Seychelles Day Trips by Ferry and Boat

October 20, 2026

Seychelles day trips depend on ferry times, and the sea routes are short enough that a few combinations work well. The reliable ones start from Praslin or from Mahe, and a handful of famous places are not day trips at all. Read the last-boat times before you commit, because a missed sailing means paying for a night.

Ferry times that matter

Cat Cocos, run by Inter Island Boats, is the main operator. Published crossing times are about 1 hour 15 minutes from Mahe to Praslin, 15 minutes from Praslin to La Digue, and about 1 hour 45 minutes from Mahe to La Digue when the boat stops at Praslin. A direct Mahe to La Digue sailing of about 1 hour 10 minutes ran only on some weekend days. The latest timetable image on the Cat Cocos site was for 2025, and sailings differ by weekday, so check the current schedule and book at the operator’s booking page. Cat Rose runs a separate Praslin to La Digue service, with fares reported at about EUR 15 to 20 each way.

Praslin to La Digue

This is the most practical day trip in the country. The crossing takes 15 minutes, and from the jetty you can cycle about 15 minutes to L’Union Estate, which charges SCR 150 and opens daily 06:00 to 18:00. The estate has the Anse Source d’Argent beach, a vanilla plantation, an ox-driven copra mill and giant Aldabra tortoises at the foot of a granite monolith. Hire a bicycle at the jetty, and note that helmets are required for under-14s.

On the 2025 Cat Cocos timetable the last boat from La Digue to Praslin was 16:30 on Monday and Wednesday, 17:00 on Friday and Saturday, 13:30 on Tuesday and Thursday and only 07:30 on Sunday. Cat Rose may run later, but check the day before you go.

Mahe to Praslin or La Digue

Mahe to Praslin in a day is workable but tight. On the 2025 timetable, Monday, Wednesday and Friday had an 08:00 departure from Mahe and returns at 14:00 or 17:00 (17:30 on Fridays). Mahe to La Digue in a day only works on days with an 08:00 Mahe sailing and a good connection through Praslin. The sensible choice is to stay a night.

Boat days from Praslin

Curieuse runs daily, with an SCR 300 park ticket. Cousin Island is open Monday to Friday mornings only, at SCR 600. Aride Island Special Reserve, 9 km north of Praslin, receives visitors only from October to May during the north-west monsoon. Booking is essential, and landing is only by Aride’s own boats, since reaching it by any other means, even swimming, is forbidden. A landing fee of about SCR 650 is reported. The reserve holds the world’s largest populations of tropical shearwater and lesser noddy, with about half a million seabirds in all. See the Aride Island page .

Day trips from Mahe

Ste Anne Marine Park is a half or full day by boat from Victoria, about 10 minutes across. Port Launay can be reached by road in about 30 minutes. Takamaka rum distillery is on the east-coast road south of the airport, with free tours Monday to Saturday.

What is not a day trip

Aldabra lies over 1,000 km south-west of Mahe and can only be visited by vessels cleared in writing by the Seychelles Islands Foundation, so it needs an expedition. The outer-island resorts, such as Desroches, are also stays rather than day trips.

Sea conditions vary by season. The west coast is unsafe for swimming from about December to March, and the east coast from about May to September. Pick snorkel stops with a guide, and wear a life jacket on every boat.

To compare boat days, search on Viator .