Private Vallee de Mai, Cote d'Or and Anse Lazio Tour on Praslin

Vallée de Mai, the palm forest of the coco de mer

The Vallée de Mai is a valley of ancient palm forest in the centre of Praslin, protected as a nature reserve and inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1983. Its fame rests on the coco de mer, whose double nut is the largest seed in the plant kingdom and grows wild only here and on Curieuse. Beneath the fan-shaped fronds the light turns green and the air is cool. All six palms endemic to the Seychelles grow here, along with the rare black parrot, the national bird.

On this private Vallée de Mai tour you spend about two hours on the looped trails with your own guide, who finds male and female coco de mer palms, explains the legends around the nut and listens for parrots, bulbuls and blue pigeons. The paths are shaded but uneven in places, with steps and roots, so the tour does not suit people with mobility impairments. The entrance fee is paid at the gate and is not included.

The Praslin museum at Côte d'Or

Around midday the vehicle takes you down to Côte d'Or and the small Praslin museum, a family-run heritage garden that shows how islanders lived before tourism: a traditional Creole house, medicinal plants, spice trees, coconut processing, cinnamon distilling and local crafts, with giant tortoises in the garden. A visit takes about thirty minutes, and the souvenir shop next door sells coconut products, spices and handicrafts made on the island. The museum charges a small entrance fee paid locally.

This stop gives context to the day: after the wild palm forest, it shows the human side of Praslin, from fishing and copra to the kitchen. If you would rather skip the museum, your guide can replace it with the coconut oil factory, where coconut jam, soap, scrub and candy are made, or simply give you more time at the beach. The tour is deliberately flexible.

Côte d'Or beach and Anse Volbert

Côte d'Or, also called Anse Volbert, is the long, gently curving bay on Praslin's north coast where many of the island's hotels and restaurants stand. The water is shallow and calm, protected by an offshore reef, with the islet of Chauve Souris close to shore and St Pierre on the horizon. It is the easiest beach on Praslin for a quick swim, and children like its sandbanks at low tide. On this tour you have time here after the museum, before heading further along the coast.

Côte d'Or is also where the boats to St Pierre and Curieuse leave from, and where the island's small shops and cafés cluster, so it is a convenient place to pick up anything you need for the afternoon. From here it is about fifteen minutes' drive over the hill to Anse Lazio.

Anse Lazio

Anse Lazio is the beach that put Praslin on the map: a wide arc of soft white sand at the north-west tip of the island, framed by rounded granite boulders at each end, takamaka trees for shade and water that moves from clear turquoise to deep blue. It is regularly ranked among the best beaches in the world, and on a private tour you reach it after the midday crowds have begun to thin. Swimming is good when the sea is calm.

The tour gives Anse Lazio a long block of about four hours: time to swim, walk to the far boulders, take photos in changing light and eat lunch at your own expense at one of the restaurants behind the beach. If you ask about the best time to visit Anse Lazio, the calm season from November to April has the flattest sea; the beach is beautiful all year, but swim with care when there are waves. Return to your hotel is at about 16:00.

Praslin and how this private day trip works

Praslin is the second-largest island of the Seychelles, about an hour by ferry from Mahe and fifteen minutes from La Digue, and this tour covers its three essentials in one private day: the forest, the culture and the beach. We pick you up at 10:00 from hotels in Anse Boudin, Baie Ste Anne, Anse Kerlan, Côte d'Or or Grand Anse, and your guide and driver stay with your party until the drop-off at about 16:00. Soft drinks, water and local crisps are provided during the day.

Because the vehicle is yours, the order can change: some guests prefer Anse Lazio first and the Vallée de Mai in the cooler late afternoon, when the parrots are more active. In heavy rain the tour cannot run, and in that case we contact you on WhatsApp to arrange a new date. Comfortable shoes for the forest and swimwear for the beaches cover everything you need.