From Wikitravel

The Seychelles are a group of about 90 islands in the Indian Ocean that lie off the coast of East Africa, northeast of Madagascar.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Understand 4 Get in 4.1 By plane 4.2 By boat 5 Get around 5.1 By plane 5.2 By Helicopter 5.3 By Boat 5.4 By car 5.5 By bus 6 Talk 7 Buy 8 Eat 9 Drink 10 Sleep 11 Do 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 Get out

Regions

• Mahe
• Praslin
• La Digue

Cities

• Victoria - is the Capital

Understand

The Seychelles were disputed between France and Great Britain during the age of colonialism, with Britain ending up in control in 1814. The islands achieved independence in 1976, however free elections did not occur until 1993. The politics of this island group remain in something of a state of flux, although this should not bother the tourist after a relaxing beach vacation.

Get in

By plane

Air Seychelles flies to Singapore, London, Paris, Johannesburg and Rome via Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft. International service is also available from Nairobi (Kenya Airways), Dubai (Emirates), and Doha (Qatar Airways), London (British Airways), Paris (Air France) and regular charter services from Frankfurt (Condor) and Amsterdam (Martinair).

By boat

Get around

By plane

Air Seychelles operates multiple daily flights between Mahe and Praslin. Over two dozen flights vary in frequency from 15 minute to 2 hour intervals, depending on time of day.

Air Seychelles also operates once daily or several times per week between Mahe and the islands of Bird, Denis, Fregate, Desroches and Alphonse.

By Helicopter

More expensive, but not out of the question, are flights with Helicopter Seychelles. Helicopter Seychelles provides shuttles between the main islands Mahe, Praslin and La Digue as well as charter flights to/from most of the inner islands. Helicopter Seychelles is the only scenic flight operator in the Seychelles. Depending on the timeframe, these scenic flights cover the main islands of Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and the surrounding smaller islands of Cousine, Félicité, Grande Souer, Curieuse and Cousin.

By Boat

Cat Cocos is a high speed catamaran operating twice or thrice daily roundtrips between Mahe and Praslin. The sailing normally takes one hour.

Five or 6 roundtrips daily are made by schooner ferry between Praslin and La Digue. The crossing is 30 minutes and the schedule is timed to interconnect with Cat Cocos.

It is also possible to take small boats from Mahe direct to La Digue, although departures can be unreliable, there is limited wet weather cover and the journey takes about 3 hours (but that's cheaper than an Indian Ocean Island cruise!)

By car

Having a car is really a good idea. It is easier to find a good view point. You can only rent on Mahé and Praslin. You can find a car for only 45E per day.

By bus

Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) runs daily bus servises on the islands of Praslin and Mahe from morining to evening on nearly every available road on the island.

Talk

Languages spoken in the Seychelles are Creole (the official language), English and French.

Buy

Best place for shopping is Victoria, the capital. Best buy is the market at the city center.

Eat

The food culture of Seychelles is terrific. The main product of the country, fish, is cooked in a variety of ways. Especially the red snapper is very tasty and well known to visitors.

Some restaurants I have enjoyed during my stay. Mahe, anse du soleil. Can't remember the name of the place, but if you go to anse du soleil you can't miss it. Nice people, incredible fish (Red Snapper Filet in sauce was my favourite), acceptable prices. Mahe, beau vallon bay. Can't remember the name of this place either (must return to the Seychelles soon...) but it was a buffet grill restaurant. Not as high quality as the first one, but very good prices. It must be the Boat House. Cheaper: Baobab Pizzeria on the beach in beau vallon. The pizza was quite good and the prices really low. Try to reserve one of the two tables on the beach. Cheapest: Collect coconuts on the beach and learn how to open their terrible cover (not the shell, that's easy; they have a thick cover of natural fibres; to open it: hit the coconut very strong many times on the edges, sooner or later the fibres break up).

Drink

If you enjoy a good beer you must try the local Seybrew beer, it tastes similar to a light Bavarian style beer and is a must to get you through those balmy days. You can save yourself a packet buying the beer from stores on the side of the road like the locals do rather than from hotels. A dark Takamaka Rum on the beach under the stars is the best way to end a day on the Seychelles.

Sleep

The Seychelles are not tolerant of backpackers turning up at the airport without accommodation booked. Most accommodations, however, are relatively expensive. Your best bet for a budget bed is renting an apartment.

Do

Visit the beaches [1]

Learn

Current news and articles on the Seychelles [2]

Work

Working and doing business in the Seychelles can be difficult due to the the humidity and heat. Forget about wearing a suit or anything resembling one rather opt for a light cotton shirt and pants. The atmosphere in the Seychelles is relaxed and it can take a lot of effort to achieve very little. Foreign currency is is very sort after but trading in it is illegal.

Stay safe

Seychelles is more or less safe. Just try to avoid any dark bylanes. Be careful not to leave your bag unattended on sparsely occupied beaches, most locals are poor and would love to get their hands on a wad of dollars or euros

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017

FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786

telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785

Diplomatic representation from the US 

the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles

Get out

• Try Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar