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A resort pool under palms beside a white beach in the Seychelles
Palms and a pool on Mahé

Africa & Middle East · Seychelles

Seychelles

Granite boulders, the world’s largest seed and beaches that other beaches are measured against.

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A hundred and fifteen islands of granite and coral four degrees south of the equator, with beaches so photographed that the real ones surprise you by being better. Mahé has the capital, the mountains and the airport; Praslin has the palm forest; La Digue has bicycles, ox carts and Anse Source d’Argent. Nothing here is cheap, but nothing here is like anywhere else either.

The palm: Coco de mer

Lodoicea maldivica grows only on Praslin and Curieuse. Its double coconut is the largest seed in the world, up to 25 kilograms, and the Vallée de Mai on Praslin is a UNESCO forest of them, together with five other palms found nowhere else. Sailors once thought the nuts came from a tree under the sea.

When to go

°Crainsea January: 30°C by day, 17 rainy days, sea 28°C30°February: 30°C by day, 11 rainy days, sea 28°C30°March: 31°C by day, 11 rainy days, sea 29°C31°April: 31°C by day, 10 rainy days, sea 29°C31°May: 30°C by day, 10 rainy days, sea 29°C30°June: 29°C by day, 9 rainy days, sea 28°C29°July: 28°C by day, 8 rainy days, sea 27°C28°August: 28°C by day, 7 rainy days, sea 26°C28°September: 29°C by day, 9 rainy days, sea 27°C29°October: 30°C by day, 11 rainy days, sea 28°C30°November: 30°C by day, 14 rainy days, sea 28°C30°December: 30°C by day, 18 rainy days, sea 28°C30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Typical daytime highs, rainy days per month (one drop is about four days) and sea temperature. Green bars are comfortable months, amber bars are hot or wet or cool, and the darker bars mark the best time to go.

Sights

Vallée de Mai, Praslin

The coco de mer forest, with black parrots overhead and a guided walk under the fronds.

Anse Source d’Argent, La Digue

Pink sand, pale granite boulders and shallow water; arrive by bicycle before ten.

Morne Seychellois

Trails through cloud forest and tea plantations above Victoria.

Victoria

One of the world’s smallest capitals, with a clock tower, a market and a Hindu temple.

Beaches

  • Anse Lazio

    Praslin’s north-west bay, boulders at both ends and water clear to the sand.

  • Beau Vallon

    Mahé’s long, sheltered bay with restaurants, sunsets and a Wednesday night market.

  • Anse Intendance

    The wild south of Mahé, big waves, no shade and nobody else.

Events

  • Oct

    Creole Festival

    A week of music, food and dance across the islands in late October.

  • Nov

    SUBIOS underwater festival

    Films and photography from the reefs, held in November.

  • Apr

    Carnaval International de Victoria

    A three day international carnival parade in the capital.

For remote workers

Internet3/5

A comfortable month: about €2,600

The Seychelles are for a month of remote work on Mahé rather than a year: the government offers a workcation permit, guesthouses on Mahé and Praslin are affordable by the month, and 4G is decent. Costs are high for food and transport, and hotel wifi on the smaller islands is slow.

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For families

Calm water4/5
Shade5/5
Medical care3/5

Beau Vallon on Mahé is calm, shallow and shaded by takamaka trees; Anse Lazio on Praslin has snorkelling from the sand. Between May and September the south-east trades bring waves and seaweed to some beaches, so ask locally which side is calm. The hospital on Mahé is adequate.

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Three things to know

  1. Split a week and a half between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, using the fast ferries.
  2. April to May and October to November sit between the monsoons: calm sea, little wind, best visibility.
  3. Guesthouses and Creole takeaways cut costs dramatically compared with resorts; the beaches are all public.

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