Marine park water
Port Launay
Beach · Marine park water
Port Launay in short.
A sheltered bay on the north-west coast of Mahé inside Port Launay Marine National Park, with the flattest, clearest water on the island and a mangrove river running into the far end of it.
Which months
North-west coast, so the calm months are May to September. It is sheltered even in the December to March monsoon by the headland and the park's own geography.
Port Launay, in 6 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: So Seychelles, CC BY 2.0 A.Savin, FAL So Seychelles, CC BY 2.0 So Seychelles, CC BY 2.0 Fabio Achilli, CC BY 2.0 Photography by Dino Sassi - Marcel Fayon, Photo Eden LTD, Public domain A.Savin, FAL
Why the water is like that
Port Launay sits inside a marine national park, which means no fishing and no water-skiing, and the bay is protected on three sides. The result is water that stays flat when the coast either side of it is not, and the best casual snorkelling on Mahé straight off the sand.
Whale sharks pass through this stretch of coast between August and October, and the park is one of the places people go looking for them.
The mangroves
Behind the southern end of the beach, the Port Launay mangrove wetland is a protected Ramsar site: a rare habitat in Seychelles and one of the few places you can walk into one. It is quiet, shaded and completely unlike the beach in front of it.
Anse Major, which has no road, is reached on foot from Danzil a few kilometres north of here.
How you arrive
About forty minutes by road from the airport, up the west coast past Port Glaud. A bus runs to Port Glaud. There is a park entrance fee on some access points.
The sheet.
Checked 2 September 2026.
- Island
- Mahé, north west coast
- Inside
- Port Launay Marine National Park
- Calmest
- May to September
- Why people come
- the flattest snorkelling water on Mahé
What people ask.
When is Port Launay calm?
North-west coast, so the calm months are May to September. It is sheltered even in the December to March monsoon by the headland and the park's own geography.
How do you get to Port Launay?
About forty minutes by road from the airport, up the west coast past Port Glaud. A bus runs to Port Glaud. There is a park entrance fee on some access points.
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.