Written around the ferry, not around a wish list
Seven days, and ten
Both of these move you twice and no more, because a third move on a short trip is a day spent on jetties.
Two moves, in one direction, and a night back at the end.
There are only two good shapes for a Seychelles trip and they differ by three nights. Both go outward from Mahé and both end back on it, because the flight home leaves from there in the evening and because the crossings get shorter as you go rather than longer.
What follows is not a list of everything there is to do. It is the order that wastes the fewest days, with the things worth building around named in each place.
Seven days: two islands, one move
Nights one to three on Mahé. Land, collect the hire car at the airport, and stay on whichever coast is calm in your month. Day one is the south-west road and a beach. Day two is Victoria in the morning, the market before nine, and the mountain road across the middle of the island in the afternoon. Day three is a boat out to the Sainte Anne marine park.
Nights four to seven on Praslin. Morning ferry, four nights, and the Vallée de Mai on the first full day before the tour buses arrive. Anse Lazio one afternoon and Anse Georgette another. One boat day out to Curieuse for the tortoises and Saint Pierre for the snorkelling. Ferry back to Mahé on the morning of the flight.
Ten days: three islands, two moves
Nights one to three on Mahé, exactly as above. Nights four to six on Praslin, with the Vallée de Mai, both beaches and the Curieuse boat day.
Nights seven to nine on La Digue. Fifteen minutes on the small boat from Praslin, and then bicycles for three days. Anse Source d'Argent in the late afternoon when the light comes round and the day visitors have gone. Grand Anse and the east coast on the second day, which is a ride worth doing whether or not you swim. Night ten back on Mahé, near the airport, for the flight.
The days out
Island tours, boat days, snorkelling and walks, with real ratings, real review counts and free cancellation up to twenty-four hours before.
See the toursWhy the direction matters
Mahé to Praslin is about an hour on the fast ferry. Praslin to La Digue is fifteen minutes on a small boat that runs constantly. Mahé to La Digue direct is around two hours with the change, or an hour and a half on the weekend sailing.
So going outward, each move is shorter than the last, and the only long crossing happens on day four when you are fresh. Reversing it means the longest leg falls at the end of the trip with luggage and a flight to catch.
The last night on Mahé
Flights towards India leave Mahé in the evening, and you have to be off Praslin or La Digue that morning to make them. Without a final night on Mahé the last day of your holiday is spent on boats and in a departure hall.
One night near the airport or at Eden Island costs a night and buys a whole day. It is the single best-value decision in a Seychelles itinerary and the one most people leave out.
What to build the days around
On Mahé: the market in Victoria before nine, the mountain road, the south-west coast, and one boat day to Sainte Anne. On Praslin: the Vallée de Mai early, Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, and the Curieuse and Saint Pierre boat day. On La Digue: a bicycle, Anse Source d'Argent in the afternoon light, and the east-coast ride.
Everything else is a beach, and the beaches do not need planning. They need the right coast for the month, which is the other page.
What to leave out
A fourth island on ten nights. A day trip to Praslin from Mahé, which is an hour each way with an eye on the return boat. A helicopter transfer between two places the ferry connects. And any morning that starts with a check-out and ends with a check-in, unless it is one of the two moves.
If you have fourteen nights rather than ten, do not add islands. Add days to Praslin and La Digue, and use them on the water.
How this changes by season
It does not, except in one respect: which coast of each island you sleep on. The order, the moves and the days are the same in January as in July. From December to March take the south and east side of each island. From May to September take the north and west. In April and October it does not matter.
That is the only seasonal edit either of these itineraries needs.
What people ask.
What is a good 7 day Seychelles itinerary?
Three nights on Mahé with a hire car, then four on Praslin. Victoria and the market on day two, a Sainte Anne boat day on day three, the Vallée de Mai on your first full day on Praslin, and one boat day to Curieuse and Saint Pierre.
What is a good 10 day itinerary?
Three nights on Mahé, three on Praslin, three on La Digue and a final night back on Mahé for the flight. Two ferry crossings, both taken in the morning, both going outward.
Which island first?
Mahé, because that is where you land, and then outward to Praslin and La Digue. Each crossing is shorter than the last that way, and the long one falls on day four rather than on the day you fly home.
Do we need a night back on Mahé at the end?
Usually. Flights towards India leave Mahé in the evening but you must be off the other islands that morning, so without it the last day is spent on boats. One night costs a night and buys a whole day.
Can we add a fourth island?
Not on ten nights. On fourteen, yes, and Silhouette or one of the outer islands is the interesting choice. On anything shorter, add days rather than places.
Does the itinerary change with the season?
Only in which coast of each island you sleep on. December to March take the south and east. May to September take the north and west. The order and the moves stay the same all year.
Send us your dates and we will send back the version with your coast in it
Meera will take one of these two shapes, put your month's calm coast into it, time the crossings to the morning, and price the car, the ferries and the boat days.