Seychelles in 6 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Six days in Seychelles: a real Mahe day before the islands
Six days is enough to stop treating Mahe as a one-night stopover. This plan builds on the 5-day itinerary by adding a second Mahe day for the Morne Seychellois trails before heading to Praslin and La Digue, rather than rushing straight to the ferry the morning after landing. Total cost across six days runs roughly EUR440-565 per person, ferries, park entries, guesthouses, and food included; the Mahe hiking day is a genuinely cheap one if you skip the licensed guide requirement for the summit trail and stick to the shorter, unguided routes instead.
Book these before you go:
- Mahe guesthouse near Beau Vallon : a two-night Mahe stay works out cheaper self-catering than at a beachfront resort, and it puts you near both the trailheads and the SPTC bus routes.
- Vallee de Mai guided walking tour : worth booking for pointing out the endemic Seychelles black parrot, though the reserve’s trails are well signposted for a solo walk too.
- La Digue bicycle and Anse Source d’Argent tour : a guided half-day pick for your one La Digue day if you’d rather skip working out L’Union Estate’s gate on your own.
| Day | Island | Travel time | Rough cost (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Mahe | none (arrival day) | ~EUR55-80 |
| Day 2 | Mahe | none | ~EUR45-70 |
| Day 3 | Praslin | ~1h15 by CAT COCOS ferry, one way | ~EUR140-175 |
| Day 4 | Praslin | none | ~EUR50-75 |
| Day 5 | La Digue | ~15min by CAT ROSE ferry from Praslin | ~EUR90-120 |
| Day 6 | Return to Mahe | ~1h10 direct CAT COCOS ferry (weekends) or ~1h45 via Praslin | ~EUR90-115 |
Day 1: Mahe arrival
Land at SEZ, the country’s only international airport, with your Travel Authorisation already approved online, with an official fee of EUR10 per person (about EUR10 to 12 at checkout with card fees); it’s a required, paid pre-arrival step despite visa-free entry, and it can’t be arranged on landing. 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 head to Beau Vallon for a swim, also free. 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. A takeaway Creole dinner runs roughly SCR40-80 (~EUR2.50-5), a fraction of a resort’s SCR150-300+ for a similar dish.
Day 2: Morne Seychellois National Park
Spend the day in Morne Seychellois National Park, which covers over 20% of Mahe’s land area. SPGA prices trails individually: Copolia runs SCR100 (~EUR6), Trois Freres SCR150 (~EUR9), Anse Major SCR150 (~EUR9), and the 905-metre summit trail itself SCR250 (~EUR16), which must be done with a licensed guide. Any of the shorter trails, unguided, is the budget move; save the summit guide fee for if the panoramic view genuinely matters to you. Round off the afternoon at Anse Royale on the southeast coast, quieter than Beau Vallon; check the sea conditions locally before swimming, because the east coast is unsafe from about May to September.
Day 3: Praslin and Vallee de Mai
The CAT COCOS ferry to Praslin takes 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% online discount via the the Seychelles tourism board , notably more than the roughly EUR20 older sources still quote.
Day 4: Anse Lazio, no ferry needed
Spend the day at Anse Lazio, free to enter. 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. Arrive before mid-morning to beat the crowds. This is the cheapest day of the trip, and a reasonable one for a proper sit-down Creole lunch, roughly SCR150-300 (~EUR9-19), instead of another takeaway plate.
Day 5: La Digue and Anse Source d’Argent
Take the CAT ROSE ferry to La Digue, about 15 minutes and roughly EUR15 to 20 one way, a separate operator from CAT COCOS. Rent a bicycle at the jetty, roughly SCR150-200/day (~EUR9-12); there’s no rental-car scene and the once-genuine ox-cart is now essentially a single-operator novelty. Cycle to L’Union Estate for Anse Source d’Argent, gate entry SCR150 (~EUR9-10), valid all day and covering the vanilla plantation and tortoise pen too. Stay the night; the beach empties out once the day-tripping tour groups leave in the late afternoon.
Day 6: 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 a buffer before any flight, since it’s the longest single travel segment of the whole trip.
Is the Mahe hiking day worth adding, or should you head to Praslin sooner?
It’s worth it if you want more from Mahe than the airport and one beach; Morne Seychellois is a genuinely different experience from anything on Praslin or La Digue, and the unguided trails are cheap. If hiking doesn’t interest you, swap the day for a second Mahe beach day instead, and check the flags and local sea conditions before swimming, and this itinerary still nests the same way.
Where does a car rental actually pay off on this route?
Only on Mahe or Praslin, not La Digue. Mahe car hire runs roughly USD52-56/day for an economy car; Praslin ranges roughly EUR19-85/day depending on operator and season. On a route this short, SPTC buses and taxis usually beat a rental once you count the per-day cost against how little independent driving you’d actually do.
Reserve the La Digue-Mahe ferry a day or two ahead in peak months; the direct sailing runs less often than the standard Mahe-Praslin crossing and is the one leg of this trip not worth risking as a walk-up.