Seychelles Slow Escape: Praslin and Mahé, 6 Nights

Met at Mahé airport, you are driven to the jetty in Victoria for the hour-long fast ferry to Praslin, then on to your hotel. The crossing needs an arrival in time for an afternoon sailing; we check this against your flights and arrange a Mahé night or a short flight if needed. The evening is yours.

Nothing is booked, so the day can start slowly. Praslin’s north-west coast has two of the finest beaches in the islands, Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, reached by taxi or a short drive. If you would like a walk in the shade, the Vallée de Mai palm forest is close to the island’s centre.

A short boat crossing to La Digue, the island where bicycles and ox-carts still outnumber cars. The day takes in the old L’Union plantation with its giant tortoises and copra kiln, and the photogenic boulders and shallows of Anse Source d’Argent. There is time for a swim before the boat back to Praslin in the afternoon.

Check out after breakfast for the ferry back to Mahé, where a driver meets you at the jetty and takes you to your hotel. Mahé is larger and busier than Praslin, with mountain roads, forest trails and the small capital, Victoria. The afternoon is free for the beach or the hotel pool.

A guided day around the island, beginning in Victoria with its clock tower, colourful market and Hindu temple, then over the mountains past tea plantations and viewpoints. Lunch is at a local restaurant serving Creole dishes such as fish curry and breadfruit. The tour finishes with time on a south-coast beach.

Out from the Eden Island marina into the protected waters just off Victoria. Through the glass hull you see coral gardens and reef fish; then the boat stops for snorkelling and fish feeding. A barbecue lunch is served on one of the park’s islands, where giant tortoises wander, before an easy return in the afternoon.

A last breakfast and, if there is time, a final swim before you are collected for the airport. On the way you might ask your driver to stop at a viewpoint over Victoria. For evening flights, we can ask the hotel about a late check-out or book a day room.