Seychelles (say-shells) is definitely an up and coming destination although most people don’t know much about the small island nation in the Indian Ocean. We flew from CLT > IAD > Ethiopia > Seychelles on Ethiopia Air. Tickets were about $2k per person round trip
– Pack: light, comfortable clothing, hydroflask, bug spray
– Currency: $1 USD is equal to about $13 SR (Seychellois rupee); a lot of places accept major CC and US dollars; the Euro has a better exchange rate
– Food & Lodging: eating out is EXPENSIVE! Average meal for 3 w/ drinks was about $75 USD. We stayed in an Airbnb and bought a week’s groceries at a nearby food mart for the same price as one lunch for 3. Best meal we had was from a food truck near the airport where all the locals were grabbing lunch. Got a cheap car rental through our host.
– Transportation: having your own car is best when staying on Mahé, so you can check out all the beaches on various parts of the island. There is very little road signage so you have to depend heavily on landmarks + good directions from locals if you don’t have some type of GPS system that works sans cell service. To get to the island of Praslin, we took a flight on Air Seychelles (we booked last minute so it was more expensive than usual). Also rented a car for the day while there. For the island of La Digue, you can only get there by helicopter or the high speed catamaran ferry. BE WARNED: the ferry is a rough ride and vomiting is not uncommon! I got sick both ways even after taking meds to help w/ motion sickness. On La Digue, bicycles are the primary form of transportation so be prepared to pedal your way around.
– Must See: Vallée de Mai – UNESCO site and home of the very suggestive coco de mer; pay for the tour, you’ll learn so much more vs. walking around by yourself; there are tons to top beaches to check out on all 3 islands including Takamaka, Beau Vallon, Anse Lazio, Anse Source to name a few
Feel free to reach out with questions or anything else you may want to know about this amazing group of islands!
Marianne
Instagram: @n0tsofrench