The Seychelles are a wonderful group of small islands in the Indian Ocean, close to the African continent, with beautiful beaches where you can walk, swim, dive and take lots of beautiful photos and videos of the ocean, palm trees and granite boulders. The Seychelles is famous for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, so most tourists choose holiday packages in comfortable hotels with private beaches and spend their time snorkelling, diving, sailing, fishing, swimming and sunbathing on the beach. But there are also plenty of other activities: cultural activities, gastronomic experiences, tasting Creole cuisine, visiting interesting places away from the beaches, and attending events and festivals.
Here's our list of ways to spend your holiday in the Seychelles if you need to do something other than go to the beach:
1. Explore the islands
Rent a car and take excursions to the islands of Mahé and Praslin, or hire a bike and explore Praslin and La Digue. You can use the public transport (buses) as well on Mahé and Praslin island. More info: https://sptc.sc/service/public-operations-services/
We rented our cars at Exoticars rental company on Mahé island and at Capricorn in Praslin island and were very satisfied with the service.
It is not necessary to book a bike online in advance, when arriving on La Digue there are several rental shops next to the harbour where you can rent bikes for your one-day trip. There are no car rental agencies on the island of La Digue and no cars on the roads.
Read a separate post on:
2. Hike the mountain trails on the islands of Seychelles
For spectacular views from the viewpoints at the top of the mountains, take walks on the Copolia, Morne Blanc, Salazie, Casse Dent, Trois Fréres, Anse Major trails on Mahé island, Anse Georgette, Fond Ferdinand trails and the Vallée de Mai nature reserve trail on Praslin island. Of these, we only did the Vallée de Mai hike due to the high temperatures and high humidity. We also took guided hikes on the islands of Silhouette and Cousin.
More info on hiking trails: https://www.seyvillas.com/en/guide/things-to-do/hiking
3. Sports activities: golf, tennis, horse riding, yoga, gym, etc.
In addition to cycling, hiking and water sports, you can also do other sports activities, details here: https://www.seyvillas.com/en/guide/travel-info/sports-and-activities
4. Visiting the smaller islands by boat
Book a boat taxi or yacht and take day trips to the smaller islands and enjoy a BBQ lunch.
Thanks to Trinity Charter's services, we took a one-day private boat trip around the island of Praslin, visiting Cousin and Curieuse islands and the beach at Anse La Farine. We had a fantastic experience, thanks to the attentive and friendly boat crew. https://www.seybusiness.com/Trinity_Charter/4391/about
5. Sightseeing in Victoria
Visit the capital, Victoria, and have a look around:
- See the Victoria Museum of Natural History
- Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market
- Hindu Temple, Catholic church, Islamic Mosque
- Little Ben
- Botanical Garden
- Shopping at the STC hypermarket
6. Visit the Morne Blanc tea factory on the island of Mahé
7. Waterfalls
The islands composed of granite rocks are not really rich in significant surface water network, so there are no significant monumental waterfalls on the islands. However, there are a few worth visiting. During our tour, we visited the waterfall near Port Glaud, a short walk away on the island of Mahé.
8. Visiting local people, tasting local food
The Seychelles people are very nice and friendly, the food is delicious.
9. Labrinn Bazaar food market
Visit the Labrinn Bazaar market on Beau Vallon beach on Wednesdays and enjoy the delicacies of the Creole food market and the sunset on the beach.
10. Relax in an elegant hotel
Spend a nice day or weekend with wellness, sports and BBQ facilities in a quality hotel (Double Tree, Hilton, Kempinski ...) at a special discount. You can find many options on the "Seychelles this week" facebook page, but due to the coronavirus epidemic, access to these activities is currently limited or not possible
In June 2019, we had a lovely Sunday as guests of the Hilton Labriz Hotel on Silhouette Island as part of the Sunday Sneak Out programme. We had the opportunity to enjoy the beach, hikes, delicious food and the return boat transfer. We received all the services of a hotel guest except the room.
11. Go to a music party and listen to local music
12. Visit fun events and festivals
The festivals in Seychelles are Creole Festival in the last week of October, La Digue Festival in mid-August, Independence Day in late June, Holy Week during Easter, Semaine de la Francophonie in mid-March, Seychelles International Carnival of Victoria in February and many more....
13. Meet the famous giant tortoises
They can be found in botanical gardens, nature reserves and in the back gardens of some restaurants.
14. Eden island
Visit the artificial Eden Island, walk along the harbour, have coffee or lunch
15. Takamaka rum distillery
Visit Takamaka rum distillery in Anse Royale on the island of Mahé
16. Visit botanical gardens
We visited 3 botanical gardens on the island of Mahé: Victoria Botanical Garden in the capital, Kot-Man-Ya exotic flower garden (tropical garden of Marc Marengo) and Le Jardin du Roi spice garden in Anse Royale. See details in a separate post.
17. Palm forest on the World Heritage List of UNESCO
Don't miss Vallée de Mai nature reserve on the island of Praslin. By paying the entrance fee you support the conservation of the coco de mer palm and the giant tortoises. http://www.sif.sc/vdm
18. Be a volunteer
Be a volunteer and participate in environmental activities: litter picking on beaches, planting trees etc.
Get involved in environmental and conservation activities in local communities by spending half a day of your holiday doing charity work to help the islands' wildlife.