The Seychelles in a week: Praslin, Curieuse, La Digue
The Inner Seychelles are granite islands in a warm ocean, an hour or two apart, with the beaches you have seen on every postcard. The loop is about 80 nm from Eden Island Marina on Mahé: one real 26 nm crossing to Praslin and the same back, and everything else short hops between Curieuse, La Digue and Anse Lazio. It suits a monohull and a catamaran alike, and there are exactly two days of open water.
Day by day
Eden Island Marina
- Mahé (Eden Island)-4.636, 55.474
Boat handover after 17:00. Eden Island is a reclaimed island off the east coast of Mahé, fifteen minutes from the airport. Do the main provisioning at the supermarkets in Victoria, and buy fruit and fish at the central market, which opens early in the morning.
Mahé → Praslin (Baie Sainte Anne)
- Baie Sainte Anne (Praslin)-4.344, 55.758
The crossing of the week: about four hours north-east over open water. Leave in the morning, before the wind builds; if you have tackle on board, wahoo and dorado bite on the banks along the way. Night at anchor in Baie Sainte Anne, the sheltered bay on the east side of Praslin.
Praslin → Curieuse
- Curieuse-4.283, 55.733
Round the headland to Curieuse, a national park with free-roaming giant tortoises and a boardwalk through the mangroves. Admission is charged per person; lunch on the beach at Anse St José by the rangers' station.
Curieuse → La Digue
- La Digue-4.350, 55.833
A short hop to La Digue and a buoy off La Passe. The island has almost no cars: take bicycles through the old L'Union estate to Anse Source d'Argent, the pink granite boulders on every Seychelles poster. Get to the beach early, before the day boats arrive.
La Digue → Anse Lazio
- St Pierre-4.313, 55.746
- Anse Lazio-4.293, 55.696
Along the north coast of Praslin past the St Pierre islet, a granite rock with palms and the best snorkelling on the way. Anse Lazio is the beach many people fly to the Seychelles for: white sand with boulders at both ends. Night at anchor off the beach.
Anse Lazio → Sainte Anne marine park
- Sainte Anne-4.609, 55.500
The crossing back to Mahé — again, leave early while the morning is quiet. By mid-afternoon you are in the Sainte Anne marine national park opposite Victoria: a buoy, a snorkel over the reef and the lights of the capital in the evening.
Sainte Anne → Eden Island
- Mahé (Eden Island)-4.636, 55.474
A last swim and four miles into the marina. Refuelling and handover; the afternoon is for Victoria, one of the smallest capitals in the world, with its market and botanical garden. Night on the boat in the marina, fly out the next day.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Wind and season: from December to April the north-west monsoon blows — light, rarely over 15 knots, but with short squalls and tropical downpours. From May to October the south-east trades hold 15–25 knots and build a sea. The best time for this loop is December to April.
- Plan B: on a squally day you cross to Praslin early, before the afternoon build, and swap the night off Anse Lazio, which is open to the north-west, for sheltered Baie Sainte Anne. If the crossing is off altogether, the week stays around Mahé: Sainte Anne park, the west coast and Silhouette.
- Parks: Curieuse and Sainte Anne are marine national parks. Admission is charged per person, fishing is banned, and you moor on buoys or in permitted spots — never anchor on coral. The fleet arranges the permit to cruise between the islands along with the boat.
- Logistics: about fifteen minutes by taxi from Mahé international airport to Eden Island Marina. Provision on Mahé: the shops on Praslin and La Digue are small and dearer.
When to go and what it costs in the Seychelles
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in the Seychelles
All boats in the Seychelles
How long is the Mahé — La Digue route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 80 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Mahé. Overnight stops in order: Mahé (Eden Island), Baie Sainte Anne (Praslin), Curieuse, La Digue, Anse Lazio, Sainte Anne. The longest leg is day 2, 26 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Mahé — La Digue route?
The Seychelles are sailed all year round. The calmest months are April, October and November, between the trade-wind seasons. From May to September the south-easterly blows, fresher and drier; from December to March the north-westerly, calmer and more humid. The fleet is almost all catamarans, booked 4–8 months ahead. By the agent's latest checks (catamarans), the cheapest month is December: a median of €616 per berth per week. The most expensive is March, at €840. The most boats with 20% off or more are in November: 57%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in the Seychelles for a week starts from €2,940 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in the Seychelles”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
