10 Days in Seychelles: A Complete Guide to the Islands, Beaches and Activities

My trip to Seychelles was a dream come true. I spent two weeks there, but a fair amount of that time was relaxing and returning to the same places I already loved, so if you’re planning 10 days in Seychelles, you could comfortably cover everything I did without needing the full two weeks I took.

If I had 10 days in Seychelles, here’s exactly how I’d split the time: 3 days in Mahé, 4 days in Praslin, and 3 days in La Digue. That split gives you enough time on each island to actually settle in, rather than rushing between ferries and ticking off beaches without ever feeling like you’ve arrived anywhere. Mahé gives you the capital, the markets and a mix of beach and mountain. Praslin, with the most time allocated, is where you slow right down. La Digue, smaller and slower again, is the one most people picture when they think of Seychelles: ox carts instead of cars, and beaches that genuinely look unedited in photos.

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10 days in Seychelles: the highlights of the trip

One honest note before you plan anything: Seychelles is not a casual add-on to another trip, and it’s not a cheap destination. International flights are limited and expensive, domestic island-hopping adds further cost, and the best hotels here sit firmly in the luxury bracket. This is a destination that rewards proper planning and a proper budget, rather than a spontaneous detour. If that fits what you’re looking for, it delivers in a way few other places do.

What follows is everything I’d actually do across those 10 days, based on what I did across my own two weeks there, minus the repeat visits and the days I simply sat still because I could.

Mahe: 3 days

Most people I talk to treat Mahé as a one-day stop before rushing on to the other islands. I really enjoyed this island, possibly slightly more than Praslin. It has many amazing beaches, perfect for long walks, and a character of its own that gets unfairly skipped.

We arrived in Mahé early in the morning and picked up a hire car at the airport, which was quick and straightforward, though we were told that isn’t always the case.

We planned to stay 3 days in Mahé, but I would have happily stayed a day longer.

Favourite beaches in Mahé:

• Anse Intendance– so good we went there twice. Perfect for sunsets, long walks, and playing in big waves. There’s a little hut bar serving drinks, which makes it an easy beach to spend an entire day at without needing to leave.
• Anse Soliel
• Beau Vallon
• Anse Forbans
• Petit Anse- small but genuinely beautiful, located at the Four Seasons hotel. Access is on foot only, via a fairly steep walk down from the parking area, but worth it.

Top things to do in Mahe

• Morne Blanc Trail– there are many options for trekking trails in Mahe. I did one of the shorter ones that ended up with the view like in the photo below but what I really went there for was trying to spot one of the smallest frogs in the world…without success, but locals swear that there are many of them.
• Snorkelling and diving — the waters around Mahé offer plenty of options for both, but there are sharks, apparently, especially in late afternoon. We did a bit of snorkeling, but it wasn’t as abundant as we experienced in Maldives.
• Visit Victoria, one of the smallest capital cities in the world, and see the Clock Tower, a small replica of London’s Elizabeth Tower.
• The market in Victoria — worth a wander for local produce, spices and a sense of everyday Seychellois life.
• Take a scenic helicopter flight over the island, if it fits your budget. A genuinely memorable way to see Mahé’s granite peaks and surrounding reefs from above.
• Anse Major trekking trail
• Seychelles National Botanical Garden
• Visit Eden Island, a man-made residential and marina development just off Mahé.
• Morne Seychellois, the island’s highest peak, for more serious hikers.

Praslin: 4 days

I had high expectations of Praslin, since everyone I’d met before the trip raved about how impressive the island is. I’ll be honest: I came away slightly underwhelmed, and I suspect the main reason was arriving already weighed down by other people’s expectations. Everyone talks about Anse Lazio and how stunning it is — for me, it was actually one of the least impressive beaches in Seychelles. That’s a genuinely unpopular opinion, but it’s mine.

The real highlight of Praslin for me was the walk through Vallée de Mai and the endless, charming road trips around the island, with sea views on one side and dense vegetation on the other. I particularly loved the stretch near Château de Feuilles.

There are two ways to reach Praslin: boat or plane. We chose to fly, since the ferry schedules didn’t suit our plans and we’d been warned the crossing can get choppy. We don’t usually get seasick, but after a long and fairly adventurous boat trip in the Maldives, we decided not to risk it.

The domestic flights are run on tiny 12-seater planes, so only small carry-on luggage is normally allowed onboard. That’s never an issue for us since we travel with hand luggage only, but even ours was slightly too big and ended up checked in. As of recent fares, a one-way domestic flight between Mahé and Praslin runs somewhere around EUR 130 to 140 return, though I’d treat that as a starting point to verify rather than a fixed number, since fares fluctuate by season and demand.

Favourite beaches in Praslin:

• Anse Lazio- seems to be a favourite beach of most visitors. It is pretty, I have to give it that, but a few others can compete with it.
• Anse Georgette- my absolute favourite beach in Praslin, possibly in all of Seychelles. You can reach it either via a trek from Anse Lazio (avoid doing this in the middle of the day unless you’re well protected from the sun, since there’s barely any shade along the way) or through the golf course at the Constance Lemuria hotel. We went back three or four times during our stay. That should tell you everything.
• Anse Volbert
• Cote d’Or beach
• Anse Consolation

Top things to do:

• Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve- my favourite activity on the entire island. This UNESCO-listed rainforest isn’t large, but every part of it is worth lingering in, largely because of the palm trees bearing the coco de mer, the largest seed in the plant kingdom.
• Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve
• Praslin National Park
• Play golf- the Constance Lemuria hotel has a stunning course that I walked through repeatedly just to reach Anse Georgette.
• Take a trip to Curieuse Island- despite spending a full week on Praslin, I never actually made it across. I blame the beaches that kept pulling me back, and a few locals mentioning that the reefs around Curieuse have suffered some bleaching.
• Have dinner in Les Rochers restaurant- the food is good, but what makes this place genuinely special is the terrace and dining space right on the beach. It’s ideal for a sunset dinner or drinks, and it was, without question, the nicest restaurant we ate at anywhere in Seychelles.

Top tip for Praslin:

Locals advise against swimming after sunset, particularly at Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, due to occasional, sporadic shark sightings in the area. Worth knowing, not worth panicking over.

La Digue: 3 days

The most idyllic island of the three, and in my admittedly biased opinion, the most beautiful when it comes to beaches. You’ve probably seen photos of Anse Source d’Argent. It is beautiful, but it’s also the most popular beach on the island, drawing not just visitors staying on La Digue but day-trippers arriving from Praslin too. It can get considerably more crowded than the island’s other beaches.

It’s absolutely worth spending time there, but don’t limit yourself to just this one beach. The Grand Anse beaches are, in my view, even more beautiful, and Anse Coco scored a clean 10 out of 10 in my book.

Top things to do in la digue:

• Anse Source D’Argent & Grand Anse Beaches-long walks, sunbathing, playing with waves and just neverending relax
• Vanilla Plantation
• Biking- the best way to move around the island, and an experience in itself.
• Snorkelling, diving and kayaking

Top tip for La Digue:

When parking your bike, make sure it’s properly secured and nothing valuable is left in the basket. We learned this the hard way: a small part, likely a screw, was removed from one of our handlebars in what’s apparently a fairly common prank by local schoolkids. I didn’t notice until a few minutes into riding, and nearly crashed trying to steer.

Practical information for 10 days in Seychelles

Moving around

Mahé and Praslin are large enough that a hire car is genuinely useful, almost necessary. Public buses exist, though during the pandemic tourists weren’t permitted to use them, and it’s worth checking current rules before relying on them. La Digue is small enough to get around mostly on foot, but a bicycle is by far the best option, and is what most visitors use.

I’d recommend hiring a car on Mahé and Praslin for flexibility, but bear in mind that many roads are narrow, particularly in more rural stretches.

For island hopping, you have two main choices: ferry or domestic flight. Both operate between Mahé and Praslin; only ferries connect Praslin and La Digue (the crossing is short, around 15 to 30 minutes). We flew between Mahé and Praslin and took the short ferry on to La Digue. A few different ferry companies operate these routes, and you can book in advance or simply buy a ticket at the dock – buying at the dock actually gave us more flexible options than what we could find booking online in advance.

Water

Tap water is safe to drink across Seychelles, though it’s noticeably chlorinated, so you may prefer bottled water if you’re sensitive to the taste. We drank tap water throughout and only used bottled water when it was provided by a hotel or restaurant.

When to go

Seychelles works well as a year-round destination, but the best weather windows are April through May and October through November. We went in April and had the most amazing weather the whole time.

Card payments and currency

Cards are widely accepted across the country, though some smaller vendors prefer US dollars or euros. It’s worth keeping some local rupees on hand too; depending on your bank, withdrawing rupees from a cash machine once you arrive may be your best option.

The local currency is the Seychellois rupee, with $1 USD roughly equivalent to 12.80 rupees, though you should check the current rate closer to your trip.

Where to stay in Seychelles

We stayed in a few different hotels on the three islands. These are our favourites and a few recommendations that we would choose another time:

Dhevatara Beach Hotel (Praslin)– we stayed in this hotel 4 nights and it was an amazing experience. It’s specifically designed for couples and kids are not allowed, so tranquillity is for granted. Besides, it has access to the beach- it’s not the best one in Mahe, but a plus if you want to for a sunset swim near the hotel.

Chateau de Feuilles– (Praslin)-this hotel was our last in Seychelles. It’s located on the south end of Praslin on top of a hill with an incredible sea view. It doesn’t have direct access to the beach, but it was our favourite hotel. It’s a complex of small villas with a few pools, a hidden jacuzzi on the very top, and lots of space to explore and relax in peace. The staff working there is the loveliest and the most attentive but at the same time respect your privacy. I don’t remember when last time I felt so spoiled in a hotel. They grow most of their own food, they even have hens roaming around for fresh eggs for your breakfast.

Villas de Jardin– (Mahe)– a beautiful complex of small villas set on a hill overlooking the sea. We got a very comfortable apartment with an outdoor (and indoor) shower, amazing terrace and all the facilities that you might need even for cooking, which during pandemic this was a great choice.

Constance Ephelia -(Mahe)– This hotel is a more luxurious option in Mahe. It’s a beautiful place with a beach.

Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie– (La Digue)- this hotel is for you if you want to have rest and relax at its finest. It offers spa treatments and it is very well located (but La Digue is a very small island, most places are well located). While we loved the hotel, we could not make the reservations, but would love to stay there another time.

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