Seychelles - Island Hopping

For Christmas 2019 we decided to take a trip to the Seychelles, we had looked to do some diving and seeing as much as we could of the main islands. Often the best value way of doing this is to join an pre-organised tour. Its been a few years since we joined a tour like this, and after a bit of research we managed to find one which fitted around the dates we wanted to travel, and the itinerary meant we would get a small taste of 3 of the islands, Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.

We arrived in Mahe a few days earlier than the trip date, primarily to do so diving and have some relaxing time. Thankfully many Travel Counsellors have travelled far and wide, and if you put the word out there, someone will be able to report back on hotels and recommendations what to do. After speaking to a colleague I met at conference, we decided to stay 3 nights at the 5 Star Savoy Hotel.

We left Hong Kong late on the Friday evening, we flew with Ethiopian Airlines to Mahe, via Addis Ababa. When I checked us in there was an opportunity to bid for an upgrade, and as the flight was over 10 hours we decided to bid, and within a couple of hours we received the notification that we had been successful with our bid for Business Class. Check in at Hong Kong, was quick and efficient, and we made our way to the Bauhinia Lounge.

We flew on a Boeing B787, seats were set out in a 2-2-2 formation with open configuration. The crew were friendly and attentive, and after a short stop in Bangkok we were on our way overnight to Africa. It really does make a huge difference to be able to stretch out and get some sleep on a long flight, and just as dawn broke we made our approach to Addis Ababa. Thankfully we had fast track passes through security to our connecting flight, the arrivals hall was chaotic with little organisation or order. After a few coffees and a short wait we boarded the B737 for the 3hr+ flight to Mahe.

On arrival the passengers we required to wait on the aircraft for the passengers from an earlier flight to clear customs and immigration procedures. Thankfully our transfer was waiting for us and we were soon on the way to our hotel at Le Beau Vallon. Then followed 3 days of nothing but rest and relaxation, and a few diving trips, to see some amazing coral and undersea life. The Savoy was just a short walk along the beach from the Berjaya Hotel where we were to join our tour party.

Day one was a short introduction to the island of Mahe, we were taken to the capital Victoria, and after a short orientation tour we were able to get about and explore ourselves, we wandered down Independence Avenue to see the cathedral and the clock tower, and for the afternoon we pad the botanical gardens a visit, the trees providing shade from the sun, and by late afternoon we were returned to the hotel for a quick swim before dinner. On our second day we had a full tour of the island, some 27 km long and 8 km wide. We also visited the Mission, a place of historic importance after the slave trade, then drove to Baie Turney Beach for lunch, followed by the coastal drive around the southern tip of the island back to the hotel. Our final day at Mahe was a visit to the St Anne Marine National Park.

For the next 3 nights we stayed in Praslin, an hours boat ride from Mahe. We checked in to the Palm Beach Hotel, right on the beach. Departing after breakfast we took a full day boat trip to visit the island of Curieuse. Disembarking at La Pierree we are greeted by giant tortoises who amble freely, close to the waterfront. An hours' walk through the interior takes us across boardwalks above the mangrove swamps. We enjoyed a BBQ lunch cooked by the crew, when the weather began to close in, and within minutes we were caught in a torrential rainstorm, and we hoped it would clear. It didn't, and we had to get back to the mainland on the small pontoons, getting soaked in the process.

For dinner Tina took us to the restaurant overlooking the island for sun downers and traditional Creole food. The following day we took the public bus to start our walk down the coastline, and after a stop for a lunch at a beach, a bit of R&R on the beach, we caught the bus back to the hotel.

On Christmas Day we left Praslin for La Digue a short 15 minute ride away, and on arrival we collected cycles and had a ride around the coastline to the hotel. The staff really looked after us and prepared our special Christmas meal of fresh fish, chicken and various curries. The hotel was a short walk from the L'Onion Estate where you could explore and walk the coast.

La Digue is the most stunning of islands and in one day we visited Grand Anse, Petit Anse and Anse Coco, they underlined everything we knew about how stunning the islands are. All too quick the trip was over and early on the last morning we took the ferry back to Mahe. Our flight wasn't until later afternoon and we were able to make use of a day room at Berjaya, time for a final swim and a plod along the beach.

We had also bid for an upgrade for the flight home, again we were lucky to be successful, and after visiting the lounge with some new friends who also had bids accepted we were soon settling down to the 11hr flight back to Hong Kong, managing to have a good nights sleep on the way.

The trip to the Seychelles was everything we were expecting it to be. The tour group were very friendly, and Tina the tour leader kept everyone in order, not an easy task.

We would certainly look to go again, though maybe not in the rainy season.