Seychelles in 4 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Four days in Seychelles: the shortest version that reaches all three islands
Four days is the tightest realistic loop through Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue, and the last day is genuinely tight: the direct CAT COCOS sailing from La Digue to Mahe takes about 1h10, but on the published 2025 timetable it ran only on Saturday and Sunday, so the loop is simplest when day four falls on a weekend; on other days the sailing calls at Praslin and takes about 1h45. Compared with the 3-day itinerary , which stops at Praslin, this plan trades a relaxed Anse Lazio morning for one night on La Digue and its granite-boulder beach instead. Total cost lands around EUR330-430 per person across the four days once every ferry, entry fee, and meal is counted; build in a buffer if your flight home is a morning departure, since day four’s ferry gets in during the afternoon.
Book these before you go:
- Praslin or La Digue guesthouse : self-catering rooms on La Digue undercut its handful of resorts by a wide margin, and cooking your own fish saves real money over multiple nights.
- Vallee de Mai guided walking tour : worth it for pointing out the Seychelles black parrot and the coco de mer’s odd growth pattern, though the reserve is signposted well enough to do alone.
- La Digue bicycle and Anse Source d’Argent half-day tour : useful if you’d rather not navigate L’Union Estate’s gate and trails solo on your one La Digue day.
| 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 | La Digue | ~15min by CAT ROSE ferry from Praslin | ~EUR90-120 |
| Day 4 | Return to Mahe | ~1h10 direct CAT COCOS ferry (weekends) or ~1h45 via Praslin | ~EUR90-115 |
Day 1: Mahe arrival
Land at Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) with your Travel Authorisation already approved online, with an official fee of EUR10 per person (about EUR10 to 12 at checkout with card fees); this is a paid step required despite Seychelles being visa-free, and it cannot be arranged at the airport. A fixed taxi into Victoria or Beau Vallon runs about SCR300 (~EUR19-21) for up to four people, cash preferred.
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), both free, then spend the afternoon at Beau Vallon, Mahe’s main beach, at no cost beyond a towel. 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 off the sand while swimming; petty theft, not violent crime, is the practical risk here. A takeaway Creole dinner runs roughly SCR40-80 (~EUR2.50-5), a fraction of a resort restaurant’s SCR150-300+ for a similar dish.
Day 2: Praslin and Vallee de Mai
The CAT COCOS ferry to Praslin runs about 1h15, with reported economy fares from about EUR55. Check into your guesthouse, then spend the afternoon at Vallee de Mai, the UNESCO coco de mer forest: entry is SCR450 (~EUR27-30), with a 10% discount online through the the Seychelles tourism board , meaningfully more than the roughly EUR20 some older sources still quote.
Day 3: La Digue and Anse Source d’Argent
Take the short CAT ROSE ferry to La Digue, about 15 minutes and roughly EUR15 to 20 one way, a separate operator from CAT COCOS and the cheapest inter-island leg in the country. Rent a bicycle at the jetty, roughly SCR150-200/day (~EUR9-12); there’s no rental-car scene here and the once-genuine ox-cart is now essentially a single-operator photo novelty, not real transport. Cycle to L’Union Estate for Anse Source d’Argent, the granite-boulder beach on every Seychelles postcard: the gate entry is SCR150 (~EUR9-10), valid all day and covering the estate’s vanilla plantation and giant-tortoise pen as well as beach access. Stay the night on La Digue rather than day-tripping back; the beach visibly empties out toward late afternoon once the tour groups from Praslin and Mahe clear off.
Day 4: Direct back to Mahe
Take the CAT COCOS sailing from La Digue to Mahe. The direct crossing takes about 1h10 and ran only on weekends on the 2025 timetable; other sailings call at Praslin and take about 1h45, so check the current timetable. Build in a buffer before any flight, since this is the longest single travel segment of the whole trip and afternoon arrivals into Mahe are common.
Is 4 days really enough for three islands, or does it feel rushed?
It’s tight but workable if you accept that each island gets one clear day rather than a leisurely stretch, and that the final day is mostly a transit day. Anyone who wants a proper beach day on Praslin as well as La Digue should look at the 5-day itinerary , which adds exactly that.
Should you fly Mahe-Praslin instead of taking the ferry on this route?
Not really, on a 4-day trip. The Air Seychelles flight saves about an hour over the CAT COCOS ferry but costs more, commonly EUR65-100 one way against a ferry fare from about EUR55, and you still need the ferry-only CAT ROSE leg onward to La Digue regardless. The time saved doesn’t change what you can fit into the day the way it does on a single-day trip.
Reserve your La Digue-Mahe ferry seat a day or two ahead if you’re traveling in July-August or around the holidays; sailings run less frequently on this direct route than the standard Mahe-Praslin crossing, and it’s the one leg of this trip you don’t want to risk as a walk-up.