Welcome to our Travel Guide to Praslin Island Seychelles.
Praslin Island (pronounced with a silent ‘S’) is the second-largest island in the Seychelles archipelago which consists of 115 islands. Known for its stunning beaches, lush forests, and vibrant coral reefs, Praslin offers a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. Our travel guide to Praslin Island will help organize your trip and make the most of your time in this tropical paradise.
For more information about the Seychelles, how to get to the Seychelles? When to visit? And much more, check out our Seychelles Travel Guide. And, if you are planning to visit more islands in the Seychelles, check out our Island Hopping Seychelles Itinerary.
Note that all photography on this guide (and throughout our website) was shot by me (Alina) and if you wish to purchase any, it is available at my Etsy shop.
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Where is Praslin Island Located? Map of Praslin Island Seychelles
Praslin is located almost 40 km northeast of Mahe and the best way to get there, in our opinion, is by an hour and 15 minutes long ferry ride from Mahe. Alternatively, you can get there by a short flight as Praslin has an airport, Praslin Island Airport (PRI), with regular flights from Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) on Mahe Island. For full information on how to travel between the islands and much more, check out our Seychelles Travel Guide.
How to get around Praslin Island?
The easiest way to get around Praslin Island is by car. We booked our car rental in Praslin with Bliss Car Hire and it was perfect! The service was great and we got a brand new car which was an upgrade. They greeted us on time, and everything went smoothly. As usual, we always add a 0€ excess waiver for peace of mind and recommend the same. Check out our guide to the Seychelles before deciding on renting a car in the Seychelles as it has some drawbacks to it.
If you decide not to rent a car, you can visit the island with a private driver:
Where to stay on Praslin Island?
We chose Le Duc de Praslin Hotel and we had an amazing stay! It is a 5-star hotel, located on our favorite beach in Praslin, the beautiful Cote d’Or Beach. We took a New Ocean Room on the new complex with its own pool, located right next to the beach. The room was big and elegantly decorated and had a big balcony. Breakfast and dinner were included in our stay, it was a buffet style with lots of variety. The beach bar added a nice bonus, it was a lovely place to enjoy during the day and night with some tapas and cocktails.
What to do in Praslin?
Relax on a beautiful beach in Praslin Seychelles
Praslin Island offers amazing beaches, we will review our favorite beaches in Praslin Seychelles:
Cote d’Or Beach
Cote d’Or Beach, also named Anse Volbert, is an amazing beach and one of our favorites in Praslin! It is the most popular beach in Praslin, but it is a quite long strand so never felt crowded. There are some picturesque leaning palm trees and what we loved the most was the calm and relatively shallow waters.
Anse Gouvernement Beach
Anse Gouvernement Beach is a lovely beach, located south of Cote d’Or Beach. We totally loved this beach and we rated it #4 on our Top 10 Seychelles Beaches! It has many beautiful red boulders along the beach that are so iconic of the Seychelles. There is even a group of boulders that are in the water, and you can get to them simply by walking the shallow waters. From there you get the most unbelievable views of the whole bay of Anse Volbert and Curieuse Island. We saw several stingrays so be careful.
Anse Lazio Beach
Anse Lazio Beach is a very popular beach! And it is obvious why, the water is the most beautiful shade of turquoise with soft white sand and lots of the Seychellois granite boulders on both sides of the beach. The beach is not big, just about 400 meters, so you might feel a bit crowded. Also, the sea here can get pretty wavy. It is nice for snorkeling as we saw lots of fish. There is a paid parking near the beach.
Anse Georgette Beach
Anse Georgette Beach is a tiny secluded beach on Praslin Island, but it is absolutely breathtaking! Mind that it is not easy to get there as it is located on the premises of Constance Lemuria Resort. You can get to the beach because of the law that every beach in the Seychelles is public. However, you will need to request access to the beach from Constance Lemuria Resort about 3 weeks prior to your arrival.
While the request process was easy (just write to them on their website), the hard part was the hilly walk to the beach that took about 25 minutes each way. If you’re looking for relaxation and fun, the walk might not be your cup of tea. But once you get to the beach, it’s all worth it. The scenery is just stunning! Alternatively, if you are guests of the Constance Lemuria Resort, the situation couldn’t be simpler, you get a complimentary hourly buggy service to drop you off on the beach. In the windy months the waves can rise high, so be careful.
Anse Takamaka Beach and Smoon Island
Anse Takamaka Beach on Praslin Island makes such a picturesque scenery, the beach is gorgeous and quiet, and Smoon Island just adds more uniqueness to the beach. You can reach the island when the tide is low. You get nice views of Curieuse Island as well.
Get to know the Coco de Mer
No visit to the Seychelles goes without getting to know the famous Coco de Mer, as it is THE symbol of the Seychelles. It is a unique palm tree with the most renowned feature – its enormous seeds. They are the largest and the heaviest seeds in the world with a resemblance to a woman’s behind 😊 This huge nut is the pride and joy of the Seychelles, and it is practically everywhere, even on their passport stamp!
There are 2 places in Praslin where you can see these endemic big palm trees: Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve and Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve. When we searched for information, debating between the 2 places, we found out the following differences. Vallée de Mai is much more popular and crowded as it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also, it is more expensive, and you will do a self-guided tour (although you can pay for a guide at the entrance). On the other hand, Fond Ferdinand has fewer crows, it is cheaper and you get a guided tour included in your admission ticket. Also, as a bonus you get to a scenic viewpoint at the end of the tour – Zimbabwe Point. These points made us choose Fond Ferdinand when we visited in 2022.
However, since 2023, there have been a few changes. They have raised the prices, now Vallée de Mai costs 450 SCR (410 SCR online, around 30$), and Fond Ferdinand costs 300 SCR (270 SCR online, around 20$). Also, they’ve added an option to buy a combined ticket for both Nature Reserves online for 600 SCR (about 45$) through their official website.
We loved our guided tour with Julia in Fond Ferdinand, we learned all sorts of interesting facts about the Flora and Fauna in the Seychelles. The tour took about 2:30 hours and mind that it is a strenuous hike uphill until you reach the beautiful Zimbabwe Point.
Hike the Glacis Noir Trail
Glacis Noir Trail starts from the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve and goes towards Mont Azore Pillbox where you will be welcomed with a nice vista of the Island. This is a moderate difficulty out-and-back trail of 3 km, that will take you about an hour and a half. There is an entrance fee of 100 SCR.
Boat Trip to Curieuse Island & St. Pierre Island
Taking a boat tour to explore the islands around Praslin is a MUST to include in your Praslin Island itinerary! We thought a lot about the different boat trip options as there are so many of them, with different amounts of participants.
Most boat trips from Praslin include visits to Curieuse and St. Pierre Island, while separate trips are usually offered for Felicite and Coco Island. However, we opted for a full-day private boat trip that combined all these islands below through Lala Boat Charter and had a total blast! Captain Georges was the best host, he was kind and professional and gave us a lot of information about the Seychelles, its history, nature, marine life, and much more. Hotel pickup was very convenient, especially if you don’t rent a car.
It comes with a price, and it wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it for us! Contact them for a quote, as the cost varies depending on the islands you want to visit. For a more budget-friendly option, you can look into shared boat tours to Curieuse and St. Pierre Island, with or without lunch:
If you yet prefer a private boat trip, consider the following shorter half-day boat trip to Curieuse and St. Pierre Island:
Now that we’ve covered all the options, let’s review what we did on each island.
Giant Tortoise Encounter on Curieuse Island
Curieuse Island is closely located to Praslin Island and it is worth a visit. We made 2 stops on Curieuse Island. The first stop was on Anse Papaie in Laraie Bay, which has some nice rock formations. And more importantly, it is home to a Tortoise Sanctuary where you can see the Aldabra Giant Tortoises and it is the best place to meet those gentle giants in the Seychelles. These gentle giants are the symbol of the Seychelles. Their name came from the Aldabra Atoll which they originate from. It is the second-largest coral atoll in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We had another stop on Curieuse Island, Anse St. Jose Beach. This was one of our favorite beaches in the Seychelles and we had it all to ourselves! The water was so calm and crystal clear with the beautiful turquoise color and the views of Praslin.
Snorkeling at St. Pierre Island
St. Pierre Island is a picturesque tiny island located close to Praslin Island and it is usually included on most of the day boat trips from Praslin. On St. Pierre Island we had the best snorkeling experience with so many kinds of fish and we got to meet the critically endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle. We swam together closely between the beautiful boulders for several minutes, an amazing experience we will never forget! The granite rock boulders are so unique in St. Pierre Island and they go deep into the water, so it is photogenic even underwater.
Boat Trip to Felicite Island & Coco Island
Another day trip from Praslin is to the scenic Felicite and Coco Islands. As mentioned earlier, we arranged a private full-day trip with Lala Boat Charter to visit all of these islands together. However, they can also be visited on a separate boat trip, along with the nearby Sister Islands:
Snorkeling at Felicite Island
Felicite Island is a bit farther from Praslin, as it is closer to La Digue Island. The boat ride from Praslin took about half an hour and we arrived at the beautiful Felicity Island, which is home to the luxury resort Six Senses Zil Pasyon. We had an amazing time there and saw lots of colorful fish. The island is so unique with the most gorgeous rock formations. Don’t miss this review of the Six Senses Hotel.
Snorkeling at Coco Island
Coco Island is actually a group of small islets. The crystal clear waters give you the opportunity for good visibility of the colorful fish and the coral reefs. Keep an eye out for Sea Turtles here, as there are frequent sightings of them swimming around the shores of Coco Island. When the tide is low you can sit on the picturesque beach of Coco Island.
Boat Trip to La Digue Island
If La Digue Island isn’t included in your Seychelles Itinerary for some reason, consider visiting it on a day trip from Praslin. La Digue Island is incredibly beautiful, and its beaches are truly stunning. One of them is famous for being the most photographed beach in the world – Anse Source d’Argent. What makes La Digue even more special is that bicycles are the main means of transportation there. It adds a unique charm to the island, as both locals and tourists use bicycles to get around. We enjoyed the unique tranquil vibe of La Digue.
You can visit La Digue, by taking a ferry, or by taking an organized boat trip from Praslin:
Well, that’s it. This was our Travel Guide to Praslin Island Seychelles.
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