A Guide to Visiting Seychelles
/Seychelles is famous for its beautiful beaches, iconic boulders, scuba diving spots, mountainous hikes, and plus the native Seychellois people are incredible cooks! The country is made up of 115 islands, located off the coast of Kenya in the Indian Ocean. Just think of The Maldives - but way more fun!
Whether you’re dreaming of paradise or island life, then Seychelles is for YOU! If you’re like me and thought that Seychelles is only a place you go to on your honeymoon or when you’re 40+, then you’re wrong! The country is actually super accessible, plus there’s plenty of affordable hotels and restaurants on the islands, without having to spend a penny at the top, luxury resorts.
In this guide, I will provide all the information you need to know before travelling to these paradise islands, including weather, flights, currency, hotels, transport, and of course the best beaches and restaurants.
Best Time to Travel
There isn’t exactly a wrong time to visit Seychelles, as all year round you’ll find perfect sunny days, however, there also isn’t a distinct dry season. The temperature is always between 24 - 32 degrees, ideal for all beach/water/hiking activities. The wet season is between November - March combined with high humidity levels (pack your bug spray!)
April - August are the best months to visit Seychelles as the weather is dry, sunny with little rain. We travelled to Seychelles in mid-July and the weather was perfect! We only had two, short rain showers when we were hiking in the mountains. The rain was super refreshing so we didn’t complain at all!
Flights & Visas
Air Seychelles is the national carrier. We took a direct flight from Dubai to Mahé, which took 4 hours and 30 minutes. Other airlines that fly to Seychelles include Air France, Emirates, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines. If you’re flying from the UK, you can fly Air France to Paris then connect directly to Seychelles.
Visas are free and are obtained on arrival in Seychelles. Only a handful of countries globally need to apply for an entry visa before travelling.
Currency
The official currency is the Seychellois Rupee. 100 Seychellois Rupees equal to 25 AED and £5. Credit cards are mainly used on the islands - petrol stations, small convenience stores and even coconut sellers on the side of the road have card machines. We found that paying by card in Seychellois Rupees is cheaper. Euros and Dollars are both widely accepted, however, there may be an added exchange fee.
Side note: before we travelled, we were told that Seychelles is an ‘expensive country’. We found that some things were even more expensive than in Dubai (city prices), for example, PCR tests and scuba diving. However, we learned that buying bottled water from the local shops and hiring a car saved us money, rather than buying water from the hotel and using taxis.
Transport
Before our trip, we compared car hire prices on Skyscanner and Kayak. We ended up choosing this little beauty through Scenic Rent A Car. The company was super efficient and a representative called Daniel met us at the airport. He was thorough and also sent us over 20 recommendations of places to see in Seychelles. Our trusty little car took us all over the island and thank god she was small! The roads are narrow and can be incredibly steep over the mountains.
If renting a car isn’t on your agenda, then there are taxis on Mahé island, however, you may need to haggle for prices! There are also public, big blue buses. We didn’t use to bus service however we noticed stops all over the island. Even on the steepest and narrowest of roads!
Hotels
We stayed at the Bliss Boutique hotel, which is situated on the northwest side of Mahé island, 5 minutes away from Beau Vallon. Everything was perfect, the views, location, jungle feel, paradise beach, swimming pool, and wonderful restaurants. The price didn’t break the bank either! If you’re on a budget, there are plenty of affordable apartments to rent on the island, Airbnb should be able to help you out, but book early!
Seychelles is known for its incredible, pricey resorts including the Four Seasons Resort, Anantara Maia, and the Six Senses Zil Pasyon. Not forgetting the honeymoon famous North Island - Jen and Brad, Will and Kate… just google it.
Language
Seychellois Creole, a French-based creole language, is spoken by about 95% of the population. It sounds French-ish! Also, English and ‘normal’ French are used throughout the country, for menus, signs, and paperwork so there’s no need to bring your phrasebook!
Restaurants
We were pleasantly surprised by the standard of cooking we experienced, given that we were on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean! We were given breakfast at our hotel every day and had dinner at the Rock Pool restaurant most evenings.
We also enjoyed the Boat House and Beach Shak in Beau Vallon. Plus we treated ourselves to lunch at the Four Seasons Resort. Yup, it was incredible. We went to the Mediterranean beach restaurant, Kannel.
Beaches
A rule that I hope doesn’t change is that currently all of the beaches in Seychelles are public! This even includes the Four Seasons Resort beach - Petite Anse. Undoubtedly the BEST beach I’ve ever seen (pictured here.)
Other notable beaches are Beau Vallon, Anse Soliel, Anse Royale, and the Anse Major beach which is only accessible by a 2km hike through the jungle and mountains - worth it!
