We only had one full day to spend on Mahe as we wanted to spend the most of our time between La Digue and Praslin. Since we only had about 8 days in total, I think we made a good choice and even in just one day we got the taste of the island.
We had an EARLY FLIGHT from Praslin with a ridiculously small plan which only took us 20 minutes. FIRST ROW SEATS were a jackpot and it was really interesting to see all the buttons and the action between take off and landing. The WINDOW VIEWS were not bad at all and the price was about the same as for the ferry, so we did not regret it.
We had no specific plan for what to do on Mahe that day, it was our last day on holidays before heading home and we´ve already seen so much so we really did not care so much. Something good to eat, something nice to see and a relaxed return to the airport on time seemed like a plan. So we asked one of the AIRPORT TAXI DRIVERS if he takes us around. Fixed the price and off we were. We were really lucky, he spoke perfect English and was totally in the mood to explain us everything. It is not a bad thing to talk to a local the whole day actually, you learn a lot of things about the country´s history, politics and get a better impression of how it is to live there. So, I´d say, this was a great decision!
BOTANICAL GARDENS | green oasis in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles
First stop from the AIRPORT were the lush MONT FLEURI BOTANICAL GARDENS in VICTORIA. They are over 100 years old and are home to some of amazing plant species. There is an ENTRANCE FEE of about 7€.
If you have been to botanical gardens before, this one might not blow you away completely, but it is a nice place for a WALK in the GREENS, especially on a hot day as there is enough shade. There are also GIANT TURTLES, but these ones are in a fenced area so we skipped the visit.
VICTORIA TOWN | the vibrant capital city of the Seychelles
One of the SMALLEST CAPITALS in the world, with only around 26k inhabitants was our second stop. The major ATTRACTIONS here include a CLOCK TOWER, which resembles the Little Ben in London, several MUSEUMS, the MARKET and the COURTHOUSE. On our first day in Seychelels we´ve only driven through on our way to the PORT, now it was time to walk around a little bit.
Surprisingly, this is where we spent the most of our time this day. It was a SUNDAY, so there was a HUGE MARKET. We bought some SPICES and walked around and decided to have LUNCH upstairs in one of the restaurants as well.
VICTORIA seemed to be a PARADISE FOR SHOPPING, there were little shops everywhere, selling everything from CLOTHES to SOUVENIERS. For a Sunday, it was very lively, lots of locals on the streets but also really lots of tourists.
BEAU VALLON | beautiful beaches and a popular tourist sport in the north of Mahe island
Moving on, we drove all the way to the NORTHERN TIP of the island and seen some pretty posh VILLAS, mostly owned by Qatar rich men, before we arrived to BEAU VALLON, one of the most POPULAR TOURIST BEACH AREAS on Mahe.
It did look much busier than similar places on Praslin and La Digue, but still, had we stayed on Mahe a night or two, it would have probably been here. There were lots of different ACCOMMODATION options, from bigger hotels to smaller apartments, lots of shops and restaurants and of course a SANDY BEACH.
MORNE NATIONAL PARK | excellent hiking paths, tea plantations and stunning views
The country´s LARGEST NATIONAL PARK is not to be missed, even if you are very short on time, it is worth just driving through. From BEAU VALLON we took a steep road up a winding road which led us to some perfect VIEWPOINTS. The majority of the park is not inhabited, with its HIGHEST PEAK at 905m above sea level, this is also a great HIKING AREA WITH MANY TRAILS.
Within the park, on the slopes of the hills, you can spot VANILLA, TEA, LEMON GRASS and more. Unfortunately we could not visit the famous TEA FACTORY, because it is closed on Sundays. We also had a few RAINDROPS by the time so we decided to slowly head BACK TO THE AIRPORT.
EDEN ISLAND | posh part of Mahe with luxurious acommodation and shops
We still had enough time to take the COASTAL ROAD and do a little detour. We stopped at one VIEWPOINT to take a look at the famous EDEN ISLAND from above. On this island there are a great number of LUXURIOUS PROPERTIES and HOTELS.
Our time on the beautiful SEYCHELLES was running out, one more quick lunch at the airport and we were ready to catch some sleep on the comfy Qatar Airways plane back to Europe through Doha. If you have some extra hours between flights on MAHE it is really a great thing to HIRE A DRIVER to take you a bit around. Better one day than nothing. You could also rent a car but for us it didn´t seem worth the hustle for just one day.
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