Ferries in Seychelles
Three islands,
one sea.
Cat Cocos and Cat Rose. Three crossings, from €15, and the whole archipelago is an hour and a quarter wide.
Three crossings.
Each has its own boat, its own hour and its own price.
Mahé to Praslin
The main crossing of the archipelago. You leave Victoria and a little over an hour later you are on Praslin.
Mahé to La Digue
One ticket the whole way to La Digue, with the change at Praslin already solved.
Praslin to La Digue
The short hop between the two small islands. Fifteen minutes, and sailings almost every hour.
What to know before the quay.
- Boarding
- Thirty minutes before departure
- The gate closes
- Fifteen minutes before
- Changes
- Up to three working days before
- Port fee
- €2 per adult, leaving Mahé
There are three jetties in the whole country and none of them is large enough to get lost in. Inter Island Quay in Victoria, Baie Sainte-Anne on Praslin and La Passe on La Digue.
Luggage is carried and the crew stow the big cases themselves, which after the fifteen-kilo limit on the domestic aircraft is worth saying out loud. Hand baggage stays with you.
Where you actually leave from.
Mahé
JettyInter Island Quay, Victoria. Ten minutes from the town centre and about half an hour from the airport
Praslin
JettyBaie Sainte-Anne, on the east coast. Closer to most Praslin hotels than the airstrip is
La Digue
JettyLa Passe, the old harbour. The whole island is within a bicycle ride of it
How the crossing goes.
Cat Cocos is a fast catamaran with air conditioning below and open deck above. Below is cooler. Above is the reason to be on a boat at all.
The crossing is part of the trip rather than a queue between two parts of it. Mahé drops away, the sea goes from blue to a paler blue over the shallows, and Praslin comes up out of it. An hour on that deck buys more of the country than an hour anywhere else.
About the sea.
From June to September the south-east trades blow and the crossing between Mahé and Praslin can be lively. It is not dangerous and it is a short crossing, but it is not flat either, and nobody enjoys finding that out on the day.
If you travel badly at sea, sit in the middle of the boat, keep your eyes on the horizon and take something an hour before. That covers it almost every time.
If it still worries you, there is a fifteen-minute flight between Mahé and Praslin. It costs more and it is stricter about luggage, and it is a perfectly reasonable thing to buy your way out of.
What happens at the other end.
At Baie Sainte-Anne on Praslin, a hire car can be waiting at the jetty, which is the simplest way to arrive on an island where the good beaches are spread out and the buses are thin.
At La Passe on La Digue there are no cars to hire and you will not want one. There are bicycles at the jetty and they are enough for the whole island.
Coming back into Victoria, the quay is about half an hour from the airport, which is worth knowing if you are sailing on the day you fly home.
The eight that arrive every week.
How early should we be at the jetty?
Boarding opens thirty minutes before departure and the gate closes fifteen minutes before. Half an hour is enough. An hour is comfortable.
Is luggage included?
Yes, with no weight limit worth worrying about. The crew stow the big cases themselves and hand baggage stays with you.
Can we change the ticket?
Up to three working days before departure. After that it is fixed, so it is worth settling the date early rather than holding it open.
Is the sea rough?
From June to September it can be, when the south-east trades are blowing. It is not dangerous and it is not the open ocean, but it moves. Sit in the middle of the boat, keep your eyes on the horizon, and take something an hour before if you are prone to it.
Do you sell the tickets?
No. Tickets are sold by Viator, our partner, at the operator's own price. We add nothing to it, and this site earns a commission from Viator if you book through our link.
What is the port fee?
Two euros per adult, leaving Mahé. It is charged at the quay and it is not part of the ticket price.
Are there ferries to the other islands?
Not scheduled ones. Sainte Anne, Curieuse, Cousin and the rest are reached by excursion boat rather than by a public ferry, and the private islands arrange their own crossings with the booking.
Should we fly instead?
Between Mahé and Praslin you can, in about fifteen minutes. It is faster, dearer and stricter about luggage. Most people take the ferry, and many take one leg each way.
Which crossing, and which day?
Tell Meera where you are staying and how long you have. She will say which ferry to take, on which morning, and what to do with the rest of that day.