Seychelles Travel Guide

Seychelles has prospered in recent years and this has resulted in a significant increase in the number of visitors traveling to the Islands. Guideforafrica.com has a comprehensive travel guide for you to the Islands.

Arrival:

All international flight arrivals touch down at Seychelles International Airport some 10km (5.5 miles) south-east of the capital city Victoria, on Mahe Island. Once arrived at the Seychelles airport, public transports are available.

Time / Getting Around

Getting around in Seychelles is not an awfully tedious assignment, as it has pocket friendly bus services all over around Praslin and Mahe. You can catch these bus services between 06:00 and 22:00. There is an efficient air, land and sea transport network that links all the islands. You can travel by helicopter, domestic airlines, fast catamaran or your private yacht. More information at http://www.guideforafrica.com/seychelles

Seychelles is four hours ahead of GMT and three hours ahead of Central European time.

Language:

Creole, English and French are the official languages used in Seychelles. However there are a minority of Seychellois who fluently speak Italian, Latin & German.

Domestic Flights:

There are domestic flights between Victoria, Mahe Island, Praslin Island and La Digue Island plus several other major Islands. These flights as well as the Catamaran traveling between Mahe and Praslin operate solitary during the day time. Chartered flights and helicopters also provide both daily and weekly shuttle services between Mahe and the other islands.

International Flights:

There are direct flights to Seychelles International Airport operated by the national airline, Air Seychelles on a weekly basis from South Africa (Johannesburg), U.K (London Gatwick), France (Paris), Italy (Milan & Rome), Kenya (Nairobi), Mauritius, Germany (Frankfurt), Singapore and Russia (Moscow). Other International Airlines to Seychelles include Air Austral, Meridiana, British Airways, Air France, Condor, Emirates, Euro fly, Kenya Airways and Qatar Airways.

Entry Regulations:

No VISA requirement is needed to travel to Seychelles.

Where to Stay

Seychelles offers a wide range of hotel accommodation of varying comfort, elegance and convenience to her visitors. Some of Seychelles hotels include Lazare Picault hotel, Le jardin des Palmes, Le Clef des Iles, Li-Al-Do Villa, Valmer Resorts Holiday Apartments, Palm Beach Hotel, Rocky Bay Villa, Tropique Villa, Maison des Maestro, Villa des Alize, Le Bananier Guest House, Acajou Hotel and Les Villa D’. There are also luxury villas on offer for those who want to indulge in luxury.

Weather Tips:

Seychelles travelers should be aware of the general weather conditions at the time they intend to visit. Being in the tropics, and surrounded by the enormous Indian Ocean, Seychelles weather is pleasantly warm and humid all year round. Annual sunshine and rainfall are high, evidenced by the lush green vegetation on the main granite based islands. The exterior coralline Islands however experience a reduced annual rainfall.

Clothing / Health Tips:

Light clothing is a prerequisite since it is a tropical hot climate with humid atmosphere and plenty of sun. Swim wear are essential as Seychelles is bordered by water. Casual eveningwear (long trousers for men), with appropriate. Nudity is prohibited. Being in the tropics you may encounter scenarios that may require medical attentions. Carry some medicine with you.

Money / Banking:

Being a traveler you must be well conversant about Seychelles currency. The local currency is Seychelles Rupee (SR) which is divided into 100 cents. Coins are 1 and 5 SR plus 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents.  Paper notes are in SR10, SR25, SR50, SR100 and SR500 denominations. City of Victoria has many banks that operate foreign currency exchange transactions especially at the airport bank branches.

Traveler’s checks are also accepted by banks. Credit cards such as American Express, Visa and MasterCard are also acceptable in supermarkets, hotels, car hire operators, yacht charter and restaurants. The US dollars, EURO and British pounds are the more preferred major currencies much as less likely to gain additional exchange fees.

Tourism Information:

The Seychelles Tourism Office is located in Independence House, Victoria on Mahe and on Praslin at the airport and jetty where visitors can enquire information about Seychelles.

More info available at our  About Seychelles Page.