La Digue ?
    Thankss

    1. Well, vegetarians do have a little problem. It would be best to stay in the five star resorts and order vegetarian or stay in a BnB and cook on your own👍🏻

  4. Kavitha

    And the other thing is Mahe to Praslin doesn’t seem to be much of diff in the rates in ferry and flight? Do you think flight will be a better option?

      1. Kavitha

        Hi Sonia, i left you a message directly regd the itinerary fr seychelles. Can u pls respond to that? Will be really grateful. Thanks much.

      2. And honestly, the ferry was comfortable and short … so we preferred taking that.
        Also, depends on when you land and what time do you want the next connection… and what is available then.
        Just carry a sea sickness pill with you if you are worried too much!
        I would say either option is equally good!

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