Seychelles 6 Day Itinerary (No Traps)
Six days is when La Digue stops being a stopover
Six days takes the extra Praslin day from the 5 day route and adds a second full day on La Digue, which is the island that rewards slow travel the most. Bicycle-only distances mean a second day is not padding here; it is the difference between one rushed lap of the marquee beach and actually reaching Grand Anse and Petite Anse too. Prices run in SCR (euros are quoted everywhere, legal tender nowhere), and the whole loop still hinges on the Cat Cocos and Cat Rose ferry timetables.
Book these before you go
- A La Digue guesthouse or self-catering bungalow for two nights: check rates on Booking.com
- A Curieuse Island tortoise and snorkel boat trip from Praslin: book on GetYourGuide
- A guided La Digue half-day bike tour, if you would rather not navigate solo: browse Viator
- Vallee de Mai entry booked online for the 10% discount: reserve via GetYourGuide
Day 1: Mahe
Land at SEZ with your Travel Authorisation already approved, about EUR11 via seychelles.govtas.com , applied up to 30 days ahead. A taxi to Victoria or Beau Vallon runs a commonly quoted SCR300 (~EUR19) fixed fare, cash, agreed before departure. Victoria: the 1903 Clock Tower and the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market, best before 10am on a weekend.
Beau Vallon takes the afternoon, free and good for swimming, though keep bags off the sand given the petty-theft reports specific to this beach. A guesthouse or self-catering room beats a resort here on price alone: SCR40 to 60 for a takeaway fish curry against SCR150 to 300 plated.
Day 2: Praslin, day one
Cat Cocos, about 1 hour to 1h15, economy around EUR56 plus a EUR2 port fee (~EUR58 one way). Vallee de Mai, the UNESCO reserve and last wild stand of coco de mer anywhere, costs SCR450 (~EUR28 to 30, 10% cheaper booked online through the Seychelles tourism board ) and deserves two to three unhurried hours. Sleep in a self-catering chalet near Anse Volbert (~EUR120).
Day 3: Praslin, day two: Anse Lazio and Curieuse
Anse Lazio, free, before 10am to beat the day-tripper crush. In the afternoon, Curieuse Marine National Park by boat (entry SCR300, ~EUR18 to 19, card-only on-site) for hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises introduced under a 1978 to 1982 conservation program, a genuinely different scale from a resort’s tortoise pen.
Day 4: La Digue, day one
Cat Rose, the separate operator that runs only the short Praslin to La Digue hop, 15 to 20 minutes for about EUR15 one way. Anse Source d’Argent sits behind the L’Union Estate gate, SCR150 (~EUR9 to 10) for all-day re-entry plus the vanilla plantation and tortoise pen. Rent a bicycle at the jetty (SCR150 to 200 a day), not the island’s single remaining ox-cart, which is a photo-op for couples, not a transport option. Go to the boulders in the late afternoon, once the Praslin day-tripper boats have left.
Day 5: La Digue, day two, then back to Mahe
With a second day, cycle out to Grand Anse and Petite Anse, both quieter than Anse Source d’Argent and rarely on a rushed itinerary. Grand Anse has real surf on its west-facing shore, better for watching than swimming during the May to September southeast trade winds; check for current before you go in anywhere on this coast. In the afternoon, take Cat Rose back to Praslin and the connecting Cat Cocos on to Mahe, or the direct Mahe-La Digue Cat Cocos sailing (~1h45 via a brief Praslin stop).
Day 6: Mahe, departure buffer
Use the last morning on Mahe’s interior instead of another lap of Beau Vallon. Morne Seychellois National Park, over 20% of Mahe’s land area, has trails priced individually by SPGA, from Copolia at SCR100 up to the summit trail at SCR250 (a licensed guide required). If hiking is not the mood, a half-day snorkel trip to Ste Anne Marine National Park (SCR200, ~EUR12, card-only on-site) or a final vanilla and cinnamon run through Victoria’s market fills the time better. Build a real buffer before your flight; SEZ is Seychelles’ only international gateway, and most long-haul connections route through Nairobi, Doha or Dubai.
Is a second La Digue day worth losing elsewhere?
Yes, if Grand Anse and Petite Anse matter to you at all. Most 4 and 5 day itineraries never leave the immediate area around Anse Source d’Argent because there is not time; a second day, on an island this size, is what actually lets the bicycle-paced version of La Digue happen rather than staying theoretical.
Do the Morne Seychellois trails need a guide?
Only the summit trail does, by SPGA rule, because of the terrain and distance involved. Shorter trails like Copolia (SCR100) or Trois Freres (SCR150) are walkable independently, well signed, and a genuinely different side of Mahe from the coastal strip most itineraries never leave.
| Day | Island | Ferry / travel time | Rough cost per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahe | Taxi from SEZ, ~SCR300 (~EUR19) | ~EUR60 to 90 |
| 2 | Praslin (day 1) | Cat Cocos, ~1h, ~EUR58 one way | ~EUR100 to 150 |
| 3 | Praslin (day 2) | none, on-island + Curieuse boat | ~EUR100 to 170 |
| 4 | La Digue (day 1) | Cat Rose, ~15 to 20min, ~EUR15 one way | ~EUR90 to 130 |
| 5 | La Digue (day 2) | Cat Rose + Cat Cocos back to Mahe | ~EUR70 to 100 |
| 6 | Mahe (departure) | none, buffer day | ~EUR50 to 80 |
Book the La Digue accommodation for two nights up front; guesthouses there are limited and fill fast in July, August and the Christmas week, faster than either Mahe or Praslin. For the tighter version that skips the second La Digue day, see the 5 day itinerary .