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We enjoyed the company of Joseph as our driver and guide around Mahe and on shorter trips, too.He is self-employed as taxi driver, and has some fixed arrangements with travel and tour companies, that vouches for his credentials - in addition to our recommendation.Tells you the standard fares (taxi work is also heavily regulated) and options and offers a fair price that includes insight and local knowledge.
Air Seychelles is an good Airline, we felt! To get around to the different islands, do island hopping with those small "hopper-planes". A great experience! We were estonished about the price - It was not that expensive we expected it to be. - being used to the relative high prices in hotels and restaurants etc. From Praslin to La Digue you can take the Ferry, which is nice to do. Getting around Praslin: Take the bus - good fun and ever so cheap and you'll be traveling with mostly Seychelles-people. Renting a car is a possibility but not necessary - in our opinion - at all!La Digue: Rent a bicycle! That's really worth it! (Approx. Eur 7,-/day - the more days, the cheaper it gets!) The ox cars lare definitely something outstanding. We took one, entering the island. It cost us a bomb! For about 400 m (our guesthouse was only very nearby, which we did not know at the time) we paid something...
Between the islands: Mahé and Praslin are linked by airplanes (15') and speed boat (Cat Cocos, 1h), Praslin and La Digue are linked by schooner ferries (30') and there is one daily connection on a schooner ferry (3h, very rough, but the cheapest!) between La Digue and Mahé Islands.
Only a few airlines are going to Mahé International Airport (SEZ):Air Seychelles (from Paris, Rome, London, Frankfurt, Dubai, Jo'burg, Mauritius, Munich, La Réunion, Comoros, Singapore, Maldives)Air France (Paris, code share with Air Seychelles), British Airways (London Heathrow, via Nairobi), Condor (Frankfurt), Kenya Airways (Nairobi, code share with KLM), Air Austral (La Réunion), Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
Rent a car, the coolest way is a Minimoke (a beach buggy) or else a jeep (more expensive)! The low budget way is the public bus (one way trip costs SR 3,- only) - very good system on Mahé Island, you get to every spot or beach of the island, buses also go to many places on Praslin! La Digue: hire a bike (there are no private cars!!!), take one of the 2 taxis or just walk... the island is very small!
The price is a serious factor here.A taxi cross the island from Beau Vallon bay to Victoria city costs about 150 Ruppee (40$) while a bus ride everywhere costs 3 Ruppees.Tend to get crowded in the last stations, and sits that look for 2 are expected to contain 3 people, yet the Seychelloa are such a friendly nation so you don't feel threatend in any way.
To get around to other islands (the international airport is on Mahe) you will often need to get a local flight on a small plane. These can be very bumpy. I enjoyed it as I have flown small planes, but many others were wrecks! Make sure you know what to expect.
We rented a car -- a Suzuki Sidekick, I think, with a vinyl roof -- for one of the last days just to get to a few of the areas to the west and north that we hadn't gotten to on the bus, and it was a great idea. We got to see a few of the lousy resorts, some interesting beaches, and drove to the top of several hills and looked out at the bays, which was really wonderful. But the cars are expensive, with governmentally set rates around US $70 per day. (Cabs, too, are extremely expensive, around $25 to get from the airport to the chalets.) So I think having a car for a day or two once or twice makes sense -- and it might be particularly useful to have a car the first full day so you can stock up on the heavier items like water, cooking oil, etc. Driving a car in the Seychelles requires good attention, a stout heart, and humility. We were always safe, but we didn't always feel that way,...
We took the bus everywhere on Mahe, most every day. The Tata buses are second-handers from India apparently (thanks, Lonely Planet), and are not air conditioned, but don't worry: they careen around fast enough to send cool air through the windows most of the time. The buses cost almost nothing and run quite regularly even on fairly remote roads; we never waited more than ten or fifteen minutes for them. We usually really enjoyed spending time on them, save during rush hour when they were crowded.
The Laportes didn't exactly come out and say it, but during our email correspondence prior to arrival they didn't seem to encourage us to consider renting bikes while there. After three hours on Mahe we figured out why: doing so would be insane. Not only are the roads incredibly steep and filled with hairpin turns, but they are also absurdly narrow, and lined with steep drop-offs that range from one foot sewer channels to 300 meter cliffs -- with no guard rails. Unless you've done the Pyrenees stage of the Tour de France, I'd say avoid the bikes.
1 Review and 370 Opinions We stayed here for a week for friends wedding. This hotel is large and our first opinion was, that...
Chateau de Feuilles Praslin
1 Review and 123 Opinions I recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a very romantic and unique honeymoon. You are treated...
Fregate Island Private Victoria
35 Opinions
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Q: That’s our ideal beach accommodation any time we go on holidays. Thailand, Mexico, Goa, each time we stayed in this kind of...
A: Hi there I stayed in almost what you've describe in Beau Vallon on the main island: a simple bungalow with terrace and just a road (with approx 5 cars max a day!) to...
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