If you only Experience 5 Things on Praslin Island – Pick These!

Praslin Island is one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. The chilled out combination of relaxed beaches, nature reserves and great food is not to be missed!

But if you’ve only got a small amount of time here what’s best to do?

Here are my suggestions for the 5 experiences not to miss on Praslin Island in the Seychelles.

Praslin Island Top 5 Experiences:

1. Vallée De Mai – Get into nature and find the world’s sexiest seed!
2. Chill out – Relax on some of the best beaches in the world
3. Get out on the ocean – Take a boat trip to one of the many islands surrounding Praslin
4. Sample some scrummy Seychellian creole cookery – Tasty + Cheap = Amazing!
5. See life under the waves – Snorkel in the clear waters around the island

1) Get into Nature at Vallée de Mai

First on the list is a trip to Vallée De Mai nature reserve in the heart of Praslin Island’s National Park. 

Vallée De Mai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that holds many natural treasures that are unique to Praslin Island and the Seychelles. From the World’s sexiest fruit the Coco de Mer to the incredibly rare brown parrot this piece of rainforest paradise will show you some of the species endemic to these granatic islands and step you back in time to a world before man arrived.

2) Relax on a Beach

If you’ve made the trip to Seychelles chances are you had relaxation on your mind! After the immersion in nature of our first stop off it’s now time to enjoy the year round sunshine and chill out at the beach. Praslin Island has so many stunning sandy escapes that even if you pick one at random you’re not going to be unhappy. But being the organised traveller I am picking at random fills me with dread, so let me help you out with picking a few…..

Here is a great article on the Travel Triangle blog that highlights the top 12 beaches in Seychelles and half of these are on Praslin Island. From everything I’ve read Anse Lazio seems to be generally held as the best beach around with Anse Georgette also high on the ‘must visit’ list. Anse Georgette is hard to access as you’ll need to call the Lemuria resort in advance and let them know you’re coming but Peter – our guide for a tour whilst on Praslin – said it was his favourite. You can’t beat a bit of local knowledge!

My favourite beach was Anse Volbert (check out my full article on it here). It has the enviable combo of spacious flat sands, shallow safe waters and easily accessible shops and restaurants. If it was enough to win over a non beach lover like myself then it’s got to be worth a visit!

3) Get Out on the Sea

You don’t have to be the most observant person in the world to notice that Praslin Island is surround by water – lots of it! you truly are missing out on one of the most special experiences Seychelles has to offer if you don’t venture out onto the

My three favourite trips out on the seas around Praslin are:

Curieuse Island & St Pierre

This trip is offered by alot of tour companies, but if you can, try and pick up a boat on the west of the Island so you get more time on the sea. We used a company called Excursion Pitou who took us around Praslin Island showing us all the various beaches before heading over to Curieuse Island. Curieuse is worth a visit to see the largest population of wild giant tortoises outside the Galapagos and St Pierre is the best snorkelling spot we’ve ever seen!

Cousin Island

‘The Island Saved by a Bird’ is a spectacular reserve dedicated to the preservation or rare species endemic to the Seychelles.

This is often coupled with a visit to Curieuse Island. I would suggest going for a pick up from the east of the Island for this one (try Sagittarius Tours at Anse Volbert) as you’ll get a tour around the north of Praslin Island before arriving.

La Digue

If you’re worried about a trip on the water then a hop over to La Digue might be the answer. They run regular catamaran services that are on much bigger boats that the other two trips. You get the beautiful views of Praslin Island from the sea without the worries of being on a small boat.

On top of that you get to experience La Digue – an island stuck in time. With very few roads and motor vehicles bicycles are the main form of transport here. This gives it a much more relaxed feel than the larger islands and with some of the best beaches in Seychelles it’s not to be missed.

4) Sample Creole Food

Yum! Seychellian creole food is the best. Savoury rice with seafood, chicken or pork all seasoned to perfection. For some reason the food is often hidden away in unappealing looking buildings and served up in polystyrene takeaway cartons. Don’t let that fool you though! There’s a reason the locals queue out of the doors of these places every lunchtime and evening, it’s good and also incredibly cheap compared to the bigger restaurants.

Our favourite three places were:

• Coco Rouge in Baie St Anne
• Breeze Garden in Grande Anse
• Gala Takeaway on La Digue Island

5) See Life Under the Waves

If I had to pick one new experience I had on Praslin Island that beat all the others it would be snorkelling. I manage to combine a fear of deep water with being a terrible swimmer so it’s not something I’ve felt an urge to do before. And boy have I missed out! 

Snorkelling in the Seychelles is (said without a hint of irony) breathtaking! Whilst the animals on land took turns lining up to be issued various browns and greys for clothing the fish were just like ‘yeah, can you give me something patterned, I don’t mind how many colours, oh, and can you make it shiny too?’. I am not exaggerating when I say it is a glimpse into another world.

If you’re looking for the best snorkelling spots on the Praslin then check out this great article at Snorkelling-Report.com. Our favourites were:

• Anse La Blague – shallow and good for beginners.
• Anse Volbert – if you’re feeling up to it swim out to the small island in the bay ‘Chauve Souris’.
• St Pierre Island – normally included as a package with a trip to Curieuse Island but easy enough to get a water taxi over to. This is the best snorkelling we experienced. St Pierre is a rock outcrop one kilometre off the coast surrounded by an old coral reef and lots (and I mean lots!) of fishes.

Thanks for Reading!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and you get to immerse yourself in the experiences of Praslin Island yourself one day.

When you do be sure to check out my Seychelles Guide for over 20 articles on Praslin and the surrounding islands.

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