Private St Anne Marine Park Half-Day Boat Trip from Mahe

Ste Anne Marine National Park

Created in 1973, Ste Anne Marine National Park was the first marine park in the Indian Ocean and remains the easiest to reach from Mahé: its islands sit in the bay just off Victoria and Eden Island, a ten-minute boat ride from the marina. The park protects a shallow lagoon of coral patches, sand and seagrass beds between six islands, and it is a feeding ground for green and hawksbill turtles, rays, bonefish and shoals of reef fish. Fishing and water-skiing are banned, which keeps the water calm and the fish unafraid of swimmers.

On a private St Anne Marine Park boat trip the skipper chooses the clearest sites of the day for your party and moves on when you are ready, with no fixed schedule beyond the four hours. The park ticket is included in this tour. Visibility is best in the calm season from November to April and on mornings before the wind rises, which is why the 09:00 departure is popular with snorkellers.

Snorkelling the reefs

The snorkelling grounds lie in the shallow water between Moyenne, Round and Cerf islands, where coral heads rise from the sand in two to five metres of water. Expect parrotfish, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, wrasses and damselfish around the coral, octopus hiding in the rocks and, with a little luck, a turtle grazing on the seagrass. Snorkelling equipment is provided on board, the skipper-guide stays close and points out what you are seeing, and beginners can enter the water from the boat's ladder in calm conditions.

Because the boat is private, you can snorkel for as long as you like at one site or try two or three. Non-swimmers and children can watch from the boat; the water is clear enough to see fish from the deck. Reef-safe sunscreen, a rash vest and a towel are worth bringing, as towels are not provided.

The sandbank and Moyenne Island

Between the islands a sandbank emerges at low tide, a strip of white sand in the middle of the sea where you step off the boat and walk with water on every side. It is one of the simplest and most memorable moments of the trip, and a favourite photo stop for families. The skipper times the visit with the tide, so the order of stops may change between the morning and afternoon departure.

Nearby Moyenne Island is a small nature reserve with giant tortoises, a chapel, walking trails and old pirate legends; it is a separate national park with its own entry fee, which is not included and is paid locally if you choose to land. Guests who prefer to stay on the water simply cruise past its boulders and beaches.

Cerf, Round and Ste Anne islands by boat

The boat circles the main islands of the park. Cerf Island is the largest inhabited one, with a few houses, a long beach and calm water on its sheltered side. Round Island is a tiny green dot ringed by coral, and Ste Anne itself, the biggest island in the park, rises steeply with forested slopes where the first French settlement in the Seychelles was established in 1770. Long Island and Île Cachée complete the group. From the water you see Mahé's mountains and Victoria's harbour in one view, and the colours of the lagoon change with every cloud.

This cruising time is where a private boat shows its value: you can ask the skipper to slow down for photos, to anchor in a quiet bay for a swim, or to go straight back to the reefs if the snorkelling was the best part. The four hours usually combine two or three snorkelling stops, the sandbank and a loop of the islands.

Eden Island Marina and getting there

The trip starts and ends at Eden Island Marina, a modern marina on a reclaimed island linked to Mahé by a bridge, about ten minutes by car from Victoria and twenty minutes from the airport. Hotel pickup is not included, so arrive by taxi or your own vehicle; there is parking at the marina and the meeting point is easy to find. Please be there fifteen minutes before your 09:00 or 13:00 departure.

If you are looking for things to do in Seychelles close to Victoria, this half-day boat trip is the classic choice: no long crossing, calm water inside the park and four hours that fit easily into a day with a morning in the capital or an afternoon on the beach. Lunch is not included; soft drinks are not provided but can be brought along.