Seychelles – one of the most wanted summer destination in the world. Www.vir-travel.com was talking with Jakub who just came back from Seychelles and wants to share his trip details. Seychelles are made of 115 islands in my mind is a real gem of the Indian Ocean and a wonderful place for a peaceful vacation. In this article I am going to share with you interesting and useful information about these beautiful isles. That post is definitely recommended to everybody going to Seychelles or anybody thinking of going there. I wish you all enjoy reading.
Why did you choose to spend your holidays in
Seychelles?
The reason number one was that I have not heard like any of my friends or family were in there. Seychelles sounds to me like something unique and when I was looking at the photos of these deserted, tropical beaches with lots of palm trees, coconuts, azure water and this white sand – I just thought “I want to be there”.
The second reason why I wanted to go far away from Europe is because my big hobby is aviation. I wanted to try how does it feel to fly on aboard in very big airplane on long range course.
Of course there are also several more reasons. I love sunny beaches and I really missed something like this. I was hoping to walk around a tropical coast, see the jungle, enjoy sunbathing and swimming in the Indian Ocean. I also wanted to see a coral reef and all this magic underwater world with all of these colorful fishes swimming in that crystal pure water – for me it all seems like a dream.
Did you planned the whole journey by yourself?
Yes, totally. At first I just made a research in the Internet. I was trying to catch up as much information as I could. I was reading the websites, watching a few documentaries. I was just surfing all over the Internet world and I was making a notes of anything which seemed to be important for a typical tourist such as me. I can say that my vacation was organized very well. Using the internet I also booked my flights tickets and hotels just as everybody does in nowadays world.
Could you tell us how did you get to Seychelles?
It was a long way. It is good to mind that I live in Iceland which is situated in northern-east Europe. I took my first flight from Iceland to Warsaw and as always it took 3 hours and 40 minutes by Wizz Air. Then after two days very enjoyable stay in the capital of Poland I went to Dubai by Emirates and that flight took approximately 6 hours and 10 minutes. My final flight was from Dubai to Victoria which is the capital of Seychelles, based in the Mahe Island and this flight was 4 hours and 50 minutes long. I would like to add that I know about two airways flying directly to Seychelles from the biggest cities of Europe. I know about Connor flying from Dusseldorf (Germany) and Air Seychelles flying from several cities such as London, Paris, Berlin and probably some more. Going back to Emirates – it is a good choice. That airlines have a connections with Dubai from almost every European capital and of course from Dubai they have a massive amount of destinations all around the world, not only to Seychelles. You can search for cheapest flights options on momondo.com.
How were all your flights with Emirates?
Very nice. I was a passenger of the economy class but I felt a big difference comparing to flying with WizzAir or Ryanair. Everybody has much more space for the legs which is very important. Before taking off everybody has a fresh washed pillow and a blanket on their seat which is also a very good thing. In front of every seat is a screen which contains all of the on aboard entertainment. There is a big bunch of new and a classical movies and series, many games, music, books and a live camera view out of the plane which is great. If somebody just do not want to sleep then he is not going to be bored – for sure. The best part of traveling with Emirates is that everything is included. All kinds of alcohols, regular drinks and meals. As always in airplanes the food is not good at all but you have a big choice of many meals and you choose your meal a few days before your flight on your personal account on emirates.com.
What was your first impression after landing?
Well I landed after 7 o’clock a.m. The sun was already up but it was quite cloudy. I saw few islands through the window and what surprised me the most was that when the airplane was on the ground after 2 minutes it was totally wet. It was all because of high humidity of the air. I felt it instantly all around my body when I left the aircraft. I have never felt it before, water was just in the air, and obviously it was very hot. I mean about 30-35 degrees.
Was there a visa requirement for you?
Yes, after landing everybody was being obligated to make a declaration. The customs official who was making an interview with me was asking about many things. They were interested in how much money I have, how long I will stay, is it my first time in Seychelles, who I am traveling with, where do I live, how do I manage to live. They needed to know exactly in which hotels I will stay and they wanted me to show all of my reservations on booking.com. What surprised me very much was that they wanted to see my tickets back to Europe. I was kind of lucky because before my journey I printed out everything – I never did it before. I was verified correctly and I got the rubber stamp in my passport, and then they let me go and my holidays just started.
In which place did you stay at first?
After I left the airport I went straight to La Digue Island. I was travelling there by a very fast and quite large catamaran. I guess this is the most popular way of travelling between the isles of Seychelles. Trip took around 90 minutes. On our way we had very stormy weather, 50% of the passengers were just vomiting all the time. It was not a peaceful tour, but I fell asleep. When we reached the shore I realized that I am finally in my summer dream, this feeling was absolutely stunning. The first thing I did after getting into the L’Ocean Hotel hotel was going to the beach. In La Digue Island I have spent one week. It was enough time to visit all the beaches around the island and explore this place a little. La Digue Island is definitely a place to visit if somebody is thinking to go to Seychelles.
Is there any danger in the water waiting for the people?
Of course there is a several things such as sea currents. These can be very strong sometimes. In some of the places that I was snorkeling I was forced to move my legs and hands fast because I needed to withstand the current. There is no crocodiles anymore and I was very happy about it. Somebody could ask now “what about the sharks?” – Well of course there is many sharks in the Indian Ocean but all the sharks around the world prefer to live in the deep water, not around the coasts or sea sides. Also one of the locals I have met told me like there is no danger of being attacked by sharks because almost each island of Seychelles is being surrounded by the coral reefs and it makes a defensive wall for all the sharks willing to get closer to the people. Obviously not all of the beaches or islands are isolated from the ocean that is why people should be careful while swimming in such a places.
How about dangerous animals that lives on the
ground? Is there many of them?
No, there are just spiders which are not deadly. I saw them couple of times, they are quite big. There are also wild dogs in a herds living in the jungle. I also met them but there is no reason to be worried about this. The dogs in Seychelles are very peaceful animals. They are not even barking at anybody which is very unusual comparing to European dogs.
Which was the best island that you visited and why?
I have to say that the best one of four which I visited was the Therese Island. It is a magic place. Magnificent, wild nature which looks like it not even touched by human. Every moment that I spent in this place I will remember forever with the smallest details.
How is the capital city like?
It was nothing special for me. I have been there three or four times but felt like there is nothing going on. It is a very small town. In my opinion the most interesting object that you can see in Victoria is the Hindu temple but I was not even thinking about going inside. I simply did not feel like I want to. I do not regret that I visited the capital because I at least took a few nice photos.
Is there any place which you wanted to see but you did not?
Yes, it is the National Park in Praslin Island. In this place I could see the palm trees of Coco de mer which is a very rare type of nut currently growing up only in Seychelles. I can say that I was holding a “baby Coco de mer” nut in my hands just by little while. I took a picture of it. I did not went to this National Park because I decided to go to the beach, it was a very hot day.
How expensive are the shops and restaurants in
Seychelles?
The shopping prices are quite high and I think there is no way to shop cheaper. The first and the biggest reason of this is of course that in Seychelles all the goods are imported from abroad. I think the second reason is that there is lots of small shops all around the Seychelles and as everybody knows the prices in small places are always higher than in supermarkets. There is no big markets in this country. The only shops which are kind of “bigger” are in Victoria but they are still small and same expensive. When somebody goes shopping to any grocery store to make some ordinary shopping for two or three days (just for one person) he pays about 40-50 euro.
I visited a few very nice restaurants and bars. I can say that for a good dinner, for one person a typical price is 25 – 35 euro. Meal like this contains some good drink, main course and sometimes also the appetizer. In a Bar people always pay approximately from 8 to 12 euro for one drink.
Is there any hotel or place you can recommend?
The L’Ocean Hotel which is in La Digue Island is a good place if somebody do not want to spend too much money while being in this isle. Honestly, there is no Wi – fi and they serve just a very poor breakfast, but in Seychelles it does not really meter. Every room has bathroom with a shower, safe and the fridge. Everybody can get the Internet connection in Domaine L’Orangeraie bar. This place is near to the hotel.
Maison D’Aaryan place in Anse aux Pins which is situated in Mahe island was the second place that I stayed in. It is very nice place, but it is better if you rent a car when you are staying there, because otherwise you are forced to use the public transport to go anywhere. The manager of this place is a very nice woman and she is very good at organizing trips and events for tourists, and she knows many people who are working with the visitors as diving instructors or tour operators etc.
Do you feel like you would like to visit Seychelles once again?
Yes sure. I would love to spend a few more days in Praslin Island but also there are a few more isles that I have not visited at all but I still want to. I will go back there one day.
Do you have any travel tips you would like to
share with anybody who is going to Seychelles?
– National airways of Seychelles (“Air Seychelles”) have a low prices of flights between Praslin and Mahe Island. Very often flight tickets are cheaper than taking ferry.
– Print out your ticket back home, because it is necessary to have it to get a visiting permission. The same about all of the hotels reservations you have.
– It is good to have a pen.
– Do not be afraid of any diseases or viruses. There is no reason.
– Mind it that Seychelles is not a cheap country. Making a shopping or paying for hotels is as expensive as in Scandinavian countries.
– In many places such as Hotels, restaurants customers are able to pay with euro or dollars.
– Visa/Master Card are accepted almost everywhere. There is no problem with taking the cash out of the ATM.
– Do not be worried about any robberies or situations like this. Seychelles is not a poor country and crime rate is low.
– Take a flashlight with you, because in some islands like for example La Digue there is not many street lights. These are only in some areas but it’s not enough to light up the streets.
– The Internet is available in many hotels, bars and restaurants. In my opinion there is no need to buy any extra GB of Internet for the cell phone, but it is just my opinion.
If you plan to visit Seychelles check travel and cheapest hotels maps of Seychelles >>>HERE<<<
If you have any questions about Seychelles or this article you can feel free to contact Jakub via his email: mbaxjohn@gmail.com
Also you can follow Jakub upcoming journeys in his instagram
https://www.instagram.com/lunar_boy_/
Holidays in Seychelles – 11 days trip