The Seychelles island hopping itinerary I’d give most first-time visitors is nine nights: two on Mahé, four on Praslin, two on La Digue and a final night back on Mahé. That order puts the long-haul arrival on the island with the airport, gives Praslin enough mornings for the Vallée de Mai, Anse Lazio and a Curieuse boat day, and lets you sleep on La Digue so you see Anse Source d’Argent before the day boats arrive. The last Mahé night is insurance: no ferry stands between you and the flight home.
This guide is the day-by-day version. If you haven’t yet decided which islands deserve your time, start with my Mahé vs Praslin vs La Digue comparison, which covers the character of each island and the ferry and flight options in depth. Here the focus is sequencing: which day suits each sight, how the boats fit around check-in times, and what to pack so the transfers stay easy.
Quick answer: the 9-night route
| Day | Where you sleep | Main plan | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahé | Arrive, swim, early dinner | Road transfer from the airport |
| 2 | Mahé | South-coast drive or a Victoria market morning | None |
| 3 | Praslin | Afternoon on the resort beach | Morning Cat Cocos or a 15-minute flight |
| 4 | Praslin | Vallée de Mai at opening, Anse Lazio after lunch | None |
| 5 | Praslin | Curieuse and St Pierre by boat | Tour boat from Anse Volbert |
| 6 | Praslin | Free day, spa or Anse Georgette | None |
| 7 | La Digue | Bicycles, Anse Source d’Argent late afternoon | 15-minute ferry from Baie Sainte Anne |
| 8 | La Digue | Anse Source d’Argent early, east coast by bike | None |
| 9 | Mahé | Last beach afternoon near the airport | Cat Cocos to Victoria |
| 10 | Home | International flight | Road transfer |
The pattern to notice is that nothing important is scheduled on a travel day. Days 3, 7 and 9 each lose their mornings to checkout, a quay and check-in, so they get a beach and nothing else. The big sights sit on the full days in between.
How the ferries shape the plan
Cat Cocos is the fast catamaran that links Victoria’s Inter-Island Quay with Baie Sainte Anne on Praslin, and some sailings continue to La Passe on La Digue. Recent timetables have shown Mahé departures at around 7.30am or 8am, 10.30am and 4.30pm, with the crossing taking roughly 1 hour 15 minutes; a direct Mahé to La Digue run takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. Timetables shift with the season and Cat Cocos publishes its schedule on its own site and Facebook page, so confirm your exact date before you fix hotel nights. Boarding opens about 30 minutes before departure, and bags are weighed and stowed in a luggage area, so reach the quay 45 minutes early.
Between Praslin and La Digue, the Inter Island Ferry makes the 15-minute hop from the same Baie Sainte Anne jetty, with the first boats from around 7am and the last ones in the late afternoon. It is the easiest connection of the trip, and it is the reason I put La Digue after Praslin: you can check out at 11am, take a lunchtime boat and still have the afternoon on a bicycle.
For the first hop, the Air Seychelles Twin Otter is the alternative. The flight takes about 15 to 20 minutes from the domestic terminal beside the international one, which makes it the better choice if your long-haul flight lands mid-morning and you’d like to skip Mahé entirely. In this route I keep two Mahé nights first, so the morning ferry on day 3 is relaxed. Fares and the main seasonal pitfalls are in the Seychelles cost guide.
Prices are indicative and were last updated in October 2026. Rates change with season, exchange rates and availability, so check live prices before booking.
Packing light for ferries and small planes
Three hotel changes in nine nights reward a small bag. Large hard cases are awkward on the Cat Cocos gangway and get stacked with everyone else’s in the luggage area, and on La Digue your case will travel from the jetty on an electric buggy or a hotel pick-up. Economy tickets on the ferry have been quoted with an allowance of around 25kg per bag, while point-to-point Air Seychelles domestic tickets allow 23kg checked plus a small cabin bag. Check both before you travel, because excess-weight fees are charged at the counter.
- One soft bag each: a 60–70 litre duffel is easier to lift onto a boat than a 30-inch suitcase.
- A day pack you keep with you: passports, medication, swimwear and a dry layer, since the crossing from May to September can send spray across the deck.
- Leave the extras on Mahé: if you return to the same Mahé hotel for the last night, ask whether it will store a case for you while you travel.
- Seasickness tablets: take them before boarding, not once the boat leaves the harbour, and sit low and central on the lower deck.
Days 1 and 2: land softly on Mahé
Many long-haul flights reach Mahé in the morning, after a night in the air. Day 1 should therefore be a road transfer, an early check-in request and a swim. On day 2, choose one outing: the drive along the south coast past Anse Takamaka and Anse Intendance with a long lunch, or a morning at the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market in Victoria followed by a beach afternoon. Keep the evening quiet, since the ferry on day 3 leaves early.
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles: best for a restful first two nights
On this route the Four Seasons does one job well: it absorbs jet lag. The villas step down a hillside above Petite Anse on the south-west coast, most with a plunge pool and a deck in the trees, so the first afternoon can be a nap, a swim in your own pool and a walk to one of the calmer bays on this coast. The resort runs Creole cookery and guided outings if you’d like a gentle second day without hiring a car. Two nights is the right length here: enough to recover, short enough that you leave wanting more of the beach.
- Best for: couples and families who want a calm, full-service landing before the ferries start.
- Location: Petite Anse, south-west Mahé, around 30–40 minutes by road from the airport and about 45 minutes from the Victoria quay.
- Rates: from around US$1,750 a night for a garden-view villa in low season and around US$2,200 in high season, with breakfast, before service and taxes.
- Don’t miss: an early swim at Petite Anse on day 2, before the heat builds.
Good to know: book the resort’s car to the quay for the 7.30am or 8am Cat Cocos sailing and leave at least an hour for the drive, since the road into Victoria slows in the morning.
Days 3 to 6: Praslin, with a job for each day
Day 3, arrive. Take the morning ferry, transfer to your hotel and spend the afternoon on its beach. If rooms aren’t ready, most resorts will hold bags and let you have lunch by the sea.
Day 4, Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio. The UNESCO-listed palm forest opens at about 8.30am, and the first hour is cooler and quieter, with the best chance of hearing the black parrot. Entry has been SCR 450 per person, with a small discount for tickets bought online, and free guided walks run at 9am and 2pm. Allow two hours on the trails, then drive to the north-west tip for lunch and an afternoon at Anse Lazio, which suits the second half of the day better than the first.
Day 5, Curieuse. Book a boat day to Curieuse and St Pierre. Most tours leave Anse Volbert around 9am, cross in about 15 minutes and land at Baie Laraie, where the Aldabra giant tortoises wander under the trees. A boardwalk crosses the mangroves to Anse José in roughly 35 minutes, and the day usually ends with a barbecue lunch and snorkelling off the granite stacks of St Pierre. The Curieuse park fee, around SCR 200 a head, is often paid on the island. Keep this day flexible: if the sea is rough, swap it with day 6.
Day 6, nothing booked. Use it for the spa, a round of golf or the walk to Anse Georgette. Without this buffer, a single cancelled boat would push Curieuse off the trip.
Constance Lémuria: best for walking to Anse Georgette
Lémuria sits at Anse Kerlan on Praslin’s north-west corner, about ten minutes from the airstrip, and that position suits this plan. Anse Georgette is reached through the resort’s 18-hole course, the only full golf course in the country, so day 6 can be a walk to one of the island’s best beaches with no car at all. Anse Lazio is a short drive further north. Junior suites face the sea and are enough for an exploring base; the pool villas with butler service make more sense if you plan to spend the free day at the hotel.
- Best for: couples, families and golfers who want three beaches, three restaurants and a spa without leaving the grounds.
- Location: Anse Kerlan, north-west Praslin, around 10 minutes from Praslin airport and about 30 minutes from Baie Sainte Anne jetty.
- Rates: from around US$900 a night for a junior suite with breakfast in low season and around US$1,100 in high season, before taxes.
- Don’t miss: Anse Georgette in the late afternoon, when the light turns the granite gold.
Good to know: the path to Anse Georgette crosses the golf course and gets hot by midday, so ask reception about a buggy if you’d prefer not to walk.
Raffles Seychelles: best for a pool villa close to the Curieuse boats
Raffles occupies a hillside above Anse Takamaka on the north-east coast, looking out to Curieuse, and every one of its roughly 86 villas has a private plunge pool and an outdoor pavilion. For this route the draw is geography: Anse Volbert, where most Curieuse tours depart, is a few minutes along the coast, and Baie Sainte Anne is closer than it is from the west side. The spa has 13 treatment pavilions, which makes the free day on day 6 an easy one to fill.
- Best for: couples who want a private pool every night of the Praslin leg.
- Location: Anse Takamaka, north-east Praslin, around 20 minutes from Praslin airport.
- Rates: from around US$850 a night with breakfast, before taxes; high-season rates vary widely, so check live prices.
- Don’t miss: breakfast on your deck with Curieuse in view on the morning of the boat trip.
Good to know: the resort is steep, so ask for a villa near the beach or rely on the buggies if anyone in your party finds hills hard.
Days 7 and 8: La Digue by bicycle
Day 7, arrive and ride. Take a late-morning ferry from Baie Sainte Anne, drop your bag and hire bicycles; most hotels can arrange them. In the late afternoon, ride south to L’Union Estate, pay the entry fee (around SCR 150 a person) and walk to Anse Source d’Argent once the day boats have left. Low tide is better for photographs among the boulders, high tide for swimming, because the shallow lagoon almost empties when the water drops. Check the tide table on arrival and fit the visit around it.
Day 8, early start. Go back to Anse Source d’Argent when the estate opens in the morning, while it is quiet, then cycle across to Grand Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Cocos on the east coast. These beaches are beautiful but face the open ocean, and currents can be strong, especially from May to September, so swim only where it is clearly calm. Spend the afternoon back at the hotel pool and eat in La Passe in the evening.
Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie: best La Digue base for an early start
L’Orangeraie is the largest upmarket hotel on La Digue, with around 63 villas spread from the garden up into the hillside forest at Anse Sévère. It is a short ride from the jetty and from the road south to L’Union Estate, which makes the dawn plan for day 8 practical. There are two restaurants, a bar, an infinity pool and a spa, so the hot middle of the day has somewhere comfortable to go. The hillside villas are larger and quieter than the garden ones and some have their own spa bath, and they are worth the extra if you’re celebrating.
- Best for: anyone who wants comfort and a pool on an island of guesthouses and bicycles.
- Location: Anse Sévère, north-west La Digue, a few minutes from La Passe jetty.
- Rates: from around US$450 a night with breakfast in low season and around US$650 in high season, before taxes.
- Don’t miss: a sunset drink by the infinity pool after the ride back from Anse Source d’Argent.
Good to know: the hillside villas involve a climb, so ask for a garden villa if you’d prefer to roll your bicycle to the door.
Day 9: back to Mahé, one night from the airport
Take a morning Cat Cocos sailing from La Digue to Victoria, either direct or via Praslin, and spend the last afternoon on a Mahé beach. If the sea is rough or a sailing is cancelled, you have a whole day of slack before the international flight. The final hotel should be easy to reach from the airport, since many flights home leave in the evening or the early hours.
Mango House Seychelles: best for the last night on Mahé
Mango House is a 41-room hotel in Hilton’s LXR collection, set around a small bay on the south-west coast near Baie Lazare. For a single closing night it suits the route: every room faces the sea, the restaurants include Italian, Japanese and Creole menus, and the scale feels personal after a week of bigger resorts. Ocean houses with a plunge pool give the trip a gentle finale. The drive to the airport takes around 35 minutes, which is comfortable for an evening departure.
- Best for: couples who want good food and a smaller hotel for the final night.
- Location: Anse aux Poules Bleues, south-west Mahé, about 35 minutes from the airport.
- Rates: from around US$550 a night with breakfast, before taxes; high-season rates vary widely, so check live prices.
- Don’t miss: a last dinner at the Creole restaurant before the drive to the airport.
Good to know: if your flight leaves after midnight, ask for a late checkout or a day-use room when you book, so you can shower before the drive.
The 7-night version
With seven nights, cut one Mahé night at each end and one on Praslin. The route becomes two nights on Mahé, three on Praslin and two on La Digue, then a morning ferry from La Digue to Victoria on the departure day.
- Days 1–2, Mahé: arrival and one easy outing.
- Days 3–5, Praslin: arrive on day 3, Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio on day 4, Curieuse on day 5.
- Days 6–7, La Digue: ferry on day 6, Anse Source d’Argent that evening and early on day 7.
- Day 8: morning Cat Cocos to Mahé and an evening flight home.
This works only if your flight home leaves in the evening. Leave at least five hours between the scheduled ferry arrival and the flight, and choose a flexible ticket on the boat. If your flight departs before mid-afternoon, drop La Digue to a day trip from Praslin, which takes the ferry risk off the departure day.
The 12-night version
Twelve nights let you slow every stop and add the sights that don’t fit a shorter plan. I’d spread them as three nights on Mahé, five on Praslin, three on La Digue and one on Mahé.
- Mahé (3 nights): add a guided hike in the Morne Seychellois National Park, such as the trail to Anse Major or up Morne Blanc, and a snorkelling morning in the Baie Ternay or Port Launay marine parks.
- Praslin (5 nights): add a weekday morning on Cousin Island, a bird reserve run by Nature Seychelles, and a second, unhurried Anse Lazio day.
- La Digue (3 nights): add a boat day to Coco Island and the Sisters for snorkelling, plus the short climb to Nid d’Aigle, La Digue’s highest point.
- Mahé (1 night): the same safe buffer before the flight.
If you’d prefer to swap the La Digue nights for something more secluded, a private island can replace them; my guide to private island resorts in Seychelles compares the options and their transfers. Couples planning this as a celebration will find more romantic ideas in the Seychelles honeymoon guide.
When this route works best
The plan runs all year, but the boat days are smoothest in April, May, October and November, when the trade winds change over and the sea settles. From May to September the south-east trades make the Cat Cocos crossing livelier and can cancel small-boat trips, so the spare day on Praslin earns its place. December to March is warmer and wetter, with short heavy showers that rarely last all day. My month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Seychelles explains which beaches suit each season.
Compare the hotels on this route
| Stop | Hotel | Why it fits the route | From around | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahé, nights 1–2 | Four Seasons Resort Seychelles | Quiet hillside villas for jet lag | US$1,750 | Check rates |
| Praslin, nights 3–6 | Constance Lémuria | Walk to Anse Georgette, near Anse Lazio | US$900 | Check rates |
| Praslin, nights 3–6 | Raffles Seychelles | Pool villas near the Curieuse boats | US$850 | Check rates |
| La Digue, nights 7–8 | Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie | Close to the jetty and L’Union Estate | US$450 | Check rates |
| Mahé, night 9 | Mango House Seychelles | Small, sea-facing, 35 minutes to the airport | US$550 | Check rates |
My verdict: nine nights is the length at which three islands stop being a series of transfers and start to feel like one trip. Keep the travel days light, give Praslin four nights so Curieuse has a spare day, and sleep on La Digue for the early hours at Anse Source d’Argent. For a wider choice of places to stay at each stop, see my guide to the best luxury resorts in Seychelles.
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