Seychelles With Children

October 20, 2026

Travelling with children in Seychelles works best when the sea is treated as the part that needs a plan and everything else as easy. Tortoises, short forest paths and a bicycle ride cover most days. The beaches need more thought, because lifeguards exist at only three of them and the safe side of each island changes with the season.

Five rules before you go

Swim only at a lifeguarded beach, between the flags, and only on the coast that is calm for your dates.
The west coast is unsafe from about December to March and the east coast from about May to September, so pick the beach after you pick the month.
Children under 12 enter SPGA parks and Seychelles Islands Foundation sites free, and the gate takes cards only.
On La Digue, rental shops must provide helmets to children under 14.
Children wear life jackets on every tourist boat.

Beaches with lifeguards

Beau Vallon (Mahe), Cote d’Or (Praslin) and Anse Lazio (Praslin) are the three guarded beaches. Rough days at Beau Vallon can bring strong rip currents. Anse Lazio has no protecting reef, gets heavy swell from about December to March and flies red flags when it is rough, so it suits children only on calm, flagged days. Keep an eye on bags on the sand at Cote d’Or and Beau Vallon, where petty theft is reported.

Beaches with official warning signs are for walking and photographs, not for children to paddle in. They include Grand Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Cocos on La Digue, and Anse Intendance, Anse Takamaka and Anse Forbans on Mahe. The Tourism Department safety guide lists them all.

Half-day ideas on each island

Mahe. The National Botanical Garden in Victoria costs SCR 250, opens 08:00 to 17:00 and has a tortoise enclosure, so ask staff what visitors may feed. Takamaka Rum has free guided tours and two resident tortoises called Taka and Maka. Moyenne Island, a short boat ride out in Ste Anne Marine Park, has a loop path of about 30 minutes with free-roaming tortoises.

Praslin. Curieuse has the easiest animal encounter of all: a nursery where young tortoises are raised until about age five, adult tortoises roaming near Baie Laraie and an easy 433 m mangrove boardwalk. The park ticket is SCR 300. Vallee de Mai has an accessible visitor centre and a wheelchair-friendly first stretch of forest, and a free map comes with the SCR 450 ticket. On a wet day the Praslin Museum at Cote d’Or shows traditional skills such as coconut dehusking, with hours of about 09:00 to 16:00 and entry of about EUR 5 reported, so check first.

La Digue. L’Union Estate (SCR 150) keeps tortoises at the foot of a granite monolith, and visitors can feed them. The ride from the jetty takes about 15 minutes. Bicycles run about SCR 150 to 200 a day, and e-bikes are limited to riders aged 16 and over. The Veuve reserve is flat and shaded and protects a rare flycatcher, with guided visits at SCR 200.

Practical notes

Sailings are limited, and school holidays fill them, so book ferries early and carry water and snacks.
Several sites have little shade, so pack hats and sun cream.
Medical capacity is limited on Praslin and La Digue, and serious cases go to Mahe, so choose insurance that covers evacuation.

Family boat days and tours can be compared on Viator .