Seychelles
capital, Victoria, Mahe Island.
major cities: The main “tourist” islands – Mahe (Mahe), Praslin (Praslin) and La Digue (La Digue).
Beach holiday
Island reserves, pristine nature, small coves where there is not a single person, white sand, palm trees and multi-colored marble stones create a truly unearthly landscape. It is complemented by an equally fantastic underwater world inhabited by huge turtles and stingrays.
More than a hundred granite and coral Seychelles, of which only a third are inhabited, are considered one of the best places in the world for diving, fishing and yachting. A local tourist “exclusive” is the opportunity to participate in competitions for catching blue marlin (a kind of tuna with a nose in the form of a sword).
Why do tourists choose this country?
Tourists are attracted to the Seychelles by the exoticism and the absence of a religious barrier (the inhabitants of the islands are Christian). In addition, there are excellent beaches and luxurious nature, and the country itself is very “Europeanized”. Diving here is especially attractive, as the water and air temperatures are almost unchanged all year round.
Who is going?
Wealthy lovers of a calm, quiet holiday in one place, mostly married couples aged 30-40.
Features of the hotel base:
In the Seychelles, there are mainly bungalow hotels (or low-rise buildings) on the first line of the beach. Most of the hotels, I must say, are not of high class: the Seychelles rightly believe that people who come to their island are not looking for impeccable service and luxury hotels, but something more – heaven on earth. And since the islanders are mostly very lazy people, the service in the hotels, to put it mildly, is fuzzy, with the exception of hotels of the 5 * Luxe category. But, what is most interesting, this state of affairs does not bother anyone here: tourists do not sit in hotels, but walk all day and night, enjoy the sea and the sun, visit neighboring islands and nature reserves.
Features of service and maintenance:
Service in hotels is potentially at a completely European level, but the innate laziness of the natives, multiplied by the characteristic “southern” slowness, spoil it great.
Features of staying in the country:
The country has a friendly attitude towards foreign tourists, there are no problems in communication. The main languages are English and French.
Main reasons for complaints:
A long flight with transfers can be stressful if you don’t tune in to it correctly. Fans of historical sites and outdoor activities should not go to the Seychelles (of course, with the exception of diving fans – the latter are guaranteed to be delighted). Plus, of course, it is worth warning tourists in advance about all the characteristic features of service in hotels.
Flight: The most popular scheduled flights are Emirates Airlines with a stopover in Dubai and Qatar Airlines with a stopover in Doha. You can take an Air France flight with a stopover in Paris or choose Lufthansa, but this option has an inconvenient connection: you have to spend the night in Frankfurt. Pointe Larue International Airport is located on the island of Mahe, 9 km from Victoria. The duration of a non-stop flight from Moscow is about 9 hours.
Visa: Seychelles is a visa-free country for Russian citizens. A visa for a period of one month is issued directly at the airport if you have a passport valid for at least 6 months, a return air ticket, a voucher for hotel accommodation and medical insurance. If desired, the visa can be extended.
Customs: There are no restrictions on the import or export of foreign and local currencies. Duty-free import of 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco, a liter of spirits with a strength of over 22%, a liter of wine, 125 ml of perfume is allowed. Importation of other goods is limited to SCR 400 per adult and SCR 200 for persons under 18 years of age.
It is forbidden to import weapons (including pneumatic and for spearfishing), vegetables, fruits, plants, non-canned meat and meat products, as well as medicines and drugs. The export of shells, corals and tortoiseshell products is prohibited.
Required phones: Call from Russia: 8–10–248–phone number.
Russian Consulate: PO Box 632, Le Niol, Victoria, Mahe; phone: (248) 26-6590, fax: 26-6653.
Emergency phone number (police, ambulance, fire): 999
Transport: Buses on the islands of Mahe and Praslin (fare – from 3 to 5 SCR). Taxi (5 SCR/km, first km 15 SCR). On the island of La Digue you can travel by bicycle or bullock cart.
Vehicle rental: To rent a car, you need an international driver’s license, a credit card and at least 25 years of driving experience on earth.
We recommend tourists to rent jeep-type cars: they are most suitable for local roads.
Attention! The Seychelles has left-hand traffic and many mountain roads: travelers who do not have serious experience in such difficult driving will take a very big risk while driving a car! If a tourist wants to travel on his own, but driving skills are not enough, it is better to bargain with a taxi driver and organize an introductory trip around the island – it will not cost too much.
Safety: No special vaccinations required. The country is quite safe: here you can safely walk even at night. The people are friendly and hospitable, and the police work perfectly. However, it is still recommended to look after things on the beach, leaving the car open on the side of the road is also not worth it.
Electricity: The mains voltage is 240V, a British standard plug with three square plates is used. Requires an adapter.
Climate: Tropical, very mild, without significant temperature fluctuations throughout the year. It is never too cold or too hot here. Rather, for the sake of formality, it is still customary to distinguish between two seasons: “conditionally hot” (December – May) and “conditionally cool” (June – November), when the monsoons blow. During the “conditionally hot” season, the main amount of precipitation falls, mainly on the more mountainous islands of Mahe and Silhouette. January is considered the rainiest month. The rains are sometimes heavy, but short-lived.
Average air temperature by months, °C: January +26.8, February +27.4, March +27.8, April +28, May +27.8, June +26.7, July +25.9, August +26, September +26.5, October +26.8, November +26.9, December +26.9.
Average water temperature by months, °C: January +28, February +28, March +29, April +29, May +29, June +28, July +27, August +27, September +27, October +28, November +28, December +28.
As can be seen from the average temperatures, the “seasons” in the Seychelles is a completely abstract concept, so you can come here all year round. The best time for diving on most of the islands is from April to May and from September to October.
Beaches: All beaches are municipal, sandy, in the form of small coves. Each hotel has its own section of the beach, but it is not a fact that only tourists from this hotel will sunbathe on this beach. Umbrellas, sun loungers on the beach – free of charge.
Hotels: There is no official classification of hotels in the country. For tour operators, hotels have a subjective classification equated to the standard (three, four or five “stars”).
Money: Unlike most countries, it is more profitable to exchange travelers checks in the Seychelles than cash. Many shops and souvenir shops accept US dollars for payment.
Shopping: Shops are open from 8:00 to 17:00, on Saturdays – until 17:30. Some small shops, especially those owned by Indians, are open until late at night. As a gift, you can buy a coconut “coco de mer” or models of sailboats made by local craftsmen.
Food: Most restaurants only accept patrons and orders from them until 10:00 pm, after which the guests of the restaurant eat what they ordered, and at best they can only order more drinks. Most often, restaurants simply close at 22:00. Only bars are open until late at night.
Excursions: The ticket price is indicated per person for a group of 15 people: excursion around the island of Mahe ~ 65 USD; Marine National Park ~50 USD; night cruise to nearby islands 80–100 USD; “Bird Island” (overnight stay) ~250 USD; excursions to individual islands ~100–150 USD; combined sightseeing tour of several islands ~150 USD.
Marine national park
The park consists of six islands and is located a few kilometers from the capital Victoria. The tour starts with a trip on a glass bottom boat. The most interesting is the island of Moyenne, which belongs to a man who is still looking for treasures on it. In addition, you can see real pirate graves on the island. The evening cruise starts in Victoria Harbor and continues until sunset. At sunset, the boat will dock at the pier on Round Island, where Creole grilling, music and dancing await tourists.
Entertainment: Several casinos in Beau Vallon, a casino at the Lemuria Hotel on Praslin Island, discos in Victoria and Beau Vallon. There are no water parks and other similar entertainments on the islands.
DOCUMENTS FOR TRAVELING TO THE SEYCHELLES
Visa-free entry for a stay of no more than 30 days.
To enter you must have:
- z/passport (valid for 3 months from the date of return)
- return air ticket
- cash at the rate of $50/day
For kids:
- power of attorney for the child from the second parent.
There is no Seychelles embassy in Belarus.
Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Seychelles:
Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Seychelles, PO Box 632, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles
Phone: (8–10–248) 26–6590, 26–6122
Fax: (8–10–248) 26–6653
E– mail: rfembsey@seychelles.net
DESCRIPTION OF RESORTS AND A MAP OF THE COUNTRY – SEYCHELLES
La Digue Island
A beautiful little island (only 5 km long and 3 km wide), which can be reached by ferry departing daily from Praslin Island (journey time 30 min) or from Mahe Island (3 hours), as well as by helicopter. Here, at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level, Mount Nie d’Aigle (“Eagle’s Nest”) rises, which occupies a large area of the island. The main attraction of La Digue is the Bay of Source d’Argent (“Silver Spring”) with a bewitching panorama of huge granite masses, pink in the morning and red at sunset. The beach of the island is located on the territory of a natural park, the entrance fee is ~20 SCR.
Mahe Island is the largest and most visited island, there is an international airport, and therefore a long transfer is not needed.
Beaches: There are 68 magnificent beaches on the island. Beau Vallon (northwest of the island) is the largest, most famous and most visited of them. The entire local “hangout” is concentrated here, an active nightlife is in full swing and the main tourist infrastructure is developed. Grand Anse Beach (northwest Mahe) is an ideal place for surfers with good waves, where you should be careful between May and September (due to the monsoons, the water is very turbulent). The beaches of Anse Forbans and Anse Royale (south-east of the island) are well protected by a coral reef, swimming in calm waters and snorkeling will be a great pleasure. The most beautiful beach on the island of Mahe is Anse Intendance (in the southwest) – a five-hundred-meter arc, bordered by coconut palms.
Excursions: Botanical garden of Mont-Fleury, which contains more than 200 exotic and native plants. Visit to Victoria, the city market, a tea plantation and an artisan village to buy souvenirs.
Praslin Island, the second largest island in the archipelago, is the only place in the world where the coco de mer sea coconut grows, shaped like a human heart. “Coco de mer” – the eternal symbol of the Seychelles – grows in the forests of the Vale de Mai (“Valley of May”), where one of the rarest birds in the world lives, the black parrot. The island is so small that it takes less than an hour to cross it. The most famous tourist areas are Cote d’Or beach (“Gold Coast”) and Lazio Bay. Praslin Island can be reached from Mahe Island by plane (flight duration – 45 minutes, round trip ticket cost ~200 USD) or by boat (journey time 2.5 hours, ~90 USD round trip).
