1 Week in the Seychelles

In our opinion, 1 week will give you time to take in three of the main islands in the Seychelles – Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. These are all a bit different with unique offerings, and I always encourage first time visitors to the islands to try and visit a few islands to get a feel for the place.

First stop on your trip will be the island of Mahe, and our itinerary has you spending four nights on Mahe, two nights on Praslin and one night on La Digue. Of course, one of the main attractions of the islands are the spectacular beaches, and you are welcome to focus on visiting those on your trip if you prefer.

You’re also more than welcome to chill out by your hotel pool! But, for those of you looking to get a bit of local flavour, this itinerary includes some of the sights and activities that we think a visitor to the Seychelles will really enjoy. But don’t worry, there are plenty of beaches in here too – although we also recommend checking out our guide to the best Seychelles beaches for more inspiration.

This 1 week Seychelles itinerary assumes you have a rental car but you can also get around by taxi, public bus, or join a tour to see almost all these sites – see the section on transportation after the itinerary for more information on getting around, as well as the section on tours for specific tours we suggest.

Day 1 – Mahe

Mahe is the most populated island in the Seychelles, and also the largest granitic island in the Seychelles archipelago. The Seychelles islands are unique in that they are the only oceanic granitic islands in the world.

They were formed when the Seychelles plateau sank, so the islands that exist today are in fact 70 million year old mountain tops. In some places, the land sank just below the sea, and here coral islands have formed, which are totally flat.

Anyway, back to Mahe. As the largest and most populous island in the Seychelles, with around 80,000 Seychellois calling it home, Mahe is the island you will arrive on as all international flights to and from the Seychelles arrive here.

The island isn’t that big, at around 17 miles long, but we think that scheduling three nights / four days here at the start of your Seychelles trip will give you time to see a great many of the islands attractions and beautiful beaches.

For your first day, much will of course depend on your arrival time, but we think that you shouldn’t try and do too much as you’ll need to acclimate to the temperature and humidity.

So we’d suggest heading to your accommodation and relaxing a bit, picking up your hire car (if you booked one), and maybe heading to one of the island’s beaches to start your holiday in style.

Of course, which beach you head to will depend on where you are, but we’d recommend Anse Intendance or Anse Louis if you’re on the south end of the island, or Beau Vallon if you’re on the north end of the island. Beau Vallon is also a good location for sunset, and for swimming if you have kids, as the water is most calm.

Day 2 – Mahe

On your second day on Mahe we recommend you take a bit of your day to explore the capital of the Seychelles – Victoria. This is the smallest capital in the world, so it won’t take you too long to explore.

Highlights include the colourful central market and the clock tower in the centre of town. There’s also a small but very interesting natural history museum, if you want to learn a bit about how the islands formed and their unique flora and fauna.

From Victoria, we suggest taking the mountain road known as Sans Souci, which will give you a different perspective of the island. This road leads high up into the mountains, and there are a number of attractions along the way. Those of you who love hiking will appreciate the fairly strenuous hike known as Capolia, which takes 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your fitness.

This is a fairly steep hike up onto the giant granite boulders behind Victoria, which will reward you with spectacular views of the east coast of Mahe, as well as across the St. Anne Marine National Park. On a clear day you’ll also be able to see Praslin and the islands around Praslin.

Parking is available by the road side here, and the path is marked with a large sign at the start, although be sure not to leave any valuables in your car if you are driving yourself.

Further along the Sans Souci road you will come to the Mission Lodge, which was the site of a school for liberated African slaves on the islands. There is not a lot left to see of the school, but the scenery is beautiful as are the views.

From the Mission Lodge the road starts to wind down the other side of the hill, and you’ll pass through the Seychelles Tea Plantation. When we visited in 2018, this was undergoing renovation, however it is due to re-open to visitors soon. There is also a nearby hiking path if you want to explore some of the unique fauna of this area.

Once you’re done with the Sans Souci road, you will find yourself on the west coast, where no doubt it’ll be time for a swim and the beach. There are a number of beaches along this part of the coast that are worth visiting, including Grand Anse, Port Launay and Baie Ternay.

The latter does require a short 10 minute walk, although the drive to the beach also reveals a few quite secluded beach spots that you might have all to yourself!

Day 3 – Mahe

For your third day on Mahe, we think you should explore the south of the island, which is one of my favourite parts of Mahe. This part of the island, being a little further away from the capital, is a little less developed, but has many attractions to explore. In terms of geography, generally the south can be thought of as being anywhere south of the airport.

First stop on our tour is the “Craft Village”. This, found on a former plantation (you can still tour the plantation home for free), is a village where local craftspeople create all kinds of products for sale.

These are very reasonably priced, and you’ll find a range of items here from t-shirts to candles to hand carved fridge magnets. I’d suggest that this is an excellent place to go souvenir shopping, as you are pretty much guaranteed an authentic, locally made product, and that the money will go straight into the hands of the crafter.

This is also a good opportunity to chat with the local people about their lovely islands, and learn a bit more about what it’s like to actually live here.

From the Craft Village, the next stop is another former plantation, just two minutes drive away. Found at the “Plaine St. Andre” is the Takamaka Rum Distillery, which produces the islands famous rum product – Takamaka rum. By your third day in the Seychelles, we’re sure you will have seen plenty of advertising about this rum, and you’ve probably even tried some.

Well, now’s your chance to learn all about how it’s made! Takamaka rum is the only rum made on the island with locally grown sugar cane, and it comes in a variety of flavours.

Tours are run twice-daily (although the times seem to vary, so do call to check when these are running) and are relatively inexpensive, plus they include a tasting of all the varieties of rum!

You’ll also learn a bit about the history of the plantation as well as slavery in the Seychelles, making this, all in all, a worthwhile location for a visit. Naturally, you can also buy some rum to take with you as well.

From the Takamaka rum distillery it’s time to head even further south, and explore more of this wonderful part of Mahe. We highly recommend going right to the far south of the island, down the Grand Police road, past Anse Intendance, and exploring one or more of the three beaches down here – Anse Bazarca, Anse Petit Police and Anse Grand Police.

Their far flung location means they get very few visitors (except for locals on the weekends!), and here you can really live the dream of having your own white sand paradise beach location to yourself. Just heed the warning signs regarding the currents as it can be dangerous to swim here at certain times of the year.

You can also wind around the south of the island to some of the other beautiful beaches in the area, including Anse Soleil, and Petit Anse.

Petit Anse is now the location of the Seychelles Four Seasons, but the beach is open to non-guests of the hotel although they do limit the number of visitors. You just need to sign in at the security gate and then park and walk down from the parking area.

Other pretty beaches in this area include Anse Takamaka, Baie Lazare and Anse Louis. In terms of food in this part of the world, popular and recommended stops include Surfers Cafe and the Anchor Cafe.

Day 4 – Praslin

On the morning of your fourth day, we suggest you take the early morning ferry across to Praslin (the main ferry provider is Cat Cocos) . This takes around an hour, and leaves from the Inter Island ferry port in Victoria.

There are also loads of other ways you could visit Praslin or divide your time. If you prefer, you could also take the afternoon ferry on Day 3 and spend an extra night on Praslin, it’s entirely up to you. If you want to reach Praslin faster, you could take 15 minute flight from Mahe with Air Seychelles, or there’s also the option to charter a helicopter of course. And, if you’d prefer to do everything from Mahe, you can also visit Praslin as a day trip from Mahe as well.

With one full day on Praslin, our suggestion is to take in the fantastic Vallee de Mai, and visit one of the world’s best beaches. A hire car on Praslin will make getting around easier, but public transport also serves the major stops around the island.

We’re going to start with the Vallee de Mai on Praslin. This is a UNESCO world heritage site, and the major tourist attraction on the island. Here, one of the Seychelles most unique endemic plants grows – the giant Coco de Mer palm.

These trees, which grow as either a male or a female, have the world’s largest nut. Inside the nut you can find the world’s largest seed – which takes up to seven years to germinate!

The name, which translates as Coconut of the Sea, came about because for many years these nuts would wash up on foreign shores. With no idea where they were coming from, they were given the name that suggested they came “from the sea”.

Of course, when the Seychelles islands were finally discovered, the source of the mysterious nuts was also found – but the name stuck.

Today, the majority of the world’s Coco de Mer palm trees grow in the Vallee du Mai, and a walk through this beautiful and peaceful valley of giant trees is a must for your visit to Praslin. Note that the nuts are fully protected, so don’t try to take one home with you – this is possible, but you need to go through the official channels and paperwork! Whilst you’re here, keep an eye out for the Seychelles black parrot also, which is commonly found in the valley.

Once you are done with the Vallee du Mai, it’s time to visit some of Praslin’s spectacular beaches. One of the most famous of these is Anse Lazio, which regularly tops lists of the best beaches in the world.

To be honest, whilst Anse Lazio is indeed stunning and worth a visit, there are multiple gorgeous beaches in the Seychelles – many of which are a lot quieter as they are not so famous! But still, Anse Lazio is beautiful, and there is an excellent seafood restaurant here (Bonbon Plume) where you can have some lunch as well.

You can either stay here for the rest of the day, or work your way back around the island’s other beaches – it’s up to you.

Day 5 – Praslin / Curieuse Day Trip

For your fifth day in the Seychelles, we recommend taking a boat tour of some of the islands around Praslin (you can also do similar boat tours from Mahe as well). The Seychelles archipelago has over 100 islands, each of which is unique, so we think that exploring some of the smaller ones is an essential part of any trip to the Seychelles.

There are a number of boat tours that operate from Praslin which visit a number of the islands around Praslin. The itineraries vary slightly, as do the islands visited, but most of them are a full day trip, such as this one, that includes lunch, soft drinks and transfers from your hotel to the jetty at Baie St. Anne.

Generally, most boat excursions include 2 or 3 of the following islands: Curieuse, Cousin, Felicité, Coco, Sister, and/or the small island of St. Pierre – the latter of which is just a small granite outcrop that is good to snorkel around (you don’t actually land on it).

An appealing island for many visitors is Curieuse as this is the best place to meet the Aldabra Giant Land Tortoise. This is a massive tortoise species, endemic to the Seychelles, which can grow to an excess of 600lb and 200 years in age.

Curieuse is probably the best place to see them on this itinerary as they are not fenced in and can roam freely. Fans of wildlife, and in particular bird lovers, may also want to visit Cousine, as this is an excellent place to see a number of the birds of Seychelles, including the Seychelles Magpie Robin, Fairy terns, white tailed tropic birds, and more.

You can book these tours when you’re in the Seychelles through one of the local operators – we used Mason’s Travel for our trip, and had a lovely day out.

You can also book the trip in advance here. Whichever operator you use, make sure to bring swimming clothes, sunscreen and plenty of insect repellant – the mosquitoes on Cousine in particular are legendary!

Day 6 – La Digue

For your sixth day in the Seychelles we suggest you take the morning ferry across to La Digue. This is a fifteen minute ride and there are two companies offering regular service – Cat Cocos, and the Inter Island Ferry.

La Digue has a very different vibe than the other islands you will have visited so far. There are very few cars, and most visitors get around by bike or on foot. The island isn’t very big, taking around 30 minutes to cycle from one end to the other, but it has a number of attractions that make it worth visiting.

First, and at the top of most visitors lists, is a visit to Anse Source D’Argent. This is a beach at the south end of the island, with out of this world granite rock formations surrounded by palm trees, turquoise waters and pale white sands.

It really has to be seen to be believed, and whilst it does get busy here as the day progresses, is very much worth visiting. It’s also an excellent spot for watching the sunset. Do be aware that you do have to pay to visit the beach as access is through the L’Union Estate, which is privately owned.

Since you have to pay to cross the L’Union estate, you might as well visit it as well. This was once a former plantation, and many crops, including vanilla, are still grown here today. Visitors can learn about the various products that were made here, visit the old plantation house, and see the La Digue graveyard, which is the last resting place of some of the earliest Seychellois – La Digue being the first island to be populated in the Seychelles.

If you don’t mind a bit of a cycle, it’s worth taking the road to the east side of the island to visit Grand Anse, another spectacular beach. It can be a bit busy here, but you can escape the crowds by heading to Petit Anse instead, one cove along.

Alternatively, head around the north end of the island, there’s a road which leads past numerous beaches, one of which we’re sure will take your fancy.

Finally, while you’re on La Digue you should try to catch a glimpse of the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher. This endemic bird is critically endangered and native to La Digue. The best place to spot one is in the Veuve Reserve, a tract of wilderness that is set aside for the protection of these beautiful birds.

Note that if you’d prefer to stay on Praslin, you can explore La Digue as a day trip too. You can either do this on your own, by taking the ferry over, or you can take a 1 day tour of La Digue from Praslin.

Day 7 – La Digue & return to Mahe

For Day 7, our suggestion is to return to Mahe – you can take the ferry directly from La Digue to the connecting Praslin service, with a total journey time of around an hour an a half.

Of course, it’s up to you if you leave in the morning or afternoon, and this will depend on things like how much you want to see on La Digue, if you choose to stay on Praslin, and of course your flight time.

Our suggestion though is to return to Mahe and stay the night, so whatever time your flight is you’ll have no trouble getting to the airport. Once back on Mahe you can spend your last day and night finishing off any souvenir shopping, visiting a favourite beach, exploring a museum or garden, or just lounging by the hotel pool!