Mahé is the largest island of Seychelles, lying in the north east of the Seychelles. Victoria is its capital which holds the majority of population. It is extremely beautiful with pristine white-sand beaches, lush forests, and huge mountains peaks, this place is a true tropical paradise. You would find trees alongside the beaches for miles and there’s abundance of natural beauty in every direction your eye goes. You would mostly find empty beaches here perfect for solitary lounging. Mahé is the first stop destination for most visitors but we made it at the end of our trip and honestly we felt this place is a beach lover’s heaven. Here is our Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles! Victoria the capital city which accommodates 86% of the country’s total population. Here the economy is mainly dependent on tourism and also in fishing and canning industry. It is also one of the most travelled islands in the archipelago and we would love to share our Mahe Travel Guide in Seychelles with you. Here is our Ultimate Mahe Tour Guide 2021 and Mahe Itinerary 3 days!
Here is our complete Mahe Tour Guide 2021 in Seychelles
How to reach Mahe : Mahe Tour Guide
We boarded our flight from Nairobi, Kenya and landed in Mahe International Airport, Seychelles and directly made our transfer to Praslin Island through Air Seychelles flight. You can check with your departure locations and flights available from there. If you are coming from India then Air Seychelles operates direct flight from Mumbai to Mahe.
However, you can definitely explore Mahe first and then make your way to the neighbouring islands. Also there are direct charter flights from Praslin island and ferries from La Digue to reach Mahe. We started from La Digue – Praslin- Mahe which we reached by ferry. To explore the best of Mahe you would need at least need 2 days.
Helpful tips about Mahe Island Seychelles
Car rental : Mahe Tour Guide
Mahe as an Island is only 157sq.kms and is very convenient to travel around. The public transportation like blue buses and taxis are easily accessible to tourists which runs from 5am – 9pm daily, but for the current Covid 19 scenario the government has stopped this facility for tourists. Also one of the best ways to get around this Island is to rent a car (costs between 30-45Euro per day). We decided to rent a car and explore this beautiful Island and all its beaches and stopping by wherever we wanted. Also self-driving here is the best option.
There are many car rental service which you can book online before reaching Mahe for smooth transfer. We had made our bookings through MC Seychelles(Michel Chetty – Call/WhatsApp: +248 2535389 / 2535336 / 2524039) who gave us very good rental deals and was very helpful for booking other island excursions. We would definitely suggest to book with him not only for car rental but other island trips as well. You can give our reference to him for best rates. You just need to have your country driving license to be able to rent a car.
Tip: Ask for an automatic car if you are comfortable driving one. It is way easier to drive on the steep slopes of Mahe than with a manual one.
As Mahe is the capital and the most populated island, beware of traffic during office hours! Always check your routes in google maps, since the island roads can be really busy and annoying with stagnant traffic.
Interesting Fact: You can collect and deposit your car from anywhere you wish in the island.
Mahe Hotels : Mahe Tour Guide
We stayed at Hotel Hilltop Boutique Hotel, which is a budget property right at capital Victoria’s heart.
Besides the city of Victoria, there is a very famous and exotic man- made island called the Eden Island and its insanely gorgeous. Eden Island is part of Mahé Island, and is home to Eden Plaza which has fancy restaurants and shops which you can explore– do check it out! However, we didn’t stay there.
You can use the this Airbnb link to book your stay in Seychelles and we would get a small credit at no additional cost to you.
Seychelles Currency : Mahe Tour Guide
You can either use Seychellois Rupee (SCR) OR EURO which is easily accepted everywhere. If possible, try to carry some hard cash as most of the local shops don’t accept plastic money apart from few big stores. You would even find many ATMs around all corners so don’t have to worry much if you run short of cash and the best nearby ATMs would be ABSA and MCB.
Tip: ABSA charges greater transaction fee than MCB, hence we always used MCB during our trip.
Reaching Mahe by Flights from Praslin : Mahe Tour Guide
To reach Mahe from Praslin we used ferry but you can also book via Air Seychelles flight. The cost is normally around 100-130 $ one way.
Mahe Island Transfers (Seychelles Ferry/Speed Boat)
Fast Ferries are the mode of island transfers mostly; however, you can also opt for luxurious yacht/private speed boats if you wish to. There are direct ferry connections between Praslin- Mahe (The Cat Cocos and CAT ROSE). The cost of Cat Cocos between Praslin to Mahe is around 45 Euro.
Food in Mahe : Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles
You will find restaurants in all corners of this Island. But the best which worked for us were the take away food joints. If you are not always fussy about food, then this kind of take away food can really be easy on pockets. You can see the take away food boards in every 10mins, which would serve you very good quality food at a minimal rate. Also there are fine dining restaurants which you can check for sure. The take away food chains are very popular in Seychelles if you are on a budget which would cost around (50-100 SCR) per meal per person.
However, if you wish to eat in budget then try the famous take away food joint “PAPAGALO” in Victoria near the main square, which we absolutely loved and you should surely give a try (we ate most of the time there during our stay).
Mobile Networks: Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles
On arrival at the airport you will find various mobile network providers(Airtel/Cable & Wireless). We opted for Cable & Wireless SIM and it had pretty good coverage(Cost – 299 SCR for 30 mins Local + 1 GB data)
Visa for Indians: Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles
For Indian passport holders visa on arrival is free, also check with visa authorities before you arrive in Seychelles if you are other passport holder.
What to pack: Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles
We won’t suggest packing dozens of clothes as the domestic transfers also has limit on luggage weights (unless you are making transfers via ferries). The weather is relatively hot and humid throughout so you can basically focus on basic casual wears and off-course beach wears too as you would spend your entire Seychelles escape just lounging on the beaches and yeah! don’t forget sunscreens and coconut oil (for sand-flies). You would definitely need them a lot.
Snorkeling gears: Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles
Be you are a pro or a new water baby don’t forget to carry your water gears. You would definitely need those in almost all beaches where you would find no one around to provide you with those. Also be careful before jumping into any of the beaches which might not be meant for swimming or snorkelling because of the water current or may be for sharp dead corals.
Budget/Cost: Complete Guide to Mahe Island in Seychelles
- One Way Transfer from Praslin to Mahe: Flight – 120$, Ferry – 45 Euro
- Airport/Jetty to Hotel Transfer: 20 – 30 Euro
- Car Rental: 30 – 40 Euro Per Day
- Hotel: 100$ per day for a couple inclusive of breakfast
- Food: 50-80 SCR per meal from takeaway joints
- Copolia Trail Entry Fee: 100 SCR Per Person
How to plan Mahe Itinerary 3 days
Day 1: Spend the day at leisure in South East Coast & catch the sunset on the West Coast
Following are the beaches you should visit:
- Anse Royale
- Anse Baleine or The Surfers Beach
- Beau Valon
Day 2: Hike the Copolia trail in Morne National Park and visit Grand Anse Beach for Sunset
Following are the beaches and hiking trails you should visit:
- Copolia Trail
- Grand Anse
Day 3: Explore Victoria, go for local sightseeing(optional) and head off to South Western Coast to relax
Following are the beaches and places you should visit:
- Explore Victoria, and go for local sightseeing
- Anse Intendence
- Petite Police
- Anse Bazarca
Check our detailed Seychelles Itinerary here to plan yours!!
