Itinerary, sailing route (90 nautical miles)

• 29.12 (Thu): Mahé – Sainte Anne (4 miles)
• 30.12 (Fri): Sainte Anne – Anse Lazio – Curieuse  (29 miles)
• 31.12 (Sat): Curieuse – St. Pierre – Grande Souer (9 miles), New Year!
• 01.01 (Sun): Grande Souer – Ile Aux Cocos – Anse la Farine (7 miles)
• 02.01 (Mon): Anse la Farine – Baie St.Anne (3 miles)
• 03.01 (Tue): Baie St.Anne – La Digue, Anse Cocos (10 miles)
• 04.01 (Wed): La Digue – Mahé (28 miles)
• 05.01 (Thu): Mahé, flight home.

Seychelles is an archipelago consisting of 43 extremely picturesque granite islands and 72 coral reefs and atolls. Since there are so many islands and most of them are uninhabited, the most comfortable and romantic way to get to know the archipelago is to travel between the islands on your sailboat, but Seychelles is an ideal place for yachting!

In summer and winter, the temperature here is stable + 26-29°С. even though the islands lie in the middle of the open ocean, they are away from the hurricane zone, so storms are very rare here. Favorable weather conditions, plus a wide choice of both small and quite significant distance transitions between many extremely beautiful islands, have created the Seychelles archipelago a reputation as a great place for yachting for both beginners and experienced professionals.

This tropical archipelago opens up to its visitors, captivating with its beauty a lost world – a transparent light turquoise sea with bright coral reefs, idyllic deserted beaches with palm trees growing over snow-white sand, unique exotic animals and tropical plants – a real example of paradise on earth.

DAY 1. VICTORIA AND SAINT ANNE

The airport, which continues international flights in Seychelles, is located on the largest island of the archipelago – Mahé

From the airport to the new luxurious yacht marina on the island of Eden, connected to Mahe by a road bridge, it is only about 7 kilometers.

Eden-Marina is a super-modern project on an artificial island, built only 10 years ago. It is equipped with boutiques, shops, hotels, and beaches, and looks very cozy.

Upon arrival, the captain is engaged in the reception at the charter company of our catamaran, and the crew will go to the capital of the country – Victoria, to get products. We will buy products in two places: in the largest supermarket in the country and in the main market of the capital. It sounds quite loud, but considering that the capital of Seychelles is the smallest capital in the world, everything else here is also quite small and cozy.

Despite the miniature size of Victoria, there is a lot to see here – from museums and old colonial buildings to picturesque temples of the most diverse religions – Christian, Hindu, and Muslim.

Even before sunset, we say goodbye to the comfortable marina and go out to sea in the direction of the dazzling blue waters and colorful coral reefs of St. Ann’s Marine Park. This mini-archipelago of six islands with calm coves sheltered from the open ocean is ideal for enjoying swimming and snorkeling among bright corals with an abundance of tropical colorful fish.

Larger sea creatures are often found here – green sea turtles, barracudas, tunas, stingrays, bottlenose dolphins, and small safe sharks. Some of the islands of the national park, such as Moyen, can be explored on foot. We spend the night at anchor in a quiet bay in the middle of the national park.

DAY 2. COUSIN AND PARADISE BEACH

Today our catamaran will head north to Praslin Island, the second-largest island in the archipelago, and along the way, we will be able to enjoy a few hours of sailing under sail in the open ocean. Our route will pass by the islands of Cousin and Cousine. These protected islands are known for their beauty and long beaches with amazing white sand.

On the islands, there are programs for the preservation of pristine nature, but people’s access to them is strictly limited, and therefore the animals here are not at all afraid of humans. Various birds are trusting and quite tame – they simply sit on your hands and calmly allow you to look at the chicks in the nests. If desired, it will be possible to land on the island and visit the reserve with an excursion accompanied by a local guide.

Next, our route runs to Anse Lazio Bay, northwest of Praslin Island. The huge desert beach of Anse Lazio is located in the depths of a large turquoise bay and is strewn with fine white-pink sand. It consistently makes the list of the best beaches in the world, and if the weather permits, this is where we will stay for the night.

If the waves and the north-westerly wind make adjustments to our route (yes, this is the ocean, things like that can happen here), then we will walk another couple of miles to Curieuse Island, where we will stop for the night in a very convenient and sheltered bay in the south of the island.

DAY 3. GIANT TURTLE FROM CURIEUSE ISLAND WISHES YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The entire island of Curieuse and the surrounding seawater area are part of the national park of the same name, there are no permanent settlements here and any economic activity is prohibited.

The island is known for being one of the two places where the unique Seychelles palm tree – Coco de Mer – grows in natural conditions, and several hundred of the famous giant Seychelles tortoises, brought here for protection and breeding from the remote Seychelles atoll of Aldabra, live in the wild.

These giant land tortoises live for 150-200 years and are not inferior in size to Galapagos tortoises, reaching a weight of more than 350 kg.

After spending the night in the picturesque Lari Bay, in the morning we will have the opportunity to walk for several hours on artificial wooden paths among palm groves and picturesque mangroves, feed fruit to giant turtles that love to eat from our hands, and admire the beautiful scenery.

The beaches on the protected island are wonderful, with white sand and clear, clear seas, in which sea greens or, as they are also called, turtles, are often found. Yes, yes, it was from them that the famous turtle soup was prepared, which was so appreciated by sailors and pirates in the good old days.

After lunch, our way lies to the real Insta-point of Seychelles, the island of Saint-Pierre. No story about yachting in Seychelles is complete without photos taken in this very place. And no wonder, because this is a typical example of the cinematic Bounty Island – a pile of huge basalt boulders in the middle of the ocean, crowned by a bunch of graceful palm trees that bend in the wind.

The underwater world around Saint-Pierre is famous for its colorfulness and abundance of marine life of all shapes and sizes, which will delight the diver’s eye. Here you will have the opportunity to dive into the natural marine aquarium of the Indian Ocean.

A significant number of small islands of the Seychelles archipelago are privately owned, and access to them is possible only by agreement with their owners. Today we will anchor in the immediate vicinity of one such island, Grand Soeur. There are no permanent residents on this island – only sometimes there are guests of a miniature exclusive hotel designed for 12 people.

On both sides of the island, there are amazingly picturesque bays, and in one of these bays, we will stop today to celebrate the New Year.

On board a snow-white sailboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean under the bright stars of the Southern Cross constellation – this is how you have definitely not met the New Year! A delicious barbecue of freshly caught fish served on a palm leaf, juicy tropical fruits and exotic cocktails based on local rum await you, and of course a glass of champagne to the fiery rhythms of national music.

DAY 4. THE YEAR STARTS WITH THE COCONUT

How you spend January 1st will be the whole year. Well, the perspective is not bad: in the shade of the bimini on the deck of our snow-white catamaran, swaying rhythmically on the waves while sipping a cool tropical fruit cocktail. Great start to the New Year!

At the request of the crew, you can disembark on the shore of Grand Soeur (visiting the island is paid) and walk through the tropical forest covering low hills with granite rocks, and then relax on the beach in one of the bays.

After lunch, the captain will raise the anchor and we will head for the second largest island of Seychelles – Praslin. On the way, we will stop at one of the four tiny islands of the Cocos mini-archipelago (Ile Aux Cocos). For the past 25 years, Cocos has been declared a National Marine Park and, indeed, it is perhaps the best place for snorkeling and diving in Seychelles. Under the water, you can easily meet sea turtles and small reef sharks, and if you’re lucky, you can spot an octopus lurking in the coral thickets.

And the first day of the new year 2023 will end in the wonderful Anse la Farine bay on the island. Praslin, where we will anchor for the night.

DAY 5. PROTOTYPE OF THE GARDEN OF PARADISE

In the morning, we have a very short crossing (less than 3 miles) to St. Anne’s Bay with a small half-sleepy town stretching along the colorful waterfront. It is full of shops, restaurants, and bars, and nearby is the picturesque beach of Anse Mege – an ideal place for relaxation.

The island impresses with its colors – turquoise sea, as in the picture, clear blue sky, green hills, and blooming hibiscus with clusters of orange and red flowers.

On Praslin, we will visit the Fond Ferdinand National Park, where we will have the opportunity to walk along the paths among the relict rainforest, filled with mysterious sounds, the noise of waterfalls, and the singing of birds hiding in the treetops.

According to local legend, it was here that the Eden Gardens were located, and the serpent tempted Eve, but not with an apple, but with the incredible fruit of the coco-de-mer palm tree, which resembles a woman’s thigh in shape, which in its natural environment grows only here and on the neighboring island of Curios.

In ancient times, long before the discovery of the Seychelles, giant, up to half a meter in diameter, two-fruited coconuts were known to the inhabitants of the lands surrounding the Indian Ocean. Unusual fruits of mysterious origin were occasionally washed by ocean waves to the shores of Arabia, India, Ceylon, and even Malaysia. People believed that these nuts have miraculous powers and grow in magical gardens at the bottom of the ocean, which is where their name came from – “coco de mer” or “sea coconut”.

Tonight in St. Ann we will have an opportunity to have dinner by the ocean in one of the restaurants with local Creole cuisine. This unique cuisine is an amalgamation of the best African, French, Indian, and even Chinese culinary traditions, resulting in something unique and unlike any of them. In this cuisine, coconut milk and breadfruit are bizarrely combined, tropical fruits replace scarce vegetables, and all this is complemented by a variety of exotic spices and seasonings, as well as a wide range of fish and seafood.

On the islands, you should try boiled cassava, shrimp in garlic sauce, octopus with coconut sauce, or shark shatin. Lovers of exotic dishes can enjoy a surprisingly tasty stew made from the meat of the local giant bat with curry and other spices. You can end the dinner with a banana dessert, coconut nougat, or sugared bilimbi.

As a traditional non-alcoholic drink in Seychelles, the refreshing “Citronelle” – lemon sorghum tincture – is popular. From fermented coconut juice, palm wine is prepared – “Kalu”, and from sugar cane juice – a strong drink similar to rum, “Bakka”.

DAY 6. EMMANUEL WAS FILMED HERE

Today we are going to the island of La Digue, one of the most beautiful and amazing islands of the Seychelles archipelago. Although it is the fourth largest and third most populous island, there are no cars on it, so it is most convenient to rent a bicycle and cycle around the island. Lovers of the exotic can choose traditional local transport – ox carts or rent horses and ride around the island on horseback.

The island’s calling card is the coast of the Surs d’Arjean bay (silver spring) with a spectacular panorama of huge granite boulders scattered on the beach, pink in the morning and red at sunset.

Another attraction of the island is the Union Estate Park (L’Union Estate). In the middle of this picturesque tropical park is one of the oldest surviving colonial buildings in Seychelles – the famous Plantation House, the former residence of the country’s president and the place where the cult film of the youth of the 80s – “Emmanuel” was filmed.

A natural tropical forest with rich flora and fauna has been preserved on the island. Here you can see fragrant orchids and hibiscus, winding vanilla thickets, Indian almonds, and tokamak trees.

Being in the middle of the Indian Ocean, among wooden Creole architecture, ox-drawn carts, colorful smiling residents, and untouched nature, you will feel as if you have stepped back several centuries.

For the night, we will go to another extremely beautiful bay – Anse Cocos.

A huge secluded beach with fine pink sand is decorated with granite boulders of a bizarre shape and human figures are lost on it, as if in infinity.

Right here on the beach, we will meet at the end of this busy day with a picnic, having prepared a barbecue from the fish we caught from the catamaran. Seychelles is one of the best places in the world for ocean fishing, and even fishing with the simplest rod usually does not leave without a decent catch.

Experienced fishermen with high-quality gear can catch large tuna, caracas, barracuda, and grouper in a couple of hours in such quantity that the whole crew will be provided with fish carpaccio until the end of the trip. And if you approach the matter professionally and give it the proper time and attention, then it is quite possible to catch a royal trophy – a marlin, a swordfish, or a sailfish.

DAY 7. LA DIG. RETURN TO MAE

In the morning we enjoy the paradise island of La Digue. Nearby are the wonderful beaches of Grand Anse and Petit Anse. Here are excellent conditions for swimming with a mask or scuba diving – transparent sea, tropical fish, more than a hundred types of corals, and various sea shells.

The island is filled with birdsong, horses graze freely among palm groves and a special unity with nature is felt, and beaches with white and pink sand, graceful palm trees, and turquoise lagoons cause genuine admiration and make you feel like you are in the garden of paradise.

Giant land turtles, looking like scary but friendly aliens from the Jurassic period, are happy to eat treats from the hands of people.

Sometime in the afternoon, our catamaran will leave the anchor and go back to Mahe Island. Today we spend the night in the comfortable Eden Marina, where you can say goodbye in one of the wonderful restaurants with Creole cuisine.

DAY 8. FINAL

In the morning, we leave our catamaran and throw a beautiful local coin into the sea to say goodbye. This concludes the official program of our Seychelles tour.

However, if you have enough time left before the departure of the plane, or you decide to stay on the islands for a few more days, we will tell you how to spend this time in the most interesting way.

There are also many wonderful places to visit on the island of Mahé – the capital Victoria with authentic pirate taverns, a national park with the highest point of the archipelago – Mount Morne Blanch, which offers a beautiful view of the island, an old tea factory and a rum distillery and of course – a dozen extremely picturesque beaches, among which the royal beach – Anse Royale, as well as Beau Vallon, Beau Ternay and Port Lune beaches stand out. So, if you wish, you can rent a car (with or without a driver) and visit at least some of them.

*The captain may decide on changes in the route due to weather conditions, decisions of local authorities, and other adverse circumstances.