Seychelles Travel Basics
Health
The Seychelles offers a healthy climate and malaria, yellow
fever, cholera and other diseases common in tropical environments
are not a problem. Visitors entering Seychelles from countries
where yellow fever is prevalent need an international certificate
of vaccination. Although no other vaccinations are mandatory,
it is advisable to consult your physician before travel.
Visas
Visitors to Seychelles must have passports valid for at least
6 months beyond end of stay. Visas are not required for most
visitors. It is however advisable to check with Seychelles
embassies and inbound airlines at least one month before travel.
But you need an onward air ticket/passage, pre-booked accommodation
and sufficient funds to cater for your stay.
People & Culture
The Seychellois have emerged from peoples with mainly French,
African, Indian, Chinese and Arab roots. Creole is the language
that has resulted from the positive interaction of these people
for the last 400 or so years. It is the language of the street
though the official languages are French and English and are
both widely spoken.
The people are very friendly and you will
notice it right from the time you set foot on the islands.
The food in the Seychelles reflects the islands mixed heritage.
Fish together with a variety of exotic vegetables, herbs,
spices and fruits form the basis of Creole cuisine.
In this mainly Catholic country, the principal
non-religious festival is Festival Kreol. The festival is
held annually for a week around the end of October with the
intention of celebrating Creole cuisine, fashion, art music,
puppetry, literature and dance. Masters of these arts hail
from the all over the world and bring along a welcome infusion
of colour to this quiet corner of the globe. The dates for
the festival for the current year are 25-31 October.
Communications
Telephone, fax, telegram, post and Internet services are available.
Direct
dialing to most countries is available at most hotels. The
country code for the Seychelles is 248. Mobile phones are
based on GSM 900 network. You
can obtain a GSM card that will allow you to make international
calls to any country.
Accommodation
The Seychelles can hardly be described as budget destination.
There are no youth hostels and camping is not allowed. The
bigger hotels and resorts come equipped with air-conditioning,
private bathrooms, swimming pools and a variety of sporting
facilities. Some smaller establishments may lack some of theses
facilities but make up by way of privacy and seclusion.
You can get reasonable rates (by Seychelles
standards) for apartments, bed-sitters and bungalows. Most
of the hotels sit on Mahe Island while some of the smaller
islands host only a single hotel. The Seychelles is deliberately
not a mass-market destination. Accommodation can get very
tight especially in the high season. It is always advisable
to book and if required confirm with a deposit.
Have a look at the kind of accommodation available
at our Seychelles hotel
page:
Money
The local currency is the Seychelles Rupee (SR). Foreign currency
can be freely exchanged at hotels and banks. The currencies
that will get you the most reasonable rates are US dollar
and Euro. Travelers cheques (i.e checks) enjoy wide acceptance
especially at hotels, shops and restaurants frequented by
tourists.
Visa and American Express cards are widely
accepted except at the very smallest establishments. Diners
Club and Mastercard and other minor cards are honoredin fewer
places.
Climate
The islands experience a sub tropical climate that is generally
warm and humid. The weather is stable and nearly perfect year
round. Hurricanes, cyclones and similar disturbances are absent
here. The mean temperature is 29ºC and is usually mitigated
by a gentle breeze. July and August are the coolest months
at 28°C and at which time sea temperature
drops to 27°C! Being so near the equator you can expect
12 hours of daylight.
Between May and September it is cooler, less
rainy and the humidity is also lower due the activity of trade
winds. In the November – March period it rains more,
humidity is higher and is also warmer. Mid December to Mid
January is the period with the highest rainfall. When it rains,
it is rarely for more than a continuous hour or two. The rainy
season need not worry you, as there is still sufficient sunshine
to sunbathe!
International Travel
Only a few airlines offer direct flights to Seychelles. Air
Seychelles offers direct flights from selected cities in Europe
and Africa. Connections to North America, Australia and the
Far East are widely available.
Scheduled airlines flying to and from the
Seychelles include: Air Seychelles, Kenya Airways, Aeroflot,
Air Austral, Air France, British Airways, Air Mauritius and
Inter Air (South Africa). There is a departure tax of USD
40 payable in foreign currency. This tax will however most
likely be included in your air ticket.
Local Travel
You can get from Mahe to Praslin, Fregate,
Desroches, Bird and Denis Islands by using regular Air Seychelles
flights. The same airline runs charter services to some of
the less visited locations such as Silhouette and Alphonse.
Schooner ferries have a regular run between Mahe, Praslin
and La Digue. But you can also charter a boat to get you around
the other islands.
The Seychelles is a small place with the main
island Mahe being only 27 km long. The capital Victoria is
reported to be the smallest in the world. Most visitors take
this as a blessing and you can confirm at the airport that
there is a disproportionate number escaping from some infamously
huge metropolis.
Walking is a quite a good way to get around.
Bus services are only availablein Mahe and Praslin islands.
Taxi service is to be found in these two islands and also
in La Digue. Small cars (mainly open Jeeps and mini mokes)
are also available for hire in Mahe and Praslin.
Get to our Seychelles
Car Rental page to check out what is available:
Travel Insurance
The Seychelles islands are far away for anywhere. For this reason
make sure your travel insurance includes emergency evacuation. Evacuation in
case of illness or injury even to a hospital in Victoria can be quite expensive
and means of payment may need to be ascertained in advance.
What to Wear
Light comfortable casual clothing is advised.
Except for those attending
church you will find very few people in suits and neck ties.
Even on business, turning out in a safari suit and open neck
shirt is perfectly acceptable. Light cotton dresses, slacks
and shorts are sufficient for women in this tropical climate.
Sandals or light canvas shoes are usually adequate. The Seychellois
are a modest people and you should avoid wearing swimwear
except on the beaches
