The east coast swimming beach
Anse Royale
Beach · The east coast swimming beach
Anse Royale in short.
A long shallow beach on the east coast of Mahé with a reef offshore, a village behind it and a bus that stops at the end of the road. It is where people on the east side of the island actually swim.
Which months
On the east coast, so the calm months are December to March, when the wind is on the far side of the island. The reef keeps it flat on most other days too.
Anse Royale, in 3 frames.
Harvested from this beach's own Commons category, with the file's own title naming the beach. Captions are that title.
Photographs, under Creative Commons: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0 dronepicr, CC BY 2.0 Njohn5188, CC BY-SA 4.0 Tribalninja, Public domain
A beach with a village on it
Anse Royale is not a resort beach. There is a school, a church, a few shops and a petrol station within a few hundred metres of the sand, and the beach is used by the people who live there. That gives it a completely different feeling from the west coast, and for a lot of visitors it is the more interesting one.
The water is shallow and calm for a long way out because of the reef, which makes it one of the better beaches on Mahé for small children.
What is around it
The Jardin du Roi spice garden is up the hill behind the beach and is worth an hour. Fairyland and Anse Forbans are a few minutes further south, both quieter and both on the same sheltered coast.
There is snorkelling out towards the reef and around the small island offshore, and the water is clearest in the December to March window.
How you arrive
About fifteen minutes by road from the airport, straight down the east coast. The Victoria to Anse Royale bus runs frequently and stops on the beach road.
The sheet.
Checked 2 September 2026.
- Island
- Mahé, east coast
- Calmest
- December to March, when the wind is on the other side
- Reef
- yes, offshore, which is what keeps it flat
- Around it
- a village, a school, shops and a bus stop
What people ask.
When is Anse Royale calm?
On the east coast, so the calm months are December to March, when the wind is on the far side of the island. The reef keeps it flat on most other days too.
How do you get to Anse Royale?
About fifteen minutes by road from the airport, straight down the east coast. The Victoria to Anse Royale bus runs frequently and stops on the beach road.
Is there anything on the beach?
a village, a school, shops and a bus stop
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.