3 Breathtaking Days in Mahé Island, Seychelles

Abhi never fails to surprise me. Now, he surprised me with a holiday to Mahé island in Seychelles. I remember I told him a few months back that I wanna go to Seychelles. I didn't know that it will be so soon. 😊

But hey, we didn't go alone. We planned this trip with his office friends along with their family (we all have become good friends now). So basically, we were excited to explore Seychelles together.

Mahé is the main island in Seychelles & also the most developed. We booked our stay for 3 days in this beautiful tropical paradise.

There is no better way to venture around the island of Mahé than by car. And cars in Seychelles are usually small and that's what we recommend too. You need fantastic driving skills, brilliant confidence, and a lot of courage to drive in Seychelles as the mountain roads are narrow and steep. And driving in Seychelles is on the left side of the road. The roads on Mahé are low-traffic, mountainous, narrow roads, so caution is generally advised. The roads usually have steep drops or low walls on the side instead of curbs, which can make driving on the narrow roads stressful, especially if driving a large vehicle.

Map thanks to Wanderlog, a vacation planner app on iOS and Android

Beau Vallon Resort

Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort and Casino in Seychelles
Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino, Seychelles
On 21st April 2017, our 1st day started with rent a car for 3 days at Seychelles Airport to drive around the Mahé island. And we already booked a resort named Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino in Beau Vallon (the most popular beach on Mahé). Situated on the northern coast of the island, it is very popular among tourists. It's one of the most beautiful white-sand beaches I have ever seen in my life.

It took around 15-20 minutes to reach our resort where upon arrival we got to know that we can't check in at that moment as the check-in time was 2 pm and we reached around 10 am. But they provided us a complimentary buffet and kept our baggage safe in a room. There were a lot of veg options on their buffet and we really enjoyed the food as we were already hungry.

We then went to explore the resort and found a wonderful outdoor pool where we planned to spend our time. It was fun swimming and sunbathing there. The resort also features some good restaurants, bars, a tennis court, casino & many other facilities.

After spending quality time at the pool, we finally got our room keys. We quickly checked in and went to have lunch in one of the restaurants named Pizzeria in our resort. The Italian cuisine at Pizzeria was really good.

Beau Vallon Beach

Beau Vallon Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
Beau Vallon Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
As our resort was located at the lovely Beau Vallon beach on Mahé Island, we simply walked down the beach and it was so damn beautiful. It was a magnificent white sand beach with the crystal clear turquoise water.

On a clear day, you can see at least four shades of blue in the water, and when you walk closer to the soft white sand, you can see the base of the sea.

Sunset at Beau Vallon Beach
Sunset at Beau Vallon Beach in Seychelles
Sunset at Beau Vallon Beach
After spending a few hours on the beach, we enjoyed the amazing sunset. The best beach moment for me on that day was watching the gorgeous sunset.

Eden Island

Then we went for a drive to Eden Island, a few kilometers from the main town of Victoria where we explored the Island and the Eden Plaza. We bought some fruits, juices, and other snacks from the Supermarket in Eden Plaza. We had fun roaming there. Then we drove back to our resort at night.

We started our 2nd day with a mesmerizing view of the sunrise on the beach. We walked along the beach, enjoying the cool breeze & the sound of the waves on the sand. It was so peaceful and relaxing.


Anse Major Beach

After having breakfast in the resort's buffet restaurant, we got ready for our next day trip to explore the Island. We booked a private boat for the day to Anse Major beach. Anse Major is a very renowned beach on the North West side of Mahé.

We still had 2-3 hours to start our boat trip. So meanwhile, we drove to nearby places and stopped by a beautiful view along the trail that was breath-taking with glistening crystal blue waters, lush tropical green mountains, and sloping granite boulders worn with time. We took a few snaps there standing on the rocks.

Anse Major Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
Anse Major Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
Anse Major Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
Anse Major beach is a large sandy beach with two sides separated by large granite rocks. Behind the beach is a small lagoon. The beach itself was fantastic. And it was only our group on that deserted paradise island beach.

Sea Life at Mahe Island, Seychelles
Sea Life
We snorkeled in the clear turquoise waters over and around granite rocks. The abundance of sea life was fascinating through the lens of a snorkel mask.

So, it was a picnic on the beach where kids were playing with sand, others were swimming & snorkeling, and rest were enjoying the peace of the beach. And me?? Hey, I am the 'others' - snorkeling and learning to swim. 😜

Our picnic ended in the evening. We got into our boat and again enjoyed our ride back to the resort.
We didn't have much to do after that because we all were tired throughout the day. We had dinner with some gossips, and then we went to sleep.

Now it was our last day in Seychelles and we were already missing it. Our 3rd day also started with a beautiful sunrise on the beach.

Anse Carana Beach

Anse Carana Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
Anse Carana Beach
Then we went to drive on the roads of the Island where we stopped by another beach, Anse Carana. The beach was calm and beautiful with the rocks along the coastline. After enjoying the early morning weather on Anse Carana beach, we went back to the resort.

Then we planned to cover the whole Mahé island route by Car.

Morne Seychellois National Park

We opened our map and started off from Beau Vallon. The west coast of Mahé island gets narrow here. This side of the island is quieter and wilder, with beaches backed with green jungle-covered hills. There was a tortoise farm on our way where we saw giant Seychelles tortoises. Really giant tortoises.

Morne Seychellois National Park in Seychelles
Morne Seychellois National Park
The island is divided into east and west by the Morne Seychellois National Park, a mountain range with peaks as high as 905 m clad in a thick tropical forest. The majority of people live on the east coast, particularly between the airport and Victoria city.

From Beau Vallon, we started heading to the west coast road, where it is possible to hike to the gorgeous Anse Major. Well, driving in Morne Seychellois National Park was an amazing experience with the splendid views of the island. It is a great place to hike for those who can't just sit on the beach. The splendid Morne Seychellois National Park encompasses an impressive 20% of the land area of Mahé and contains a wide variety of habitats, from coastal mangrove forests up to the country's highest peak, the Morne Seychellois (905m).

West Coast to East Coast of Mahé Island

We drove through dense forest and every now & then, there was a nice view over a valley or the sea. We drove down the mountain to Port Glaud and the Anse Boileau (bay) via a narrow road that rises high above the water. The beach was picture perfect there, with white sand and crystal clear blue water.

Beach at Mahe Island, Seychelles
A Beautiful Beach at Mahe Island
The road passed a number of small but beautiful beaches with great views that made us stopping by for a walk on those beaches and taking some quick photos. From Anse Louis in the southwest around to Anse Royal in the southeast is an area of outstanding natural beauty, with great coastal roads, hidden coves, and delightful beaches to discover.

The east coast of Mahé is the most built-up part of the island. After passing through the Airport there came Eden island, which is located just off Mahé and is home to a finite number of luxurious villas, sophisticated Maisons, and stylish apartments.

Victoria City

Victoria City in Seychelles
Victoria City
After crossing the Eden island, we reached Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles. We wanted to take a walk around some of Victoria's sights but the market was closed on Sunday. Attractions in the Victoria city include a Clock Tower, a replica of Vauxhall Clock Tower in London, England, the Courthouse. There's also a cathedral, Natural History Museum, colorful Hindu temple, and Botanical Gardens with spice grove and mini rain-forest.

From Victoria a road rises over the hills to the west, taking travelers to the beach resort of Beau Vallon, a huge sweeping bay with calm shallow waters.

We were now back to Beau Vallon, from where we started. With around 20 beaches, plus viewpoints, and shopping marts along the way, we enjoyed our road trip.

At night, we all sat together for dinner at the Indian restaurant in our resort and had fun. Our flight from Seychelles to Dubai was at 8 am. So, we packed our bags before sleeping and slept for only 2-3 hours. Early morning, at around 4 am, we checked out and drove back to the Airport where we returned the Car too.

Since we didn't buy souvenirs yet, we explored the shops in the Mahé Airport where we bought souvenirs not only to remind us of the place visited but to remind us of the people we connected with and the precious moments we collected in Seychelles.

Have you ever been to Seychelles? Share your experience in the comments below!

2 comments:

  1. Hey Shivani,
    I really enjoy your posts! They’re always insightful and full of valuable content. I started traveling last summer, and I’m not sure how it took this long… but I recently found your blog, and I’m loving the content.
    Thanks again for sharing with us!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading! I hope it will help you in your future trips. Good luck for your next trip!

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