Mahé

Mahé is the largest island in Seychelles and the one most visitors see first: Seychelles International Airport sits on the east coast at Pointe Larue, and the small capital, Victoria, is a short drive north. The interior is steep and green. Morne Seychellois National Park covers about 3,045 ha, which the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA) puts at more than 20% of the island, and rises to Morne Seychellois itself at 905 m.

Beaches run round the whole coast. Beau Vallon in the north-west is the long, busy one with hotels and restaurants behind it; the south has wilder bays such as Anse Intendance and Anse Takamaka, where the sea is often too rough to swim. Off Victoria, Ste Anne Marine National Park protects six small islands and the water around them. From the Inter Island Quay, Cat Cocos ferries cross to Praslin in about an hour, so many people spend two or three nights on Mahé at the start or end of an island-hopping trip.

Mahé gives you the most variety for the shortest transfer. In one day you can walk a forest trail to a granite viewpoint, swim off a long sandy beach and eat grilled fish in Victoria. It is also the practical base: the airport, the main hospital, the ferry quay and most car hire are here. If your flight lands late or leaves early, a night or two on Mahé saves a rushed connection to Praslin. Go for the trails and the marine park rather than for one particular beach.

Food on Mahé is Creole: fish and seafood cooked with coconut, chilli, ginger and lime, served with rice and chutneys. Grilled whole fish is the everyday dish, and curries such as octopus curry are common on menus. Look for ladob, plantain or breadfruit cooked in coconut milk, and satini reken, a shark chutney. Victoria has the widest choice of local restaurants and takeaways; Beau Vallon has beach restaurants. Hotel restaurants can be expensive, so a takeaway lunch helps the budget.

Mahé is mountainous and the roads are, in GOV.UK's words, narrow and winding, so allow more time than the distances suggest. A UK photocard licence is valid for three months if you hire a car. Taxis are easy to find at the airport and in Victoria. For the other islands, Cat Cocos sails from the Inter Island Quay in Victoria to Praslin in about 60 minutes, and Air Seychelles flies to Praslin in about 15 minutes.

The Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) runs buses on Mahé and Praslin, with weekday and weekend timetables on its website. SPTC does not publish fares online, so check at the bus station in Victoria. GOV.UK notes that most buses stop by 8pm, which matters if you plan to eat out away from your hotel.

• Pick your beach by the wind. From May to September the west and north-west coast, including Beau Vallon, is the sheltered side; from about December to March it is the exposed side.
• SPGA parks take card payments only, not cash, and sell tickets online.
• Start the Copolia walk early: the trail is open 08:00–16:00 and the summit is clearer in the morning.
• Book a mid-morning ferry or flight to Praslin if you land on an early flight, rather than connecting straight away.

There is no direct flight from the UK to Seychelles. The usual routes have one stop: Emirates via Dubai lists London Heathrow to Mahé at between 13 hours 25 minutes and 17 hours 55 minutes. Qatar Airways restarted Doha to Mahé in June 2026, and Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways also sell London to Seychelles connections. Every flight lands at Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) at Pointe Larue on Mahé's east coast. Before you fly, apply for the Seychelles Travel Authorisation on the official portal, seychelles.govtas.com; the standard fee is €10 and you can apply within 30 days of arrival, once your flights and accommodation are booked. Check entry rules on GOV.UK.