The Top 10 Reasons to Visit Seychelles Soon

When a traveller says they want to visit an ‘island paradise’ one of the places that so perfectly fits the title would have to be Seychelles. There are so many reasons to visit Seychelles that fit the descriptor, in fact, that we’ve had to separate them into this fantastic list.

Whatever time of year you’re going, whatever kind of traveller you are, Seychelles is a breath-taking country to visit. Its beauty alone could entrance you for your entire holiday, we can promise that if you look at any picture of Seychelles, you won’t quite believe it’s a real place at first.

It doesn’t end at the beauty of the country either, there are so many fantastic and unique reasons to visit Seychelles that you might want to book more than one holiday, just to make sure you get them all.

1. Beaches

Most certainly the biggest reason many travellers flock to Seychelles is the paradise the beaches provide. You won’t find a beach in Seychelles that isn’t gorgeous, but we all have a few favourites, especially if you want to see some unique beaches while island hopping.

With soft, white sands and clear turquoise waters, it’s no wonder that the beaches are one of the top reasons to visit Seychelles, and perhaps even the number one reason for many travellers. No matter what kind of beach you’re looking for, Seychelles’ many islands have every kind of beach you could imagine and there is no doubt one just right for your own beach fantasy.

Just a few great ones are Anse Royale in Mahe, Anse Boudin in Praslin (the second biggest island), and Anse Banan in La Digue. Anse Royale is a lovely small beach surrounded by rocks, lovely deep water to swim and snorkel in. In Anse Boudin you’ll find a great family-friendly and accessible beach, with shallow water and great local activities to enjoy. And, in Anse Banane you have some spectacular views of the Indian Ocean to enjoy from the relaxing shore.

2. Victoria

On the main island, Mahe, you will find the awesome capital city of Seychelles. Victoria is a vibrant, lively, and perfect hub for your travels, with some stunning white sand beaches just on the outskirts, great attractions in the city itself, excellent food, and lovely people.

Victoria is a great hub if you want to explore Mahe, or even if you intend to go island hopping, but Victoria also has some awesome attractions of its own. For a leisurely, relaxed experience, Victoria has great museums and galleries, some delicious cuisine (in particular, the Marie Antoinette is a popular restaurant for a reason), and churches, cathedrals, and temples around the city that show off stunning architecture.

There’s also a great botanical garden with giant tortoises. Or, if you’re up for the more lively side of the city, Victoria is home to some fantastic festivals and carnivals, you won’t want to miss out on this bright and colourful nightlife in Victoria.

3. Food

As we’ve mentioned, Victoria is a great place to get a taste of some unique Seychelles cuisine, and the food itself is well worth being in the top reasons to visit Seychelles. With such a unique combination of flavours coming together with the fresh ingredients, the food in Seychelles is not like anything else you’ll have tasted.

With a rich colonial history came many different influences that can still be found in the food of Seychelles today, from African, to British, French, Indian, and Chinese, the spices and flavours of food in Seychelles is unique and exquisite. Seafood is also a common feature of much of the food in Seychelles, surely not a surprise with a collection of islands surrounded by the Indian Ocean.

A lot of Seychelles’ cuisine will be grilled, steamed, salted, baked, or wrapped in banana leaves, using fresh fish and ingredients to create beautiful dishes you won’t find anywhere else. There are also some famous dishes to look out for, if you’re looking for some classics you can try fruit bat curry or ladob pudding, a sweet dessert made in coconut milk.

4. Wildlife

We had considered taking up several of the reasons to visit Seychelles just to tell you about each of the stunning creatures you can find in Seychelles, but that list would be far too long. From the flora to the fauna, this collection of islands is so rich with unique life that you cannot find anywhere else in the world, for this alone, it is worth taking a trip.

Even exploring one of the islands will introduce you to many different species of new wildlife you haven’t encountered, including islands that house species and sub-species of birds that only live on that specific island. You can also get guided walks around these islands to spot some of the gorgeous birds. From the endangered Black Paradise Flycatcher to Bulbuls and Sunbirds and the Seychelles Warbler.

Seychelles is, of course, also home to grand tortoises and homes the nesting place for hawksbill turtles. If these lovely sea creatures and their land counterpart are your thing, you can see the turtles around the St Anne Marine National Park, or you can feed the grand tortoises in Victoria Botanical Gardens.

5. Islands

Each of Seychelles’ 115 islands is an entirely unique and diverse character to the rest. It is for this reason that island hopping in Seychelles is one of the most recommended and popular activities for visitors. You could spend a long time just trying to visit as many islands as possible and not get to see all of them, or even explore each island to its fullest. It’s a magnificent experience.

Whatever kind of island you’re looking for, there’s plenty for you to explore. If you’re looking for some of the bigger and more popular islands, these that contain the city and towns and attractions, you’re looking at islands like Mahe and Praslin (known for having one of the most beautiful beaches in Seychelles). Travelling between islands from Mahe is also highly recommended as it’s close to some of the most beloved and makes island hopping easy.

If you’re looking for some natural beauties to hop to and from, we highly recommend islands like La Digue and Cousin Island. La Digue is perfect for a nature lover that wants to still be close to the people and attractions. In comparison, Cousin Island is a highly protected island, but you can take regular day trips out in the morning. Cousin Island has been commended for being a bird preserve and houses more than 250,000 birds a year, a lot of these rare or endangered species.

6. Weather

Do we really need to say any more? One of the biggest and simplest reasons to visit Seychelles is, of course, the fantastic weather. Seychelles is an island paradise with weather to match. An unreal destination, it looks almost like it shouldn’t exist, and the weather is a huge part of this.

With bright sunny skies and lovely shady beaches, Seychelles is the perfect destination if you want to go on a relaxing beach holiday and soak in the sun. It’s also a great winter sun destination, for those among us who would rather escape the UK winters than partake in them.

Wherever you are in Seychelles, the weather is splendid, as if the islands themselves could be any more perfect for that classic holiday. This reason may be a simple one, but it is easily one of the top reasons a lot of travellers go to Seychelles, and we are inclined to agree.

7. Water Adventures

With 115 islands surrounded by the clear, turquoise Indian Ocean it’s no surprise that Seychelles provides some awesome water adventures in this ocean. From sailing, swimming, diving, snorkelling, fishing, ocean tours, and glass-bottom boat tours, plus even more, there are a huge plethora of ocean lover’s adventures to have in Seychelles.

If you want something more relaxed and leisurely, there are awesome boat trips you can take, whether they’re between islands or just for the sake of looking through the bottom of a glass-bottom boat and seeing all the magnificence of the ocean, there are many lovely ocean tours you can take, even in the St Anne Marine National Park, one of the first national parks in the Indian Ocean.

Beau Vallon beach is well-loved as the home to a lot of water sports in Seychelles. For the more active ocean lover, this is where you can go snorkelling, diving, or take a more leisurely swim near the shore. The diving experiences in Seychelles are breathtaking, you can even take a swim with the turtles that make their nest around the islands.

8. UNESCO Sites

Though Seychelles is only home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites in total, these are two splendid and breath-taking UNESCO sites and are, without a doubt, an entire reason to visit Seychelles on their own. Both UNESCO sites are wildly different, so whichever fantastic part of Seychelles you want to explore, you will be dazzled by one of these sites.

The Aldabra Atoll is a UNESCO site covering 13 islands and a great portion of the Indian Ocean, preserving some of the outer islands of Seychelles and housing some fantastic creatures. On these islands live the largest population of giant tortoises in the world and 273 different species of flowering plants. It is also the largest raised coral atoll in the world, how fantastic is that?

Vallee de Mai is more mainland, if you’re staying on one of the main islands this is a short, but great, trip. Located on Praslin, Vallee de Mai is the home of a lush palm forest that has been mostly unchanged since prehistoric times. This forest is stunning and is also where a large population of some gorgeous endemic flora resides, such as the coco de mer.

9. Beach Resorts

We’re sure it’s of no surprise that where there are some of the best beaches, there are also some of the best beach resorts to match. In fact, some of the excellent beaches in Seychelles, are private beaches owned by these beach resorts. If you’re looking for some peace and quiet on a secluded beach in Seychelles, we highly recommend staying at a great beach resort.

From big to small, villa to resort, natural to modern, there are so many great beach resorts and accommodations to choose from in Seychelles, immersing you in the island paradise and giving you some fantastic views of the Indian Ocean spread out before you.

These resorts don’t have to cost a lot either, you can stay in a smaller, private villa and still enjoy the magnificent splendours that the islands have to offer. You also have all of the islands at your disposal, with resorts on a fair few of the main central islands.

10. Hikes

With all that natural wonder that Seychelles has to show off, it’s one of the best spots to go if you’re looking for some good walks or hikes. One of the top reasons to visit Seychelles, the hikes aren’t only gorgeous and mind-blowing, but they are used to raise environmental awareness and show off the great biodiversity that exists in this small collection of islands.

Seychelles is a hugely biodiverse destination, if you thrive on seeing untouched nature at its finest and exploring some beautifully unique flora and fauna, Seychelles’ hikes and walking trails are perfect for your holiday.

Whether you want to go on a gentle walk through some lush wildlife or you’re looking to scale a mountain and look out over the Indian Ocean from afar, all of this is open to you on these 115 islands, with so many guided tours and walking trails to explore.

So, when you’re ready to book a splendid holiday to Seychelles, don’t forget to check out the Seychelles Tourism Board and get in contact with a travel business registered with PTS offering 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing a lovely PTS member to book with, you can get in contact with PTS directly at 0207 190 9988.

And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS or how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages.