No planning = No Seychelles
Meaning, unless you do your planning, and book accordingly, you can’t enter the Seychelles.
Visa to travel to the Seychelles?
Apparently you don’t need a visa with a Swedish / EU-passport. You’re automatically granted a 30 day visa if your passport is valid another 6 months after your departuredate to the Seychelles. You do need to show a return ticket, and all your bookings of your lodging during the stay.
-> IRL
No visa, BUT you need a… Travel Authorisation. If you knew… cause it’s not mentioned on any of the blogs, or the articles I’ve read. It would have been handy if it was mentioned at all the places where it’s mentioned that… NO visa is required. Am I demanding?
If you know this, you easily apply online at the low cost of 5 Euro, or the immigration staff will do it for you when you enter. Now the cost is 70 Euro. Completely understandable when it takes 3-5 (Seychellian) people, and takes 45 minutes cause… the internet isn’t stable.
Apparently a lot of people on the arriving planes knew they had to have all their lodging booked, but knew nothing about the Travel Authorisation. Yes, you’re guessing right. I’m one of them. I have for sure spent at least 60 hours reading, planning, booking to make this long Co2 puking and expensive trip. Meaning one DOES prepare for this kind of journey.
I arrived at 2 pm, and I asked one of the five people involved in me entering the country how many assisted Travel Authorisations that they had done by now. Circa 70 she replied. 70 x 70 Euro = 4 900 Euro, and this is pretty much mid day… Meaning the lack of info about this is pretty lucrative. And the Seychelles doesn’t really have anything else but tourism and a tea plantation, so I guess this is not only a great source of income, it also emplyes quite a few people concidering it taking up to five different people to let me pass that desk.
Another bonus is that the people behind you in line, during their labour intense immigration process, will get pissed and start waving their dollar bills. Russians will do that, to be specific. The Seychelles caters specifically to Russians.
Well… I’m not going back. And now… YOU know.
Other requirements to enter the Seychelles
You can’t enter unless you have all your lodging pre-booked. No island hopping in this country. Since I always plan, but never follow the plan I find this not only risky, but also less appealing. Why go then? No snakes (I thought) and good weather in November.
After reading plenty about the nation as a place to visit, as well as other bloggers experiences I spent a full 8 hours in my office to read reviews an make all the bookings of places to stay my month long travel on the three main aisland Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
Pre booking your lodging at the Seychelles
Everyone dreaming of travelling to the Seychelles are well aware of the price level is significantly higher than let’s say Thailand. But not impossibly high. Well, for most of us going there, staying in a hotel might not be doable. However, there are many many guest houses run by the inhabitants in the nation. No hostals though, for sure.
In many of the reviews it’s frequently mentioned that one could cook ones own meals in the guest houses kitchens. I love to cook, but never do when I travel.
I checked both Airbnb’s as well as the hotel booking sites. It took 7!! hours to book these eight guest houses. Things I paid attention to while reading the reviews was things like restaurants and food stores near by, and if it was easy getting there without a car since I was travelling with a bike and was planning to use local buses. I also regarded what side of the island I was going to stay in relation to the seasonal winds and dangerous undercurrents duing the November season. Last, but not least I had to stay within my budget of preferred tops 130 Euros per night.
-> IRL
You WILL have to cook your own meals unless you’re into burgers, fries and specifically pizza Margarita. This doesn’t mean you find that everywhere, cause you don’t. First, restaurants are not that easy to find. Second, the’re not good. I’d even go as far as saying the’re generally bad.
It might be that the good restaurants are on the iinside of the hotel gates, I don’t know. You’ll find few, and far inbetween food trucks. With equally low/varying quality of the food. Most of them do the burger & pizza menu. And on top of that they do run out. This is a good thing, cause that means no food waste. But still, prepare yourself with an emergency stash of snacks and fruits if possible.
Local food, meaning food culture, is also scarse but do happen. It’s from bad to a mediocre resemblance to caribbean food, which is much better. I had ONE better meal, from a food truck. From restaurants, no…
I lost so much weight while my main diet was water, regular coke, nuts and pringles potato chips. If I could get hold of mangos and mini bananas it was a major luxury. So… I had to cook. But since the Seychelles don’t grow any of their own foods everything is imported, and the choices are limited. I did know they pretty much import most of their food, from all the reading I did. Niether do I expect every place having a supply of food like in the US or even at home. But I do expect some kind of local food culture. I just assume the hotels serving decent food. But… I don’t know.
-> IRL #2
Not only did I have all my bookings as I knew this from preparing. I had choosen the fairly established booking site booking.com (even though it’s not my general favourite). And being the control freak that I am… I had also had english print outs for all the eight bookings.
At the labour intense immigration desk, all my print outs were photographed with a smart phone by… THREE separate immigraton officers. I don’t know what are the required skills before getting this kind of work, but it seemed like one intern lead another and the other leading the third, on their first week at the job cause they repetedly had to go back and forth to their superiors.
After this, they check all the bookings permits with the Seychellian Health Department, online. Again, note that internet is unstable in the Seychelles. This is also something that one knows prior to ones arrival, cause it’s frequently mentioned in guest house reviews.
I got qurious and politely asked if all the permits being in order wasn’t a thing that would be required by the guest houses, if they were using the booking.com service?
Can you imagine… you need to book and prove that you have all your bookings prior to being let in. And on top of that one can end up having booked a place through an official site that doesn’t have it’s permits in order. What if the permits weren’t in order… I forgot to ask what would have happened.
If you had applied for the Tourist Authorisation online… they would have checked all the guest house permits prior to your arrival. Now it had to be done manually at the desk. Mind you… three people + repeated leaving to ask their superiors, as well as the superiors coming to the desk. Topped off with internet being down. Yes… not only unstable, downright down.
Internet connection…
Noone travels all around the globe to this beautiful country to hang out online. Well… not true in this day and age. The Seychelles is mostly marketed by women in bikinis through social media. You see them roll around in the sexiest or the wierdest “bikinis” on paradise beaches, with the camera male does his part of the job.
Second, or possibly first… not even immigration can do their job in an updated way without internet connection.
Not trustworthy sources of info #1 (2022 -same year that I was there)
Not trustworthy sources of info #2
Somewhat reliable source of info #1
Somewhat reliable source of info #2
Influencers
You know as well as I do, (or more like… hopefully you do know) that influencers have a very warying relationship with reality. Social media is about making people feel. Something. Real or not. Then, add the money, or dream of potential money. Why do I have this blog?
Top 35 Seychelles Influencers in 2024
Influencer Advertising – Seychelles
Famous Indian Influencer 😂😂😂
Social Media Stars
Black travel influencer I feel like… some things are missing here. I was in no way better treated than her…. just saying. Is it her being black, or is it Seychelles sucking?
Tourism department clarifies situation with influencer
Vaccine for travelling to the Seychelles?
None reuired unless you travel from a Yellow Fever area. If you do, you need a valid proof of vaccination. Since I was travelling with Ethiopian Air I had a change in Addis Abeba, which is… a Yellow Fewer area. But if you don’t leave the airport, the required vaccination doesn’t apply.
Covid & other vaccinations
I don’t love vaccones, but I’m grateful there around. Meaning I don’t rush to get all the ones that’s available on the market. But I’m vaccinated against Hepatit A & B, and TBE (Tick-borne encephilitis), and have a legit vaccine card.
The Covid restrictions are largely revoked around the globe at the time of my trip, but I’ve noticed there are still scattered showers of local restrictions in some places. Since I had taken three Covid shots I might as well bring the legit documents about that as well.
And… last, since I was going to stay more than three weeks I alos got the Typhoid vaccine before going.
If you google, you’ll of course fins plenty of big buck suggestion of recommended vaccines… I personally detest when companies try to make money off peoples fears. Including alarms and cameras. Fear is absolutely ok and mnore than anything, personal. But actively making other people scared sucks cause it limits your personal freedom. And worse, when your plan is to make money of that “lost freedom”… Nope, not ok in my book.
-> IRL
I did NOT read anything that demanded vaccines but the above mentioned Yellow Fever. But since I had the yellow vaccination card, as well as a freshly print out of the covid vaccinations I brought it. When you print out your Swedish proof of vaccine, it states 3 out of 3. Meaning you can’t get a single printout of each and everyone separately.
I don’t have the patient kind’a personality. I’m propably likely to have ADHD. But I do think practicing for the possible improvement of patience is decent and grown up kind’a thing to do. Everyone will benefit from patience, including myself.
In my book, I did f-n excellent. But trust me when I’m saying going through immigrations in the Seychelles is to say the least very trying. What do they learn in national security school? That could propably apply to many countries national security schools…
First, there are NO official requirements to be vaccinated against Covid in the Seychelles. Still their three immigration officers was making a big fuss about the missing 1 out of 1, a d 2 out of 2 Covid vaccine documents. And after two backa and forth to their superior my non required document was accepted.
According to their health authorities there has been any rabies reported in the Seychelles. But the veterinary authorities mention that the country is not on the official list of rabies free countries.
Safety at the Seychelles
I have to admit, I’ve only focued on the stuff I’m scared or worried about. SNAKES, spiders, rabies, seaweed and… undercurrents. You propably have another list of concerns. I for sure do hope you’re not as terrified of seaweed as I am.
Other mentioned risks I read plenty about was not carrying expensive jewellry or lots of cash while hiking. Not hiking alone, which I totally ignored since I’m a SOLO traveller and will under no circumstances hire a guide. I had also read something about Somalian pirates if one’s planning a boat trip a bit further away from the Seychellian islands. Meaning didn’t apply to me.
But…
Now that I add the IRL’s in relation to my prepping after having returned from the Seychelles I find this link about safety issued by official authorities in Canada while travelling in the Seychelles. If you’re easily scared, don’t read it. I know I might not have gone if I had read it. It would have saved me plenty of money and dissapointment though…
-> IRL
Whatever you read about the Seychelles being so friendly that you don’t even have to lock your bicycle. Ignore it.
Not a recommendation from me, but I did absolutely not feel unsafe while going on the official trains at Mourne Blanc by myself. But for obvious reasons (no use) I didn’t carry expensive jewellery or lots of cash while hiking. Do I ever..?
Watch out for the 90° angle steeps along the roadsides, the’re very common. The drivers are super skilled and very impressive. Tourists as well as locals. The roads are narrow!!
Use mosquito spray at night to minimise the risk of Dengeu Fewer. I’d say bring from home, cause the local smells brain damage.
Not dangerous, but unpleasant, are the again and again offers of sex. I was apporaced almost every day. But on my seventh night after having been approaced my a man on a motorbike while being on the road and in the dark with noone around I had it. I just wen’t straight back to my guest house and called the airline to make an expensive change in my ticket to leave the country. Of course it wasn’t the only reason I left, far from it, but it was the last drop for me to make the decision. Earlies possible to get out was two days, but I was so very happy with my decision.
This might sound a bit contradictionary, but make sure you always have cash cause they don’t always accept cards. And ATM’s are very infrequent along the roads on Mahé.
People, meaning tourists didn’t really pay attention to the signs that warned about the dangerous undercurrents. I DO, cause people DO drown here.
Dogs are mostly shy, and even looked scared, which I find heart breaking.
Domestic Transportation in the Seychelles
First, it’s left-hand side traffic in the Seychelles. And you need to be 21 to get a drivers license.
As you might have figured… my first choice of transport is a bicycle, second by bus. More than that there are plenty of rental cars as well as some taxis. Useful info is that most rental companies require an international license PLUS your national drivers license PLUS passport to rent a car.
Buses does NOT allow larger luggage, which might make it impossible for me to ride the bus with my foldable bicycle in a bag. I keep my fingers crossed though since it’s very far inbetween my booked guest houses on Mahé. And mind you, changing your booked lodging while being in the country is often too late since most often the cancellation fees is pretty high, or you’ll even loose all of your money. I love this code of cunduct guide, if you’re going to travel with the national buses SPTC.
Useful info:
-Make sure you have the correct change since they don’t need to accept large bills.
-No large bags on the bus, but small soft bags as well as backpacks. (not that you’ll run into any backpackers…)
-No smoking on the bus 🙏
-No eating or alcohol. You can’t even have a bottle of alcohol with a broken “seal” on the bus.
-You can’t swear and behave badly. I love that one!!
Seriously, I love the national public transportation already. I do hope the’ll accept my bicycle bag, but I for sure do NOT expect this.
There is an app… I’m like a stone age person and understand I have some personal growth to do. Here’s your apple guide. And here’s your android guide. I’ll ask for assistance of a local as I’m in the country.
-> IRL
If you’re going by bus, bring a mask to cover your mouth or you won’t be admitted (might have changed since 2022). The first and only time I tried to ride by bus was when I got a lumbago from pushing the bike & luggage for too long up a steep hill. I didn’t know about the mask, and wasn’t admitted.
Taxi… I had repetedly read it was inexpensive, ca 2-3 Euros. I can’t help but wondering how… short those 2-3 Euro trips were? Another frequent info is that the tarifs ar fixed, and issued by the government. Getting out of the Victoria Airport they wanted 90 Euro for a 20 minute ride. I hesitated and they immediately lowered it to 80 Euro. Mind you that the Seychelles is a former communist dictatorship, and still suffers immensly from corruption. And mind you I’m from… Sweden.
The fact that they themselves lower the price when they see my reaction annoyed me. And my patience was already serverely exhausted from the imigration incompetence. I’m not proud of this temper, but I live by it. Meaning, I decided to ride my bike to the guest house. I made it, the 20 minutes by taxi took me TWO hours. Not for a second do I regret my decision. I love bicycling, and I’m pretty good at handeling unexpected resistance or that things don’t proceed according to my plan or expectation. Up up uphill I went💪
In these two hours on the bike, and of course some walking included 5 km in the wrong direction since this nation isn’t that much into signs. Not even signs that tell you that you’ve no entered this or that place. But locals do TRY to help you if you ask them🙏.
International Drivers License at the Seychelles
It seems to be the norm to rent a car while visiting Mah’e and Praislin in the Seychelles. But not at La Digue that is so small that it seems the easiest to get around by (rental) bike. If you’re going to rent a car you need an international license. Again, note that one drives on the left hand side.
I do not plan to rent a car, but brought my new orange bicycle. And then bus when needed. Healthy and sustainable 😊
-> IRL
Once did the thought of renting a car strike me. I abandoned it quickly since the roads are NARROW, and road railing were more often missing than not.
But the braver ones that did drive, did it with excellence, and was most often curteous towards me on my bicycle, or walking. I DO have to add that the roads themselves are amazingly beautiful. I actually felt as if they are almost equally beautiful to the beaches. I so enjoyed most of my bicycling on Mahé ❤️.
Bicycling at the Seychelles
Since I love bicycling, I especially look forward to this. In don’t know if I’m going to be put off from reading the reviews while going through the booking of guest house process, or challenged. It’s frequently mentioned that “If you don’t have a car” in regards to it being a steep hill to get to the place. Apparently Mahé is full of steep hills. But I also find pages with what appears to be established bicycle routes, that one propably shares with other vehicles.
Foldable Bicycle #2
Buying anything that matters to me, I do a full scale research. My current grey foldable (a.k.a Sally the Bike) isn’t the best bike available, but is upgraded from rarely used to a much loved vehicle efter she joined me on my primarily Italian Eurrail this previous summer. She made a world of difference. She’s from Decathlon in Spain, and suffers from irrepairable injuries after being attacked by some drunk french teenagers some years ago.
I feel terribly guilty about getting a second foldeable bicycle when I already have one. Totally unsustainable, as well as it’s illoyal to Sally. But… I live in both Malmö and Stockholm in Sweden, and in Stockholm there is no bicycle storage room, so you need to keep it in your own, or… outside. Meaning I need a small one so it’ll fit in my tiny storage. How is this for an excuse for unsustainable consumtion, while trying to transport myself less unsustainable? On top of that… flying to the Seychelles with the bicycle.
The color, love it. But it WILL attract attention that I neither want or need. But it was the only one they had left in october. Not only the last one, it was their display, and some small stuff was broken/missing. So now, this is the one. And I love the color orange, therefore I’m so happy every time I “Red” which is the new name of the bicycle. Apart from that some of the details are much improved from the Sally version. Sally had a rack included, but for Red you need to order it separately 🙁
Foldable Bicycle #2
Buying anything that matters to me, I do a full scale research. My current grey foldable (a.k.a Sally the Bike) isn’t the best bike available, but is upgraded from rarely used to a much loved vehicle efter she joined me on my primarily Italian Eurrail this previous summer. She made a world of difference. She’s from Decathlon in Spain, and suffers from irrepairable injuries after being attacked by some drunk french teenagers some years ago.
I feel terribly guilty about getting a second foldeable bicycle when I already have one. Totally unsustainable, as well as it’s illoyal to Sally. But… I live in both Malmö and Stockholm in Sweden, and in Stockholm there is no bicycle storage room, so you need to keep it in your own, or… outside. Meaning I need a small one so it’ll fit in my tiny storage. How is this for an excuse for unsustainable consumtion, while trying to transport myself less unsustainable? On top of that… flying to the Seychelles with the bicycle.
The color, love it. But it WILL attract attention that I neither want or need. But it was the only one they had left in october. Not only the last one, it was their display, and some small stuff was broken/missing. So now, this is the one. And I love the color orange, therefore I’m so happy every time I “Red” which is the new name of the bicycle. Apart from that some of the details are much improved from the Sally version. Sally had a rack included, but for Red you need to order it separately 🙁
Foldable bicycle on the bus in the Seychelles?
One small detail. We’ll se when we get there. But unlikely.
-> IRL
You really need to focus while bicycling at, or maybee an island is on, Mahé. There are very few road railings, but more seemed to be on their way. Theroads are also lined with a practical but unsafe storm water system in a 90° angle exactely where the asphalt stops, on the aready very narrow roads. The alternatives to this is a ca 70° angle right into the bush, or why not into the ocean. Just pay attention.
On the west side of Mahé there are very few road railing. But the atmosphere inbetween the tiny amount of bicyclists (me, one more tourist and tops ten younger boys) and motored vehicles is mutually caring. On the east side of Mahé there are more rails, but the traffic is also fastler and a bit less caring. Not carless, but less caring.
I never tried taking the bicycle on the bus. When I saw the buses it became quite apparent it would be in the way for other passengers. And many people go by bus on Mahé. The last impression I want to give while visiting a place is to be the wreckless and ill manored tourist. It feels even more important since pretty much no locals interact with us / the tourists but the owners of the guest houses and the guys offering me sex almost daily.
Lock the bicycle in the Seychelles?
While preparing I read in quite a few places about how friendly the Seychellians are, and how there was no need to lock the (rental) bicycles.
->IRL
So I didn’t lock it regardless of if all my luggage (including my computer) was on the back if I wen’t into a road side mini market. Never left my passport and money that I always kept in my small daypack.
Once when I parked it outide a mini market located next to the equally local Police office, another… local came into the store and asked me if I had a lock for the bike?. When I said yes, he said “Lock it”. So from this on I did.
Iwas also quite frequent that men, solo or in a group kommented “nice bike” as I rolled by. Someone asked if I was willing to sell it, and someone else said he wanted it, and without a question said I shoud leave it for him as I left the island. Thinking about this now, that added a few interactions or words spoken to me during this culturally dishearteing journey.
Of course I didn’t take offence when he wanted me to leave it. It was more the lack of in my view normal interaction inbetween locals and tourists. Yes, any kind of traveller is a tourist.
Niether do I think this sudden locking of the bicycle could be percieved as an obvious lack of trust for the locals. Regardless if you rent, or bring your own bicycle. I actually only saw one place where you could rent a bicycle.
I actually think there are two separate worlds in the Seychelles. One gated and guarded hotel crowd that hopefully can enjoy decent food, and bars. and another for us who lives in local guesthouses rented to us by private house owners. Not even the guest at the local guest houses interacted. It was SO vied to me.
At all the three guest houses the host made it very clear that I should take the bike either inside or inside of the gate of the property. Two of the guest houses were surrounden by a wall, and locked gates. If this was a necessity, or just a common tradition I don’t know.
License for the bicycle in the Seychelles?
Prep? None. Never read anything about a license for riding or having a bicycle. Have you ever heard about that in any nation?
-> IRL
On the morning of my last day before departure I was spending an hour on the beach. As it was empty when I arrived I took the Red with me. All of a sudden a guide accompanied by his group of tourist approached me and asked if I had registered the bike with the authorities, and got a sticker (license) as a proof of registration for it? Which authority I’m still clueless about. And had I not, i was running the risk of getting a ticket if I was stopped by the police.
Never heard about it. Niether had I been stopped by any Police even though I had passed by a few. By this I was so fed up with Mahé as a place to visit and experience that I had it. They just seem to be obsessed about registering everything. Regardless, you take the custom where it comes while visiting another place or country.
Returning back to my last guesthouse I asked the host if this was really the truth? And he said yes, there is a requirement that you register it with the Police and get a sticker to put on the bicycle. He said that one propably wouldn’t be that strick towards a tourist if stopped. Coming back home I googled and googled and even emailed the Police to find out about the rule and where to get info about it. No reply.
This is as close to rules in relation to bicycling on the islands I can come. Most are pretty obvious to a Swede.
Calling & Internet at the Seychelles
Beyond unreliable internet, itt appears to be fairly expensive to both call and use internet in the country. I’m under NO circumstances an IT person, more like the one they (who are…) have as the test dummy. Will some one like her manage?
Second, using your own national cell plan is outrageously expensive. I have a Telenor (that in general sucks abroad) business plan, and will use the wifi at the guest houses as my first choice.
-> IRL
I never challenged the costs, and always used my guest house wifi’s. And used what’s app and messenger as my way of communication. I have never used either one of them that much. But now… on this trip they in the company of water, regular coke, and nuts were a part of my survival kit. I’ve never been so lonely in my life while travelling. The Seychelles is not a destination for solotravelling.
At least the unreliable wifi / internet connection was a topic where reality was 100% consistent what I read pre travelling. Thank you all bloggers!! It was really bad just as I entered the country and was stuck in immigration cause it was OFF. And then it varied from slow, to working and not working. Being prepared helped, cause then I was so very happy when it worked, regardless of it being slow.
At the airport on my way home I felt like celebrating, so I decided to use my Telenor plan for 1 day tarif of 169 sek (ca 15 Euro). I tried to upload ONE insta, and the 25GB was consumed…. in a minute.
Travel insurance
Since a few years back I changed insurance company in Sweden to Folksam, and have their additional travel insurance “Ready to travel” (Resklar). Never had to use ut. But I’d never travel without an insurance.
Many other countries have other insurance plans as well ass add ons. I’m not going to dig into them cause I may create more of a broblem than being the solution. But DO make sure you’re covered.
Undercurrents and seaweed at the Seychelles
I suffer unreasonably of fear of seaweed, and fish. Fish are most often equally afraid of me, and I guess they have a reason considering humans behaviour on the globe. I always check if, or what kind of snakes a tropical place have before going there. And if I’m going to visit beaches, I try to ask for less weedy ones.
And since I’ve “been sucked” out by undercurrents once in France, I’m not getting myself into that situation again. So I’ve prepared myself by reading plenty about drowning at the Seychelles so I won’t be subjected to that risk. Niether will I hang around seaweed.
By the help of other bloggers I also realised you will have good use of swimming shoes since some of the beaches are filled with (dead) sharp corals and shells. I end up buying a pair of swim run shoes from Brooks since I’m also going to hike, and it might be slippery as well. It’ll be wierd swimming with runners, but I’m travelling as light as I can. Yes, other people can for sure travel even lighter than I😅.
-> IRL
By swimming shoes at home, cause you’ll for sure need them on many of the beaches. And one good thing about the Seychelles is, there is pretty much nothing to buy. NO flip flops of any kind. Mind you, I wasn’t staying at gated hotels complexes, so I had to use the road side minimarkets -> no swimming gear at all.
But oh boy was I happy with my swim run shoes when I was hiking. I don’t think I would have enjoyed swimmin in them though. But doable? Absolutely. I just avoided the beaches with the sharp objects.
Dangerous undercurrents
I even had print outs of maps where the seasonal seaweed and dangerous undercurrents were. Beyong the stong undercurrents there are plenty of other dangerous beaches. This is handelled very well by the Seychelles, cause they have warning triangles on the tourist maps, as well as signs at the entrances of the beaches. One pretty much can’t miss them if there is danger.
Yes, people DO drown. And I’m not surprised, cause I saw people swimming where there was warning signs.
Hiking at the Seychelles
I’m travelling in November, which is kind of during a rainy season. All that I read said it would be short showers, and then sunny and nice again. That could possibly mean that the trails might be somewhat slippery. Having had my knee cap cracked twice, it’s nothing I’d like to experience again.
The Seychelles is often mentioned as a safe place, but I’ve also read again and again about robbery happening on the trails at Mahé. I’m not sure if this is a method of getting people to pay for a local guide since nothing sells better that fear.
Again, I choose to get a pair of swim run shoes that could be used at feet unfriendly beaches as well as on slippery slopes.
Some links for hiking trails at Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
Alltrails
Hiking tips for safety issued by the Seychellian Tourist Board
Safety at the Seychelles by the English Government
-> IRL
Swim run shoes, OH they were great. Great grips uphill as well as downhill. I’m so happy I got this kind of shoe.
Currency & Cash at the Seychelles
It can be very confusing to sit on the other side of the globe preparing for how to pay for things while visiting the Seychelles. One source claims you’re better off paying in Euros, while another claims you can pay with both Euros and US dollars, and the third source says you might as well pay with the local currency, the Sechellian Rupie SCR.
One can also fins info about the local currency being pretty much useless cause the hotels and restaurants want you to pay in Euros or US dollars. One can also read that it’s demanded that you can prove you have enough funds to visit, to be let in. Now I’m getting worried, and start thinking if planning for a trip like this is such a good idea?
There seem to be plenty of cash machines, especially in the capital, Victoria. Not as frequent in far off places. I’m not sure I understand what “far off” means in such a small country? Travelling with plenty of cash seems downright stupid, but that might be an even more stupid assumption. One should not take it for granted that cards are accepted everywhere.
-> IRL
After the hassle of being let into the country, and getting my luggage I wen’t straight to the ATM for cash. Since I was going to do a lot of bicycling, and avoid larger amounts of cash I didn’t want to withdraw more than ca 350 Euro (4000 sek) i the local currency SCR.
I actually feel a bit more respectful using the local currency. And after having a few russian families behind me in the immigrations that (yes, true) started waving their dollars as well as saying out loud that they should be given priority, I was even more convinced to use the local SCR currency.
All this preparing an missing the Tourist Authorisation AND that some of my booked guest houses did NOT accept cards. So make sure you look properly at ypur booking confirmation. One live, and one learn.
So most of my cash dissapeared at once, and absolutely NO ATM on this side of the island. That’s not really a problem. Unless you’re on a bike, and Mahe is an island shaped like the torso of a donkey. So I’m on one side, and the ATM is on the other side. My guest house host suggested a 90 minuter bicycle ride back to the other side of the donkeys back to refill my wallet.
I didn’t. But with my somewhat overinflated trust in humanity, I asked my next host to get some cash for me as she was going to Victoria by car. So card and… pin to her. I did transfer the amout inbetween two separate cards/accounts though. I love my hight trust in people. Of course I get pissed when ripped off. But how often does one get ripped off by a person you’re standing face to face with?
OBS! This is NOT a recommendation just cause it worked for me this one time. If someone has your cardnumber+the CVC code… Do NOT do what I did. I will for sure learn a lot from this experience and NOT to it again.
And DO NOT trust other bloggers when they write there are plenty of ATM’s. It might be if your destination is Beau Vallon, I don’t know.
Flying & Co2
Yes… it’s a f-n drag that it’s impossible to get to the Seychelles without flying. And not only that, it’s also very far. All this Co2 in the atmosphere just builds up the layer that prevents heat from escaping the globe. Meaning more heat are kept inbetween that layer and the globe with it’s amazing eco system that gives us all that we need for a life on earth. This marvellous self sustaining system is changing, and it will continue to change. But who’s paying the price that will be the consequences of the changes.
Listen to Julia Roberts, please.
Thanks to, or… due to the pandemic it had now amounted to me not flying for five years. That’s quite a lot of years to me. But I know there are other people not flying at all, and niether are they suffering. Cause one can travel to other places where flying isn’t a necessity. Obviously I’m going to disappoint myself by breaking my personal record of non flying years.
I’m going to carry the shame, and… compensate. Even though I don’t beleive in this kind of compensation.
I read hours upon hours about climate compensation. I find a way of beleiving it will at least do some difference. Cause that’s what I want to beleive. But deep down I know there is only one solution, and that’s changing my lifestyle to not flying. Amongst a bunch of other things that minimises the release of Co2 while transporting myself to warm and sunney places in… November. Oh… it actually means moving away from Sweden TO a place that’s warm and sunny in… November.
So, if you’re going to compensate like me, you have to start out by finding out how many tons of Co2 your flying will release. There are a few tools.
Myclimate
ICAO
Carbon footprint
The ones I try come up with amounts inbetween 2,8-3,25 tons for my return trip Stockholm/Sweden to Victoria/Seychelles, includig the changes in Addis Abeba. The cost of compensation is inbetween ca 550-950 Euros (600-1000 sek) if you dont choose Flygreenfund where it’s ca 600 Euro (6900 sek). Flygreenfund actually pays for a fuel that releases a lot less. But that fuel is so far a lot more expensive.
Choosing climate compensation for flying
Which one? The easies would be to pick the most expensive one. The question is what will the compensation money do?
One can pay for the same amount, but less Co2 emitting fuel to give that fuel a bigger share of the market. That version you find at Flygreenfund. Unfortunately I’m to selfish and possibly cheap since it adds 50% on my already costly ticket.
I can pick alternatives that plant trees in east Africa since those areas are more heavily hit by climate change. While planting trees as a compensation, one has to be aware of things like biodiversity, does the tree plantation to cover my ass take away land where people had their animals? Is it a democracy in the place for the tree plantation? Do I support a country where women can vote, and girls go to school every week of the month? Oh my, now it’s getting complicated. But it DOES matter where your money goes. Especially if you’re going to buy a less guilty conscience.
There are plenty of companies that profit on our guilty conscience but our money makes the situation worse somewhere else, or even just take the money. Are the climatecompensating projects verified? And by whom?
Standards and verifiers
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).
-> IRL
I’m so very sorry I wasted ca 3 tons of Co2 on flying to the Seychelles. Niether was it worth breaking my personal record of five years of not flying. What made it worse was that I disliked the Seychelles so much that I decided to leave 17 days prior my planned departure.
If you’re going to waste that amount of Co2, read my post Thailand vs Seychelles. It doesn’t mean you’ve got to go to Thailand, but it at least points out some aspects of travelling that might add, or deduct from a good travelling experience.
Electricity & adapter at the Seychelles
This is IRL right away, cause I had completely missed out on the electricity. I guess the seaweed was distracting.
You don’t need a converter if you’re appliances run on 50 Hz and 230 V, like they do in Sweden. The sockets though do vary. Sometimes I could use my regular sockets, and in my next guest house I needed a bigger piece that they were kind enough to lend me. And in the third guest house I needed a piece of plastic to make the socket work. And my host was again nice enough to lend me one. I guess I was just lucky on this one🙏
Expectations & the Seychelles
Oh, they were very high. I imagined a paradise with beautiful snake free nature where I could hike. As well as beautiful beaches that I could reach by bicycle. I had never ate Seychellian food before, but exprected it to be at least good since that’s all I had read before deciding on this destination.
-> IRL
This whole blog came out of me wanting to combine my returned intrest for photography, and also wanting to devellop my writing. As well as possibly widening my sources of income. Why not try to take up blogging more seriously again. I did have a huge one for at least five years from the start of me building my sustainable villa, Sundahuset.se
But somewhere along the road I decided that I will under no circumstances make a travel / journey / trip prettier or more exciting than I find it to be. And it saddens me that it seems like I’ve been in a completely different country that all the others that has described this destination. The friendliness? The food..??? Where did they find it?
Just because a place isn’t friendly it doesn’t mean that it’s unfriendly. Cause the’re for sure not unfriendly. But niether are they friendly. They pretty much don’t want anything, or at least as little as possible to do with you.
Någonstans under resan så bestämde jag ändå att jag kommer inte försköna ett endaste resmål eller moment då jag reser för att jag har denna ekonomiska önskan.
Jag undrade genuint VAR, de vars bloggar jag läst i förberedelse varit, och erfarit. Maten… vänligheten… stränderna… När jag nu sitter och skriver om mina egna erfarenheter av att ha rest till Seychellerna så blir jag faktiskt lite sorgsen.
Det man får då man reser till Seychellerna är att landet är en demokrati även om den har lite Stasiaktig karaktär, och att de som bor här har fri skolgång, sjukvård, vatten och avlopp. Lägg sen till det här med “inga” giftiga ormar -de finns tydligen, men inte jättegiftiga- eller andra farliga djur som är viktigt för mig som vill ha en fysiskt aktiv semester. Eller åtminstone möjligheten till det. Allt detta är inte illa i sig.
Men i övrigt så finns det så mycket bättre resmål. Både när det kommer till landets och platsens kultur, vänlighet, tillgänglighet, mat, och stränder.
Det var ett stort beslut att resa till ett så koldioxidavlägset och kostsamt resmål som Seychellerna. Det går inte att spontanresa i landet, och jag förberedde mig därför till tänderna. Inte för en sekund slog det mig att jag skulle kolla upp eventuella nackdelar med resmålet eftersom allt jag läste var så översvallande positivt.
Men när jag kom hem så sökte jag faktiskt för att se om det BARA var jag, eller om det fanns några andra som var besvikna.
Av de anledningarna att jag inte tycker att resmålet var värt vare sig långflygningen/Co2-utsläppen, maten, kulturen eller stränderna. Och att många av de länkar jag läst var minst sagt integritetslösa, eller direkt missvisande så är jag nu synnerligen restriktiv med de länkar jag lägger ut från min blogg om resor till Seychellerna.
Med det sagt så är vi människor olika, och vissa uppskattar sånt som jag inte uppskattar och vice versa.
It never even crossed my mind that I would search the web for other peoples negative experiences. But while preparing this post I did… and it turned out I wasn’t the only one dissapointed. Now, we might have had different expectations, experiences from previous travelling and be dissapointed in different things. But here are a few other travellers versions.
Mind you, people travel differently. I started travelling solo at 17, and have done plenty of solotravelling in my life. I like to eat local food, as well as feel welcome, but not imposing. I don’t expect it to be like home, or rather… I’d like so experience something else than I do at home. I also want to be where the locals are, but not impose of course. I beleive kindness is a neccessity on both parts. And I do understand that tourism is a major source of income to countries, as well as tourists in herds can kill a destinations spirit.
That being said, here are a few other personal experiences. Having visited the Seychelles I understand some of the dissapointment, regardless I might not agree that 100% puking is great. As well as one can be sad that ones expectation didn’t match the real deal. I for sure was very dissapointed.
Seychelles doesn’t live up to expectations
Beautiful but not pleasant
Trip report Seychelles Country #158
This is what you get in the Seychelles
The Seychelles is a democraty. Not bad these days. It’s still suffering from the communist dictatorship since they seem to have a Stasilike preference to record everything. But apart from that, everyone living here do enjoy free education and healthcare. They have clean drinkable water and suage plants. Bonus 😊 no poisenous snakes. I thought NO snakes, and thank you universe for breaking the news to me that they DO have snakes, until I came back to Sweden.
Apart from this, there are much more agreeable and pleasant destinations. Destinations where you can 1) find food 2) have very good food. And where you can enjoy the local culture, and possible even have some personal encounters with locals. Friendly locals to be more specific. And of course there are many many places that have equally and even better and definately much safer beaches.
One major backside going to the Seychelles is that it’s very difficuöt to be spontaneous. This because you HAVE to have all you lodging booked before going. It might be possible to change, but not without a big financial loss. And mind you, the Seychelles is already costly to start with. And everyone travelling here does know, cause it’s impossible to miss that info prior to booking.
Other dissapointed travellers
It never even crossed my mind that I would search the web for other peoples negative experiences. But while making this post I did… and it turned out I wasn’t the only one dissapointed. Now, we might have had different expectations, experiences from previous travelling and be dissapointed in different things. But here are a few other travellers versions.
Mind you, people travel differently. I started travelling solo at 17, and have done plenty of solotravelling in my life. I like to eat local food, as well as feel welcome, but not imposing. I don’t expect it to be like home, or rather… I’d like so experience something else than I do at home. I also want to be where the locals are, but not impose of course. I beleive kindness is a neccessity on both parts. And I do understand that tourism is a major source of income to countries, as well as tourists in herds can kill a destinations spirit.
That being said, here are a few other personal experiences. Having visited the Seychelles I understand some of the dissapointment, regardless I might not agree that 100% puking is great. As well as one can be sad that ones expectation didn’t match the real deal. I for sure was very dissapointed.
Seychelles doesn’t live up to expectations
Beautiful but not pleasant
Trip report Seychelles Country #158