Seychelles Travel Planning & Itineraries
By Bobby Atwal, TICO-registered travel advisor (Fora Travel), Toronto · Updated
The Seychelles are the beaches you've seen on screensavers — smooth pink-granite boulders, powder sand, palms and water in six shades of blue — spread across 115 islands off East Africa. Mahé has the airport and the mountains, Praslin has the Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio, La Digue has ox-carts, bicycles and Anse Source d'Argent, and the private-island resorts (North Island, Frégate, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Four Seasons Desroches) are the ultimate honeymoon. It's far, it's expensive, and it's worth both.
Free advisor planning includes Fora Reserve hotel perks at no extra cost — or use our AI planner to pace your Seychelles days, pick the right neighbourhoods, and build a route that makes sense.
Seychelles at a glance
- Best time to visit
- April–May and October–November are the calmest, clearest months — between the trade winds, 28–30°C, glassy seas, best visibility for snorkelling.
- How long to stay
- Ten nights minimum given the 20-hour journey. Fourteen lets you add a private island or a slower La Digue stay.
- Budget
- $180–260 USD/day (a self-catering guesthouse on Mahé or La Digue, takeaway Creole curries, bicycles and buses).
- Getting there from Canada
- No nonstops from Canada. Fly YYZ → Dubai (DXB) on Emirates, or YYZ → Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways, then on to Mahé (SEZ) — about 4.5 hours from the Gulf and 20–22 hours total.
Planning Your Seychelles Trip
Best Time to Visit
April–May and October–November are the calmest, clearest months — between the trade winds, 28–30°C, glassy seas, best visibility for snorkelling. December to March is the northwest monsoon: hotter, more humid, short heavy showers but still mostly sunny; Christmas is peak price. June to September is the southeast trade-wind season: cooler, breezier, drier, with seaweed on some east-facing beaches and rougher seas for island hopping. The Seychelles sit outside the cyclone belt.
Budget Overview
Budget: $180–260 USD/day (a self-catering guesthouse on Mahé or La Digue, takeaway Creole curries, bicycles and buses). Mid-range: $450–750/day (a 4-star beach hotel on Mahé or Praslin, inter-island ferries, a snorkel trip). Luxury: $1,500–5,000+/day (Four Seasons Mahé, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Frégate, North Island — private-island territory where advisor rates and perks matter most). Food and drink are imported and pricey outside guesthouses.
Getting There
No nonstops from Canada. Fly YYZ → Dubai (DXB) on Emirates, or YYZ → Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways, then on to Mahé (SEZ) — about 4.5 hours from the Gulf and 20–22 hours total. Via Paris with Air France is the alternative. A Gulf stopover night makes the journey humane. From SEZ: 20–40 min to Mahé resorts; a 15-min flight or 1h ferry to Praslin; La Digue is a further 15-min ferry from Praslin.
Getting Around
Mahé: rent a car (drive on the left, steep winding roads) or use hotel taxis. Praslin: a car for a day or two, or taxis. La Digue: bicycles and ox-carts — no cars for visitors, which is the charm. Between islands: Cat Cocos and Cat Rose ferries (book ahead in peak), Air Seychelles 15-min hops, or your resort’s boat and helicopter transfers for the private islands.
Common Seychelles planning mistakes
Staying only on Mahé
Mahé is the airport island — lovely, but Praslin and La Digue are the beaches you came for. Split the trip: 2–3 nights Mahé, 3 Praslin, 2 La Digue, or a private island.
Island-hopping daily
Ferries and flights eat half a day each. Three bases in ten nights is plenty; don’t try to see six islands.
Forgetting the Travel Authorization
Every visitor needs the online Seychelles Travel Authorization before boarding. It takes minutes; airlines check it.
Expecting resort-level dining everywhere
Outside the big resorts, dinner is Creole home cooking and takeaways — delicious, simple, not Michelin. Adjust expectations or stay somewhere with great kitchens.
Seychelles Neighbourhoods
Mahé — Beau Vallon & the northwest
The main island’s long, calm beach near Victoria, with restaurants, dive shops and the Saturday night market. Mountains behind. — best for: first nights, families, convenience
Mahé — the south & west coast
Wilder beaches (Anse Intendance, Anse Takamaka, Petite Anse) and the Four Seasons and Banyan Tree resorts tucked into the hills. — best for: luxury stays on the main island, surfers, dramatic coast
Praslin
The second island: Anse Lazio (one of the world’s best beaches), the Vallée de Mai’s coco de mer palms, Raffles and Constance Lémuria resorts. — best for: the iconic beach, UNESCO forest, golf
La Digue
Tiny, car-free, bicycle-paced, with Anse Source d’Argent’s granite boulders and a handful of guesthouses and small hotels. — best for: couples, photographers, slow days
Private islands
North Island, Frégate, Silhouette (Hilton Labriz), Félicité (Six Senses), Desroches (Four Seasons), Alphonse (fly-fishing). One resort, one island, your beach. — best for: honeymoons, once-in-a-lifetime, total privacy
Seychelles Food & Drink
Marie Antoinette
Creole set menu in a 150-year-old colonial house — grilled fish, fruit-bat curry if you dare, aubergine fritters. ~$30–40/person. The classic.
La Plaine St André
A restored plantation house beside the Takamaka rum distillery — Creole lunch, rum tasting, a garden to wander. ~$35–50/person.
Beau Vallon night market
Grilled fish, octopus curry, bat-wing takeaways and fresh juice from stalls on the beach. ~$10–15. The Wednesday ritual.
Les Rochers
Seafood on a granite-boulder terrace right on the water, sunset facing. ~$50–70/person. Book a sunset table.
Fish Trap
Barefoot beach restaurant near the jetty — grilled catch, Creole curries, SeyBrew beer, feet in the sand. ~$25–40/person.
Day Trips from Seychelles
Anse Source d’Argent (La Digue)
From Praslin: 15-min ferry + 10-min cycleCycle through L’Union Estate to the most photographed beach on Earth — pink granite, shallow lagoon, palms. Go at opening or late afternoon for the light and the emptiness.
Vallée de Mai & Anse Lazio
Praslin (full day by car)Morning in the primeval palm forest (coco de mer, black parrots), then an afternoon at Anse Lazio — granite headlands, powder sand, snorkelling at the rocks.
Curieuse & St. Pierre islet
Half or full day by boat from PraslinBoat from Praslin to a giant-tortoise reserve and mangrove walk, then snorkel around the tiny St. Pierre islet with a barbecue lunch on the beach.
Morne Seychellois hike (Mahé)
30 min from Beau VallonTrails through the mountain rainforest above Victoria — the Copolia trail is 90 minutes to a granite summit with a view over the whole island.
Ready to build your Seychelles days?
Tell us your dates, pace, and interests — we’ll draft a day-by-day Seychelles itinerary in under a minute.
A Sample Seychelles Itinerary
Here’s a flavour of what our AI planner builds. Generate your own personalized Seychelles itinerary in 60 seconds — free.
Arrive Mahé
- •SEZ arrival via the Gulf, transfer to Beau Vallon
- •First swim and a long nap
- •Sunset on the beach
- •Creole dinner at Marie Antoinette
Mahé south coast
- •Drive to Anse Intendance and Anse Takamaka
- •Rum and lunch at La Plaine St André
- •Copolia trail at golden hour
- •Beau Vallon night market if Wednesday
Ferry → Praslin
- •Cat Cocos to Praslin
- •Vallée de Mai walk
- •Anse Lazio afternoon
- •Sunset dinner at Les Rochers
La Digue day
- •Ferry across, rent bicycles
- •Anse Source d’Argent early
- •Giant tortoises at L’Union Estate
- •Grilled fish at Fish Trap, ferry back
Curieuse → departure
- •Boat to Curieuse and St. Pierre snorkel
- •Barbecue lunch on the sand
- •Flight to Mahé
- •Overnight connection home via the Gulf
Seychelles Travel FAQ
Which islands should I visit?
Mahé for arrival and the mountains, Praslin for Anse Lazio and the palm forest, La Digue for Anse Source d’Argent and the car-free pace. Add a private island if the budget allows — that’s the honeymoon.
When is the best time to go?
April–May and October–November for calm, clear seas between the trade winds. June–September is drier but breezier; December–March is warmer and wetter. It’s outside the cyclone belt.
Seychelles or Maldives?
Seychelles for beaches with granite drama, islands with towns and hiking, and the ability to move between them. Maldives for overwater villas, flat-calm lagoons and total resort isolation.
How long should I go for?
Ten nights minimum given the 20-hour journey. Fourteen lets you add a private island or a slower La Digue stay.
Explore More Destinations
Want Seychelles planned for you?
Your Savvy Jetsetter advisor personally plans Seychelles trips with handpicked hotels, Fora Reserve perks, restaurant bookings, and end-to-end support. Hotel bookings are complimentary; the hotel pays the commission.