The quiet south east
Anse Forbans
Beach · The quiet south east
Anse Forbans in short.
A long shallow bay behind a reef on the south-east coast of Mahé, with almost nobody on it and a name that means the pirates' cove.
Which months
South-east coast, so the calm months are December to March. The reef keeps it flat on many days outside that window too.
Photographs, under Creative Commons: Yulia Kolosova, CC BY 4.0
Shallow, sheltered, and empty
The reef sits a few hundred metres off this whole stretch of coast and takes the swell before it arrives, which leaves a lagoon that is shallow, warm and calm. There are a handful of small self-catering places behind the sand and very little else.
It is one of the easiest beaches in the country to swim at with small children, and one of the least visited, largely because it is at the far end of the island from the hotels.
The south-east coast
Anse Forbans, Anse Marie-Louise and Fairyland run along the same reef within a few minutes of each other, and all three are on the coast that is calm exactly when the famous north-west beaches are not. If you are in Seychelles in January and Beau Vallon is grey, this is where to drive.
There is snorkelling out towards the reef, and turtles nest along this coast.
Staying at this end of the island
There is no resort at Anse Forbans and there is not going to be one. What there is instead is a run of small self-catering houses and guest rooms along the road behind the sand, which is the least expensive way to be on a beach in Seychelles and, for a family cooking its own food, often the best one.
It is about forty minutes from Victoria and twenty-five from the airport, which means the trade for the quiet is a drive whenever you want a supermarket or a restaurant that is not the one at the end of the road. Anse Royale, ten minutes north, has both.
How you arrive
About twenty-five minutes by road from the airport, south along the east coast past Anse Royale. The coast bus passes the end of the road.
The sheet.
Checked 2 September 2026.
- Island
- Mahé, south east coast
- Calmest
- December to March
- What it is
- a long shallow bay behind a reef, with almost nobody on it
- Name
- Anse Forbans, the pirates' cove
What people ask.
When is Anse Forbans calm?
South-east coast, so the calm months are December to March. The reef keeps it flat on many days outside that window too.
How do you get to Anse Forbans?
About twenty-five minutes by road from the airport, south along the east coast past Anse Royale. The coast bus passes the end of the road.
Is there anything on the beach?
Nothing built. Take what you need with you.
What we do arrange.
The sand is not ours. The car that gets you to it, the day out that takes in three more of them and the driver who meets the flight all are.
Car hire, from €45 a day
Ten cars, no deposit, handed over at the airport, the jetty or your hotel.
Days out and excursions
Island tours, boat days, snorkelling and walks, with real ratings and free cancellation to twenty-four hours.
Airport transfers
A driver who watches your flight number and waits with your name on a board.
The terminal photograph above: Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Planning a week around the right coast?
Send the dates. Meera will tell you which side of which island is calm in your month, and put the car and the days out around it.