Seychelles in 3 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Three days in Seychelles: Mahe plus a real night on Praslin
Three days still means picking two of the three main islands, not all of them; La Digue’s extra CAT ROSE ferry leg is the thing to cut, not Mahe or Praslin. Unlike the rushed 2-day version , which day-trips Praslin and comes straight back, this plan sails over once, spends the night, and comes back unhurried the next afternoon. That single overnight is worth roughly EUR40-70 more in guesthouse cost and saves you a second ferry crossing, since you only pay the CAT COCOS fare one way instead of round trip in a single day. Total budget across the three days lands around EUR230-310 per person, ferries and entry fees included.
Book these before you go:
- Praslin guesthouse or self-catering villa : book the overnight stay ahead in July-August or around Christmas and New Year, when both rooms and ferry sailings tighten up.
- Vallee de Mai guided walking tour : a guide is optional here, but useful for spotting the endemic Seychelles black parrot in the canopy, which is easy to miss on your own.
- Curieuse Island tortoise and snorkel day trip : a genuine add-on if your Praslin night stretches into a fuller second day; the island’s giant tortoises were introduced in the late 1970s and now roam freely.
| Day | Island | Travel time | Rough cost (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Mahe | none (arrival day) | ~EUR55-80 |
| Day 2 | Praslin | ~1h15 by CAT COCOS ferry, one way | ~EUR140-175 |
| Day 3 | Praslin, then return to Mahe | ~1h15 by CAT COCOS ferry, one way | ~EUR110-140 |
Day 1: Mahe arrival
Land at Seychelles International Airport (SEZ), the only international gateway in the country, with your paid Travel Authorisation already approved; the official fee is EUR10 (about EUR10 to 12 at checkout with card charges) has to be sorted online before you fly, not on arrival. A fixed taxi into Victoria or Beau Vallon runs about SCR300 (~EUR19-21) for up to four passengers, and cash is the safer bet since many drivers don’t run cards.
Walk Victoria’s Clock Tower and Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market (currently trading from a temporary site in the former STC building on Albert Street while the 1840 market hall is renovated; check before you go) in the morning, both free, then head to Beau Vallon in the afternoon for a swim; it’s Mahe’s main beach and costs nothing to use. Beau Vallon has lifeguards, but rip currents can make it dangerous when the sea is rough, especially in the December to March north-west monsoon, so obey the flags. Keep bags and phones off the sand when you’re in the water; opportunistic theft from unattended belongings, not violent crime, is the real safety issue here. A Creole takeaway dinner (fish curry, grilled reef fish) runs roughly SCR40-80 (~EUR2.50-5), well under a resort restaurant’s SCR150-300+ for a similar plate.
Day 2: Praslin, arriving and settling in
The CAT COCOS ferry to Praslin takes about 1h15 and reported economy fares start from about EUR55 one way. Check into your Praslin guesthouse, then spend the afternoon at Vallee de Mai, the UNESCO-listed coco de mer forest: entry is SCR450 (~EUR27-30), with a 10% discount for online tickets booked in advance via the the Seychelles tourism board . This is meaningfully more than the roughly EUR20 figure some older guides still quote, so budget for the current rate.
Day 3: Anse Lazio, then back to Mahe
Spend the morning at Anse Lazio, free to access; go before mid-morning, since the beach visibly crowds by late morning. It is lifeguarded but has no protecting reef, and swimming can be unsafe in the December to March north-west monsoon, so follow the flags. Take an afternoon CAT COCOS sailing back to Mahe ahead of your departure, allowing a buffer in case of any schedule delay.
Is 3 days enough to add La Digue too?
Not comfortably. Adding La Digue means a separate CAT ROSE ferry from Praslin, about 15 minutes and about EUR15 to 20 one way, on top of the Mahe-Praslin leg you’re already taking, and La Digue rewards an overnight stay rather than a rushed pass-through. Fitting all three islands into 3 days usually means seeing none of them properly; the 4-day itinerary is the shortest version of this route that adds La Digue without feeling rushed.
Is the overnight on Praslin worth it over a day-trip?
Yes, for two reasons: you pay the CAT COCOS fare once instead of twice, and Vallee de Mai plus Anse Lazio genuinely fill an unhurried day and a half rather than the single squeezed afternoon a day-trip allows. The extra guesthouse night, roughly EUR45-70, is cheaper than the second ferry crossing a day-trip would otherwise cost.
Carry SCR cash for the Praslin taxi stand and any market stall; card acceptance is patchier outside Mahe’s bigger hotels, and running out on a small island is a genuinely inconvenient problem.