Nai-publish: 02.10.2015
The most beautiful beaches in the world, little tourism, abundant nature, a beautiful underwater world, and friendly people. These are the characteristics that roughly define the Seychelles. After our vacations in the Maldives, the Caribbean, Egypt, and Thailand, we can confidently say that the Seychelles are the real paradise for beaches and oceans on our planet.
The island groups of the Seychelles are located in the middle of the Indian Ocean. There are approximately 115 islands, but only 3 of them, namely Praslin, La Digue, and the main island Mahè, are inhabited. These three dream islands were our vacation destination.
The approximate flight time from Germany to the Seychelles is 11 hours. It is hardly possible to reach this vacation destination directly without a stopover in the Arab countries. Thus, you need to allow for approximately 2-3 hours of layover. Only from Frankfurt Airport, there is a direct flight with the airline Condor once a week. We traveled from Munich Airport with Fly Emirates via Dubai to the Seychelles.
There are daily ferry services between the three main islands Praslin and La Digue. Of course, there is also Air Seychelles, which flies to the main islands daily with small aircraft. However, we advise against these domestic flights because you can bring significantly less baggage on board than you can with the major airlines like Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, etc. from Germany. With a domestic flight, only 15-20kg of baggage remains.
With the ferry, however, you can always bring your full luggage and enjoy the view of the stunning islands from the board. The approximate transfer time from Mahè Island to Praslin or to La Digue is about 1.5 hours.
Praslin is considered the most beautiful island in the Seychelles. The dreamy beach Anse Lazio in the north of Praslin, if not the most beautiful beach in the world, is a must-visit for every tourist. The largest palms in the world as well as the largest coconut in the world, the "Coco de Mer", should not be missed here. You can admire them in the Vallèe de Mai National Park. In addition to these major highlights, I highly recommend the beaches of Anse Volbert and Anse Georgette. You can only experience such a feeling of white sandy beaches, turquoise blue sea, palm trees, coral reefs, and granite rocks here. On Praslin, you can get around by car, bicycle, or bus. However, the distances between the beaches and attractions are too great to explore the island by bike or on foot. Renting a car is very expensive, so we recommend taking the bus. The bus is almost free, about 20 cents per day, and you can go anywhere.
La Digue is the smallest inhabited island in the Seychelles. Approximately 2,000 people live here. On the island, you can only get around by bike, on foot, or, if desired, by paid ox cart. La Digue is mainly characterized by its dreamy beaches and the sea.
The beach Anse Source d'Argent is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of this island. According to experts, travel agents, journalists, and admirers, Anse Source d'Argent is considered the most beautiful beach on our planet. Photographers flock here again and again to capture the best promotional and photo opportunity. It is not without reason that this beach is considered the most photographed beach on earth by the media. Personally, we cannot fully confirm this, as we preferred the beach Anse Lazio, but we can also say that you must see this beach on a vacation. The theoretical perfection is clearly evident here when you consider that this beach fulfills all the factors of perfection like no other: palm-lined beaches, turquoise blue sea, fantastic coral reefs, a crystal-clear white beach, and the mighty granite boulders that are hardly found elsewhere! You really have to find this in the world in this way. If you are lucky, you may also encounter a giant tortoise during a leisurely walk around Anse Source d'Argent. We were lucky enough to experience this and came across a solitary giant tortoise on a walk to the highlight of the island. Truly very emotional.
The main island of Mahè was the final destination of our vacation. With a length of 28 km and a width of 8 km, it is the largest island in the Seychelles. Approximately 72,000 people live here, which make up about 90% of the total population of the Seychelles. With around 25,000 inhabitants, the capital Victoria is the smallest capital in the world. In the city center, you will immediately recognize the small Big Ben built in a small size. In addition, you can explore numerous bazaars, Creole restaurants, the government buildings of the Seychelles, and much more.
Besides the capital Victoria, we can recommend Anse Interdance Beach and Beau Vallon as very worthwhile on Mahè. Anse Interdance is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on Mahè and is located in the southwest of the island. Anse Beau Vallon in the north of the island is known as the longest beach on the island and offers the largest range of amenities compared to many other beaches. However, in our opinion, if you haven't seen the main island, you haven't missed much because most of the highlights of the beaches are located on the smaller islands.
The Seychelles are known far and wide as a vacation destination that can only be reached at a high price level. We checked with various travel agents, where a vacation in a 3-star hotel with a stay of about 2 weeks costs around 5,000-10,000 euros. But then we continued to research online and came across smaller and cheaper accommodations. Although no one believes it, there are small and great guesthouses in this luxurious natural paradise that are affordable on a "normal budget". I am talking about around 2,000 - 3,000 euros for a total vacation in the Seychelles. It may be that some accommodations have their minor flaws, but the most important thing is that the dream of a vacation in the Seychelles is achievable.
We can recommend the following providers for a cheaper vacation:
- My-seychelles.net
- Seyvillas.com
I wish everyone who has the same dream of flying to the Seychelles that this dream will come true. I hope this travel report could help you, and I already wish you a beautiful and adventurous vacation in paradise!
Best regards and enjoy your vacation
Michael Niederwolfsgruber