Praslin and La Digue Day Trip from Mahe with Lunch

The boat from Mahe to Praslin

The day starts early: our chauffeur collects you between about 06:00 and 06:30 from hotels in Beau Vallon, Bel Ombre, Glacis, North East Point, Eden Island and Victoria, and the boat leaves the marina in Victoria at 07:30. The crossing to Praslin takes a little over an hour across open sea, with Mahe's green mountains behind you and the granite outline of Praslin ahead, and you arrive at the Praslin jetty at about 08:45. From June to mid-September the sea between the islands can be rough; if conditions are unsafe the trip is cancelled, and anyone prone to seasickness should take precautions.

If you are wondering how to get to La Digue from Mahe in one day, this is the practical answer: one boat does the whole loop, Mahe to Praslin, Praslin to La Digue and La Digue back to Mahe, so there are no ferry tickets or connections to manage. Guests staying in the south or west of Mahe can be collected by private transfer arranged separately.

Vallée de Mai from the outside

On Praslin a shared shuttle welcomes the group at the jetty and drives up into the hills to the Vallée de Mai, the UNESCO World Heritage reserve of palm forest where the coco de mer, the largest seed in the plant kingdom, grows wild. Because the group is on a tight schedule, this is an outside visit: your guide gives a short talk at the entrance and the small museum about the reserve, its endemic palms and the rare Seychelles black parrot that lives only here, with coco de mer palms by the gate. Entry to the reserve itself is not included.

For many travellers this introduction is enough to understand why the Vallée de Mai is called the Garden of Eden, and it fits well into a Praslin day from Mahe that also needs time for the beaches. If you want a full guided walk inside the reserve, we offer separate Vallée de Mai tours from Praslin.

Anse Lazio

From the Vallée de Mai the shuttle drives to the north-west tip of Praslin and Anse Lazio, a wide bay of powder-white sand framed by smooth granite boulders and takamaka trees, with water that shifts from pale turquoise to deep blue. It regularly appears in lists of the best beaches in the world, and it is the beach most visitors to the Seychelles have seen in pictures before they arrive. The group has time at leisure here to swim, photograph the boulders at both ends of the bay and walk the length of the sand.

The sea at Anse Lazio is usually calm in the morning, which is when the group arrives, though the drop-off is quick and the waves pick up on windy days, so swim close to shore. There is little shade on the beach itself, so a hat and sunscreen matter. Around midday the shuttle returns the group to the Praslin jetty for the 12:15 boat to La Digue.

La Digue by bicycle or open truck

The boat reaches La Passe, the small harbour of La Digue, at about 12:30. La Digue has almost no cars, and the island's two classic ways of getting around are offered to the group: a bicycle, the local favourite on the flat coastal road, or a seat in the back of an open pickup truck for those who prefer not to pedal. Either way the distances are short: the road from the jetty to L'Union Estate and Anse Source d'Argent takes about ten minutes.

Before the beach, the group sits down to a Creole buffet lunch at a local restaurant: freshly grilled fish, salads, a small barbecue, rice and Creole sauces, with drinking water included. It is a relaxed hour that gives a real taste of island cooking, and vegetarians can be catered for if you tell us at booking.

Anse Source d'Argent and L'Union Estate

The afternoon is free time at Anse Source d'Argent, the beach of pink-tinged sand and enormous sculpted granite boulders that has become the image of the Seychelles. The beach is reached through L'Union Estate, an old coconut plantation with a traditional copra mill, a colonial planter's house, a vanilla plantation and a pen of giant tortoises; the estate charges an entry fee that is paid locally and not included. Inside, shallow lagoons between the rocks make for safe swimming at high tide and remarkable photos at any hour.

Spend the time wandering from cove to cove, or use the bicycle to explore more of La Digue if you prefer. At 16:00 the boat leaves La Digue for the direct crossing back to Mahe, where our chauffeur meets you for the transfer to your hotel. Is Anse Source d'Argent worth visiting on a day trip? Few guests say otherwise.