Seychelles on a Budget: Prices and Free Days
Seychelles on a budget: which sights actually cost money
More of Seychelles’ marquee sights are free than the country’s expensive reputation suggests, but the paid ones aren’t cheap: Vallee de Mai now runs SCR450 (~EUR27-30), up from the roughly EUR20 older guides still cite. A workable budget day, self-catering, guesthouse, SPTC bus, runs closer to USD100-120; add a resort room and a couple of paid tours and it moves to USD180-250 a day. This page ranks 10 real beaches and sights across Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue by what they actually cost and how you reach them, not by which photograph looks best. For a day-by-day plan that strings several of these together, see the 5-day or 7-day island-hopping itinerary; a rushed 2-day version also exists if that’s all the time you have.
Book these before you go:
- Vallee de Mai guided walking tour : a 10% online discount applies to Vallee de Mai tickets booked in advance through the Seychelles Islands Foundation, guided or not.
- Curieuse Island tortoise and snorkel day trip : most bundled tours fold Curieuse’s SCR300 (~EUR18-19) park entry into the ticket price already.
- Guesthouse or self-catering room : guesthouses run roughly USD60-100/night against USD150-300+ for a boutique or resort room, the single biggest lever on a Seychelles trip’s total cost.
| Rank | Sight | Island | Why go | Cost and access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beau Vallon | Mahe | Main beach, closest to Victoria, genuinely free | Free; watch bags, it’s a flagged petty-theft spot |
| 2 | Anse Lazio | Praslin | Consistently ranked among the world’s best beaches | Free entry; parking ~SCR100 (~EUR6)/day |
| 3 | Vallee de Mai | Praslin | UNESCO coco de mer palm forest, the country’s signature inland sight | ~SCR450 (~EUR27-30); 10% off online |
| 4 | Anse Source d’Argent | La Digue | The granite-boulder beach on every postcard | ~SCR150 (~EUR9-10) via L’Union Estate gate |
| 5 | Victoria (Clock Tower and market) | Mahe | Half a day on foot, the country’s only real town | Free |
| 6 | Curieuse Island | off Praslin, boat only | Aldabra giant tortoises roaming free since a 1978-1982 program | ~SCR300 (~EUR18-19), card-only on-site |
| 7 | Ste Anne Marine Park | off Mahe, boat only | Snorkeling plus Moyenne Island’s tortoises | ~SCR200 (~EUR12), card-only on-site |
| 8 | Morne Seychellois trails | Mahe | Cloud-forest hiking over 20% of Mahe’s land area | ~SCR100-250 per trail; summit needs a licensed guide |
| 9 | Anse Georgette | Praslin | A quieter marquee beach, fewer day-trippers | Free, but needs Constance Lemuria authorisation 3-5 days ahead |
| 10 | National Botanical Garden | Mahe (Victoria) | Tortoises and coco de mer without a Praslin trip | ~SCR250 (~EUR15-16) non-resident, some listings quote less |
Which of these are actually free to visit?
Three of the ten cost nothing to enter: Beau Vallon, Anse Lazio, and Victoria’s Clock Tower and market. Anse Lazio still has a parking charge, around SCR100 (~EUR6) for the day, and Anse Georgette is free but requires advance authorisation to cross the Constance Lemuria resort’s grounds, so “free” doesn’t always mean walk-up.
Is Vallee de Mai worth SCR450 if you’re on a tight budget?
Yes, if you’re only doing one paid inland sight in Seychelles. It’s the country’s one UNESCO-listed forest and the only place most visitors will see a coco de mer palm growing, and the 10% online discount through the the Seychelles tourism board shaves a real amount off the current SCR450 (~EUR27-30) rate. Skip it only if you’ve already done a Praslin trip before and seen it.
Do you need a car to reach any of these?
Not really. SPTC buses cover Mahe and Praslin on a flat SCR10-12 (~EUR0.60-0.75) fare regardless of distance, reaching Beau Vallon, Victoria, and the SPGA-run Morne Seychellois trailheads without a rental. La Digue has no rental-car scene at all; it’s reached only by boat via Cat Cocos or the shorter Cat Rose hop from Praslin, then bicycles, roughly SCR150-200/day (~EUR9-12), to reach Anse Source d’Argent. A car only earns its cost on Mahe or Praslin for touring multiple spread-out beaches in one day, and even then, buses and taxis usually work out cheaper over a short stay.
Self-catering is the real budget lever behind this whole list: a Creole takeaway plate runs SCR40-80 (~EUR2.50-5) against SCR150-300+ (~EUR9-19+) at a resort restaurant for a similar dish, and that gap, repeated over several days, matters more than which beach you pick.