Seychelles in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Seven days in Seychelles: all three islands, plus a tortoise boat day
A week is the first point on this route where nothing feels compressed. Building on the 6-day itinerary , this plan adds a boat day to Curieuse Marine National Park between Praslin’s beach day and the crossing to La Digue, a genuine reason to want the extra day rather than padding for its own sake. Total budget across seven days runs roughly EUR530-680 per person, ferries, entry fees, guesthouses, and food included. This is a country-wide plan; if you also want the Grand Anse and Petite Anse side of Mahe worked in, add an eighth day rather than trimming this route’s islands.
Book these before you go:
- Mahe or Praslin guesthouse : self-catering across a week saves real money over resort dining; buy fish and produce at the local market and cook it yourself most nights.
- Curieuse Island tortoise and snorkel day trip : the giant Aldabra tortoises were introduced here in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a conservation program and now roam freely; most day-tour prices bundle the SCR300 (~EUR18-19) park entry into the ticket.
- La Digue bicycle and Anse Source d’Argent tour : a guided half-day option if you’d rather not work out L’Union Estate’s gate and trails solo.
| 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 | Curieuse (boat, off Praslin) | ~15-30min by tour boat from Praslin | ~EUR90-130 |
| Day 6 | La Digue | ~15min by CAT ROSE ferry from Praslin | ~EUR90-120 |
| Day 7 | Return to Mahe | ~1h10 direct CAT COCOS ferry (weekends) or ~1h45 via Praslin | ~EUR90-115 |
Day 1: Mahe arrival
Land at SEZ, Mahe’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 step even though Seychelles is otherwise visa-free, and it needs to be sorted before you fly, not on arrival. A fixed taxi into Victoria or Beau Vallon runs about SCR300 (~EUR19-21) for up to four people, cash preferred.
Walk Victoria’s free 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, then spend the afternoon at Beau Vallon, Mahe’s main beach, 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; opportunistic theft, not violent crime, is the practical risk to plan around. A takeaway Creole dinner runs roughly SCR40-80 (~EUR2.50-5), well under 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 SCR100 (~EUR6), Trois Freres SCR150 (~EUR9), Anse Major SCR150 (~EUR9), and the 905-metre summit trail itself SCR250 (~EUR16), which requires a licensed guide. The shorter trails, unguided, are the budget choice; save the summit’s guide fee for if the view is a genuine priority. Close the day 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 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% online discount through the the Seychelles tourism board , a genuine step up from the roughly EUR20 older guides 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. Go before mid-morning; the beach visibly crowds by late morning in high season. It’s the cheapest day of the week, a fair spot for a proper sit-down Creole lunch, roughly SCR150-300 (~EUR9-19), instead of another takeaway.
Day 5: Curieuse Island’s tortoises
Take a boat day trip to Curieuse Marine National Park, home to hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises introduced as a conservation program from 1978-1982, plus a tortoise nursery for young animals before release. Entry runs SCR300 (~EUR18-19) and is card-only on-site, though most bundled day tours fold this into the ticket price already. Many operators combine Curieuse with snorkeling around the neighboring St Pierre islet on the same trip.
Day 6: 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, not real transport. 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 7: 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 day if your flight home leaves early the next morning, since this is the longest single travel segment of the whole week.
Is a week too long for three small islands?
Not if the extra days go toward something genuinely different, a Mahe hiking day, an extra Praslin beach day, and the Curieuse boat trip, rather than repeating the same beach four times. Padded that way, seven days covers real ground; padded with repeat visits to Beau Vallon or Anse Lazio, it will drag.
Should Aldabra be added onto this trip?
No. Aldabra is a separate, expedition-grade extension, reached only by a vessel cleared in writing by the Seychelles Islands Foundation, with no tourist lodges on-site, and it realistically needs 3-7 additional days including sailing time. Treat it as its own specialist trip, not a stretch add-on to a Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue week.
Reserve the La Digue-Mahe ferry and the Curieuse day tour a few days ahead if you’re traveling in July-August or around the holidays; both run less frequently than the standard Mahe-Praslin crossing and are worth locking in rather than risking as a walk-up.