Nature Reserves and Marine Park Tours

October 20, 2026

Attraction tours in Seychelles are mostly visits to protected places: marine parks, special reserves and one World Heritage palm forest. Almost all of them involve a boat or a short drive, a ticket per person and rules about what you can touch or carry. Fees below are for non-resident adults, and children under 12 are free at the park and reserve sites listed here.

Ste Anne Marine Park and Moyenne Island

Day tours from Mahe usually run on a catamaran, with snorkelling stops and a landing on Moyenne Island. Resellers list roughly EUR 94 per adult on a shared boat with the park fee included, up to about EUR 159 with lunch. Operators differ on whether the park fee and the Moyenne landing fee are included, so ask before you pay.

Moyenne sits inside Ste Anne Marine Park. It is privately owned but run as a national park, with free-roaming giant tortoises, pirate graves, a small chapel and a loop trail of about 30 minutes. Never swim away from the marked areas, and wear a life jacket on the boat.

Curieuse Island

Curieuse is a marine park about 2 km off the north-east coast of Praslin, open roughly 09:00 to 17:00. Entry is SCR 300. Boats leave from Praslin.

On the island, the 433 m mangrove boardwalk at Baie Laraie is the longest in Seychelles. Trails continue from Baie Laraie to Anse Jose and along the Anse Badamier trail. Hundreds of giant tortoises live here, introduced between 1978 and 1982, and young animals are raised in a nursery until about age five. Ruins of the old leprosarium stand at Anse Jose. The Doctor’s House is closed for renovation, so do not plan a museum visit unless it has reopened.

From October to early March a nesting-turtle trail operates for SCR 150 extra. Barbecue tables can be booked at SCR 150 each. Keep your distance from nesting turtles and use no flash.

Cousin Island

Cousin is a Special Reserve run by Nature Seychelles, open Monday to Friday only, from 09:45 to 12:30. Entry is SCR 600 for non-residents and free for children under 12. Visitors take a tour boat and then the reserve’s own boats to land. There is no shop, shade or other facilities, so bring water and a hat. The island was protected in 1974. The Seychelles warbler recovered here from 26 birds in 1959 to over 3,000, and it is among the most important hawksbill turtle nesting sites in the western Indian Ocean. See the Cousin Island visitor page for current rules.

Guided walks in Praslin and La Digue

Vallee de Mai on Praslin costs SCR 450, opens 08:30 to 16:30 and takes its last entry at 15:30. A free map leaflet is handed out, and walking routes run about 1.5 to 4 km. Guides at the reserve work independently, so agree the rate before you start. The Seychelles black parrot lives only on Praslin, and it lives in the Vallee de Mai and the forest around it. The Seychelles Islands Foundation also runs Fond Ferdinand, which is guided only. The SCR 300 fee includes the guide, and the walk involves a steady climb with views.

On La Digue, the Veuve Special Reserve protects the rare Seychelles black paradise flycatcher across 21 hectares. Guided visits cost SCR 200 and run Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 15:00. The paths are flat and shaded.

Tickets and booking

Park tickets are sold per person per park, valid for one day and non-refundable. On-site payment is by card only, and the SPGA ticket page is the best place to buy. A fine of SCR 600 applies for entering without a valid permit.

To compare boat tours, search on Viator .