Seychelles: Travel Costs and Budget
It’s true that Prince William and Kate Middleton went to Seychelles for their honeymoon. This does not mean that Seychelles is unaffordable! Seychelles is very much affordable and with Air Seychelles spreading its wings, it is more affordable than ever before. A week in Seychelles cost us about EUR 2,750. This includes air tickets from Mumbai, local transport, island hopping, couple of nights in a five star, few nights in a self catering villa and activities like national parks, hiking, snorkeling trips and diving for both of us.
Picture perfect Seychelles
Accommodation
There are plenty of five star resorts in the Seychelles for those who want live in luxury. Luxury is most ‘affordable’ in Mahe and gets dearer as the islands get smaller, distant and much more exclusive. A good five star resort in Mahe will cost you upwards of USD 275 per night. We stayed at the Kempinski in Mahe for two nights which was in this range.
The beach at Kempinski, Mahe
The exclusive resort that David and Victoria Beckham stayed in costs upwards of EUR 1000 per night!
We averaged our accommodation cost by staying in self catering villas run by locals for five out of seven nights. The island of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue have a range of such villas and you can take your pick. We loved our little villa at the Acquario Guesthouse in Praslin. The place was spic and span and had a very well equipped kitchen. At ~ EUR 80 per night, including breakfast, it was perfect value for money!
Acquario Guesthouse
Food
Food is expensive in the Seychelles as most fresh produce (except sea food) is imported. While we were happy spending on grub, we could not find much vegetarian delights to eat. We had the local vegetable curry, pizza and pasta.
Restaurant: In a good sit down restaurant, one mains (vegetarian) costs anywhere between EUR 10 – 15. A meal for the two of us, along with a drink each (one beer and one gingerale) typically cost us about EUR 35 – 40.
Pizzas and pastas …saviour for the vegetarian soul!
Picnic/Local ‘Street’ Food: For the budget traveller, there are cheaper options. The local grocery stores stock ‘chilly cakes’ and fresh buns, which make a delightful snack….very similar to our very own ‘wada pav’. We had this for lunch on two occasions. We got about six chilly cakes for EUR 1 only! The fresh buns from the local bakery cost us EUR 1.5 and we picked up some cheese, crackers, flavoured milk and juice for EUR 10. Two slices of banana cake cost us a little less than EUR 1! So, we were done with a picnic lunch in less than EUR15 for both of us!
Chilly cakes at a local grocery store in Praslin
Self-catering: Nothing saves money like cooking your own meals in a self catering. However, our choice to light the stove was driven primarily by the limited variety of vegetarian food.
We bought some eggs, one 400g pack of pasta, bread, some fresh vegetables, herbs, salt and butter. This was enough for two days… three meals per day and cost us a total of ~ EUR 20 only!
Joys of self-catering … aglio olio pasta… just the way we like it!
Transport
Air tickets:
Getting to Mahe, the largest island in the Seychelles is much easier and cheaper now, especially if you stay in India! Air Seychelles has a direct flight from Mumbai to Mahe. If you book a little in advance, the return ticket costs about USD 475 – cheaper than the flight to Mauritius!
Ferries for island hopping: Our major transport expense was on account of the ferry tickets from Mahe -> Praslin -> La Digue and back. This cost us EUR 125 – 130 per person for the round trip (air conditioned economy class). While spending this amount on ferries did appear to be on the higher side, there is no other option if you want to visit Praslin and La Digue.
Island hopping using the Cat Cocos ferry
Surface transport: A lot of travellers take the local buses on the island of Mahe and Praslin. While this is the cheapest option (SCR 10 i.e. ~EUR 0.70 per bus ride), it takes away the flexibility of doing things as per your schedule. Also, if you have anything more than a backpack, boarding the bus is at the driver’s mercy. Taxis are expensive and have to be called for, especially on the island of Praslin and La Digue.
We wanted to do things as per our whims and fancies and rented a car at Mahe and Praslin, which cost us about EUR 35 – 40 per day for unlimited kilometers.
Zip zap zoom!
On the tiny island of La Digue, a bicycle is good enough to pedal from one beach to another and can be rented for SCR 100 i.e ~ EUR 7 per day.
I got my wheels in La Digue
Activities
Beach hopping: Our main activity during the week was beach hopping in our car, which we had already paid for. All beaches in the Seychelles are public beaches and there are no charges to get to the pristine sands (Anse Source d’Argent is an exception to this).
Hiking: There are plenty of hikes that one can go for, with trails that are well-marked, none of which cost a penny. You may also choose to do a guided trip to one of the many inaccessible beaches and find your own little secret spot, which will come at a price.
Pristine beach of Cote d’Or at Praslin
Diving and snorkeling: I did two dives on the island of Praslin for a total of ~EUR 100. Half day/ full day trips to neighbouring island (for snorkelling) cost anywhere between EUR 40 – EUR 100 per person depending on the duration, food and marine park fee. We did a half day snorkelling trip from La Digue which cost us ~EUR 50 per person.
Vallee de Mai is one of Seychelles’ two UNESCO sites and is worth at least a couple of hours. Entrance to this unique national park costs ~EUR 20 per person. You may choose to take a guided tour to know more, which will cost you extra.
The BIG question… luxury… budget… backpacking?
Lets be real… Seychelles is not a place for a shoestring budget. Save a little more and you would be all set to enjoy a vacation here. The islands definitely offer options for the budget traveler as well as for the uber luxury seekers. How you wish to spend your vacation, is entirely upto you!
Happy Holidays!!!
Does this post put Seychelles on your bucketlist?
Nicely presented Sonia. I liked all pictures.
Gosh! looks at those food prices. Its bloody expensive.
However as you have mentioned Seychelles is not for budget travelers, its out of my list 🙂
Hey Ankur! It’s not for a shoestring…but still can do a budget trip. Too picturesque a place to let go so easily!
As for food…self catering is the way to go! Toss a pasta and have some juice along with it….works well on the tummy and the pocket!
Very well explained all information. Seychelles goes into my bucketlist 🙂 Thanks.
Thanks Sudha! Get there before it gets swamped with tourists!
Helpful tips!
Thanks Niranjan!
Hey!
Glad you could plan your Seychelles trip through my post. You have some really nice pictures. Glad you guys enjoyed it a lot. I think you did a good combination luxury and a bit more budget style 😉 Looks like you had an amazing time.
Hey Melanie! Thanks again! Yep…had a great time…hopefully… will get there again sometime soon 🙂
It looks amazing. I thought the food would be more expensive so that surprised me. The buses also sound very cheap! Hope I can visit the Seychelles one day!
The price that I have quoted is for vegetarian food….really not sure what a lobster would cost 🙂
Yep…the buses are cheap. If you have time at hand, travelling by bus is not a bad idea..saves a lot of money!
Well written. I will definitely put it on my list.
Thanks !!
Thanks Niteen! The place is a must go if you are a beach lover!
Well planned trip guys! I was wondering if the roads are well there. I am planning to travel there for a babymoon but food(M a vegetarian) and roads is my main concern
Hey ….Seychelles is a lovey place for a babymoon, though the sea may get choppy if you are on a boat while island hopping.
The roads were great , no concerns at all. As for vegetarian food, do check out our blog on the vegetarian food in Seychelles. Tossing a pasta in our kitchen or eating in a five star were the best options.
Proof of funds for Seychelles Visa-
The website for Seychelles says that we need to show ‘Proof of funds’ to obtain a visa on arrival, which has $150 per day per person as a requirement. I plan to visit with my husband and stay for about a week. I have realized from the internet search that having a credit card is often good enough for proof of funds, but I don’t have any credit cards. Is it fine to show the bank statements with international debit card or do I really need to show hard cash if asked. Carrying around that much cash really worries me.
And if I do need to show hard cash, does it have to be USD?
Thanks,
Manali
Hi Manali! The visa on arrival is free. We were never asked to show cash. However, it would make sense to carry you credit card, along with a recent statement and a bank account statement.
Also, carry print outs of your hotel bookings to prove that you do not need additional funds for staying on the island.
Have a lovely trip!
Hi Sonia,
We are travelling to Seychelles (Mahe/ Praslin) in Dec and wanted to know which diving company did you use for SCUBA. I have contacted a few and they are quoting much higher than what you have mentioned. Does bargaining happen in Seychelles :/ Also, which car rental did you use in Mahe?
Thanks for your detailed blog.. definitely helping me plan better 🙂
Hi Priyanka! Great that you are travelling to Seychelles..you will love the islands. We booked the dive with White Tip Divers at Praslin. They were good and the dive master took care of me especially in the caves as I was the youngest diver in the pack! I could not bargain with anyone for anything in Seychelles :-(…if you do manage to, please leave a comment here…I am sure it will help future travellers.
We booked our cars using the ww.seychelles-info.com website. The cars were good and got an upgrade in Mahe as well as in Praslin.
Thanks for the response 🙂
Well..we cannot bargain so prefer fixing prices in advance 🙂 White tip divers quoted 80 EUR per person for 1 dive. We don’t know swimming (though we have dived at few places) and had asked for the fun dive prices. Did you do the same or are you pro at diving?
Will check out seychelles-info website, its currently taking me to their control panel page..
We both are certified divers…though only I dive and Ankur has given up diving. I have been diving for a while and the Seychelles was surely good. The fun dives might be a little more expensive as the groups are much much smaller.
Whether you dive or not, make sure you go for a snorkel trip to Sister Island on a sunny day. While people insist on Coco Island, make sure Sister Island is on the list…Coco has been spoilt by snorkellers…Sister is still awesome. You wont miss diving if you go here!
Hi,
I chanced upon your website while browsing for seychelles itineraries and have instantly fallen in love with it.
We are planning to Seychelles next may and your blog has certainly helped in finalizing our budget and itinerary.
Is there any way i can contact you directly over mail for any of the questions i have pls?
Hi Kavita! Glad that you liked the blog and it could be of help. You can reach us using the ‘Contact Us’ section on the blog itself – its on the side bar to right.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Hi Sonia,
I heard roads in seychelles are winding and steep. Is it true? Do you think indians can manage it?
Can you pls also suggest frm which car rentals u hired ur cars in Mahe and Praslin?
Apart from the 35euro rental per day, what are the other expenses we have to pay? Any deposits, insurance and fuel costs?
The roads are fine … no stress at all. If you have been driving in India, you can easily drive. The roads are winding only if you go to the top of the hill…rest of the roads are along the coast.
We usually rent from Sixt. How much you pay depends on what insurance plan you take and damage cover. I have never paid a deposit till now.
They are usually very responsive on email and I would suggest that you check with them on various insurance options and policies regarding fuel as well.