Seychelles is easiest to plan one island at a time. Mahe holds the airport, the capital and most of the marine parks and trails. Praslin has the palm forest and the best-known diving base on the north coast. La Digue is small enough to cover by bicycle. Prices are in Seychelles rupees (SCR), the legal currency, though hotels and boat operators often quote euros. Before any of it, read the sea rules in the last section, because they decide which beach is usable on your dates.

The deciding factor for any Seychelles day trip is the last boat back, not the outbound sailing. This page is organised by where you sleep, since your base decides which trips are realistic, and it ends with the places that cannot be done in a day at all. Crossing times at a glance Route Time Notes Mahe to Praslin, Cat Cocos about 1h15 several sailings a day, varying by weekday Praslin to La Digue about 15 minutes Cat Cocos, plus the separate Cat Rose service Mahe to La Digue via Praslin about 1h45 the boat stops at Praslin Mahe to La Digue direct about 1h10 limited days only, weekends on the last published table Mahe to Praslin, Air Seychelles about 15 minutes many flights a week The only timetable image on the Cat Cocos site covered 2025, and sailings change by weekday, so confirm every leg for your actual date.

A longer Seychelles trip is a loop through the three main granite islands, and the main decision is how many nights each one gets. Seychelles International Airport on Mahe is the only international gateway, so you start and finish there. The two plans below use the usual nights per island: Mahe 2 to 3, Praslin 2 to 3, La Digue 1 to 2, plus a last night on Mahe before an international flight.

Sightseeing in Seychelles splits cleanly into places that cost nothing, places with a ticket, and places that are shut or have moved. Sorting by cost makes a day easier to plan, and it keeps the closures from catching you out. All fees are for non-resident adults, and children under 12 are free at the park and reserve sites. Free to see Clock Tower, Victoria. Dating from 1903, it is a small copy of the clock tower on Vauxhall Bridge Road in London and is nicknamed Little Ben.

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.

A couple’s trip to Seychelles fits neatly into three days, one island each, with the quietest hours of every beach saved for the morning. The plan below runs from La Digue through Praslin to Mahe, and it keeps the sea in view as a risk to manage, because the prettiest beaches here are often the ones with warning signs. Day one: La Digue Stay the night before if you can, since the best light on Anse Source d’Argent comes before the day boats arrive.

Most Seychelles attractions are protected areas, and the first question for each is how you get in. Some are reached only by boat, some have a gate on the road, and one allows no casual landing at all. This page sorts them by access, then gives a quick way to choose between them. Fees are for non-resident adults, and children under 12 are free at the park and reserve sites below.

Two days buys you Mahe, and Mahe only. Praslin and La Digue both sit a genuine ferry ride away, so don’t try to squeeze an island hop into a 48-hour trip. Want more? Step up to the 3-day version for a real taste of Praslin, or the full 5-day through 7-day loop for all three islands properly. Book these before you go Mahe hotel near Victoria or Beau Vallon: check current rates on Booking.

Three days means two full days on Mahe plus a single day trip across to Praslin, not an overnight stay there, La Digue stays out of reach at this length. Ready for more? The 4-day version turns that Praslin day trip into a proper overnight, and the 7-day reaches all three islands. Book these before you go Mahe hotel near Victoria or Beau Vallon: check current rates on Booking.com The Seychelles Travel Authorisation (SVA): seychelles.

Four days covers Mahe and Praslin properly, an overnight on each, but La Digue stays out of reach; that needs at least a 5-day trip. Shorter or longer? Drop to the 3-day Praslin-day-trip version, or step up to 5 through 7 days to add La Digue. Book these before you go Mahe hotel near Victoria or Beau Vallon: check current rates on Booking.com Praslin hotel or self-catering villa: check current rates on Booking.

Five days is the realistic minimum for all three islands, Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, though La Digue only gets a half-day at this length. Want more breathing room there? Step up to the 6-day or 7-day version; tighter on time, the 4-day trades La Digue for two full Praslin days instead. Book these before you go Mahe hotel near Victoria or Beau Vallon: check current rates on Booking.com Praslin hotel or self-catering villa: check current rates on Booking.

Six days adds a real overnight on La Digue to the 5-day loop: Mahe, then Praslin, then a full day and night on La Digue before heading back. Need the full week? The 7-day version adds one more buffer day on the return through Mahe; tighter, drop to 5 days . Book these before you go Mahe hotel near Victoria or Beau Vallon: check current rates on Booking.com Praslin hotel or self-catering villa: check current rates on Booking.

Seven days is the comfortable version of the whole island-hopping loop: two to three nights each on Mahe and Praslin, an overnight on La Digue, and a buffer day back on Mahe before an international flight. Tighter on time, drop to the 5-day or 6-day version, both built on this same route. Book these before you go Mahe hotel, you’ll need it twice, arrival and departure: check current rates on Booking.

Seychelles is 115 granite and coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean off East Africa, not the Caribbean, and the money in your wallet should be the Seychellois rupee (SCR), not euros, even though every ferry counter and resort will happily quote you both. Three islands carry the whole trip: Mahe, the airport and the hub; Praslin, the coco de mer forest and two showstopper beaches; La Digue, the granite boulders you have already seen in a hundred photos.

Seychelles’ marquee sights split cleanly into three kinds: free beaches, paid national parks with real ticket logistics, and one gated resort beach that needs advance permission. Anse Source d’Argent and Anse Lazio are the two names worth building a trip around, but the SPGA-run parks (Ste Anne, Curieuse, Morne Seychellois) all take cards only on-site, not cash, and the Vallee de Mai’s SCR 450 gate fee catches plenty of visitors who read an older, cheaper number online.