Seychelles on a Sailboat: Charting Your Course Through Paradise

The passages between anchorages in Seychelles’ Inner Islands typically run one to three hours — short enough that you can weigh anchor after a slow breakfast and be tied up at a new beach in time for lunch. With 115 islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, the granitic Inner Islands form a compact cruising ground where nearly all recreational sailing happens, and where the distances never demand a full day’s passage. That makes this archipelago one of the most accessible tropical sailing destinations in the world for anyone with a taste for island-hopping under sail.

This guide covers the core Inner Islands circuit, the practical choices between bareboat and crewed charters, and the seasonal windows that determine whether you’ll have flat water or a fresh breeze. It’s built around the route that most first-time visitors sail — a week-long loop from Praslin through La Digue, Curieuse, Cousin, and the smaller granitic islands — with options to extend toward Mahé or push farther out if you have the time and experience.

Praslin: The Gateway to the Inner Islands

Most bareboat charters start from Praslin’s Baie Ste Anne, and there’s a good reason for that. The island sits at the center of the Inner Islands cruising ground, putting La Digue, Curieuse, and Cousin all within a short sail. You can clear the marina after a morning briefing and be anchored off a white-sand beach by early afternoon.

Anse Lazio, on the northwest coast, is the beach everyone talks about — a long arc of white sand framed by granite boulders and overhanging palms. The snorkeling right off the beach turns up batfish, blue-spotted rays, and surgeonfish, and the water stays calm enough for a casual swim. Dinghy ashore and you’ll find Bonbon Plume restaurant under tamarind trees, where giant tortoises wander between the tables while you eat octopus salad and prawns with lentils.

Inland, the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that shelters six species of palm, including the famous coco de mer. The seeds are the heaviest in the plant kingdom — some exceed 80 pounds — and the trees are endemic to Praslin and nearby Curieuse. A guided walk through the forest with a ranger like Iyvan takes about an hour and reveals the ecology behind the island’s national symbol.

La Digue: Bicycles, Boulders, and Barefoot Beaches

With a population of roughly 3,000 and hardly any cars, La Digue runs on bicycles and ox-carts. You’ll anchor outside the small marina — the water depth inside is tight for most charter catamarans — and take the dinghy to the jetty at La Passe, where bicycle hire stands line the road. Hire one for the day and you can cover the island’s main sights at a pace that matches the general mood here.

Anse Source d’Argent is the beach that appears on every Seychelles postcard, and for good reason. A winding sandy path flanked by giant granite boulders leads to a series of coves with shallow, protected swimming behind the reef. The snorkeling turns up large parrotfish, and the boulders create natural partitions that give each cove a private feel. The beach is accessed through L’Union Estate, a former coconut plantation that now operates as a museum of sorts — you can see traditional coconut oil production, the old plantation house, and a boatyard where vanilla vines grow alongside epoxy and fibreglass.

For a different kind of beach, ride across the island to Grand Anse. The surf rolls in over the reef with enough power that swimming is risky, but the beach itself is wild and dramatic — thick vegetation, enormous boulders, and hardly any tourists. A beach shack serves fresh BBQ fish with local spices, plantain chips, and cold Sey lager.

Curieuse and Cousin: Tortoises, Tropicbirds, and Rangers

Curieuse Island, about five miles from Praslin, is a marine park and tortoise sanctuary where giant Aldabra tortoises roam freely. A landing fee of around 100 rupees is collected on arrival, and a short path leads from the beach into the interior where the tortoises congregate. One resident, a 110-year-old individual, was introduced as a hatchling during the population revival effort. Others have earned nicknames from the rangers — there’s a three-legged tortoise called Captain Morgan, and one known as Mike Tyson for its habit of biting from behind.

Seychelles hosts an estimated 200,000 giant tortoises across its islands — roughly twice the human population of the entire country. That number exceeds the tortoise population of the Galápagos, though the two species are different. On Curieuse, the tortoises are completely free-roaming and used to visitors, which makes for easy, close-up encounters.

Cousin Island, a short sail from Curieuse, is a special reserve managed for bird conservation. Eight rangers live on the island year-round, protecting nesting populations of white-tailed tropicbirds, sooty terns, and frigate birds. Landing requires an authorized guide — your charter operator can arrange this — and the walk through the reserve takes about 90 minutes. Ranger Clinton leads visitors past nesting sites and giant tortoises, including a 145-year-old named Gandalf.

Mahé and the Southern Anchorages

Mahé works best as a start or end point for longer itineraries. The international airport is here, and Eden Island Marina — built around 2024 with a supermarket, yacht services, and restaurants — sits a ten-minute taxi ride from the terminal. If you’re flying in to pick up a bareboat charter, arriving a day early gives you a buffer against delayed connections and lets you provision at the marina supermarket before you cast off.

Sainte Anne Marine National Park lies just off Mahé’s coast, a protected area of coral reefs and six small islands that you can explore by tender or kayak. Round Island and Cerf Island both have trails and picnic spots, and the snorkeling through the coral gardens turns up sea turtles, reef sharks, and the usual cast of tropical reef fish. The park is a popular day-trip destination from Mahé, but arriving by charter boat means you have the anchorages to yourself after the excursion boats leave.

Beau Vallon beach, on Mahé’s northwest coast, stretches for miles and is ideal for a long walk or a street-food dinner. Fisherman Didieu cooks emperor fish with rice, creole papaya salsa, and salad for about £10 per person — the kind of meal that tastes best eaten barefoot on the sand as the flying foxes begin their evening chatter in the trees above.

Beyond the Inner Islands: The Outer Route

The Outer Islands — Alphonse, Farquhar, and the Amirantes — are coral atolls spread across a much wider area than the granitic Inner Islands. The passages are longer, the facilities are minimal, and the planning requirements are higher. This is not a route for a first-time charter crew or a one-week itinerary. For experienced sailors with two weeks or more, the trade-off is access to untouched reefs, rarely visited anchorages, and the kind of solitude that the Inner Islands, quiet as they are, can’t quite match.

Most charter operators recommend the Outer Islands only for crews with significant open-water experience. The crossing from Mahé to Alphonse, for example, is an overnight passage of roughly 150 nautical miles with no sheltered stops along the way. If you’re considering it, talk to your charter base well in advance — they’ll need to confirm that your sailing CV matches the demands of the route, and that the boat is equipped for longer crossings.

Choosing Your Charter and Season

The first decision is whether to go bareboat or crewed. Bareboat means you rent the yacht without a skipper — you handle the navigation, anchoring, and all boat operations. Charter companies in Seychelles require a valid sailing license and a nautical CV that shows the boats you’ve handled and the conditions you’re competent in. Crewed charters come with a professional skipper who handles everything, and no license is required. For a family with limited sailing experience, a crewed catamaran is the simpler option and still leaves plenty of room for participation — raising sails, taking the helm, learning to read the wind.

Start base matters, especially on shorter trips. Praslin’s Baie Ste Anne puts you closest to La Digue, Curieuse, and Cousin, saving a full day of sailing compared to departing from Mahé. On a 7-day charter, that difference is significant. For a 10-day itinerary, starting from Mahé gives you the option to add Silhouette Island and extra anchorages on the way north, creating a fuller picture of the Inner Islands.

The wind windows are straightforward. November to April brings light northwest monsoon winds — mild conditions suitable for all experience levels, including first-timers and families. This period coincides with the wetter season, but the rain comes in brief heavy showers rather than all-day drizzle. May to October delivers stronger southeast trade winds of 15–25 knots, which experienced sailors will appreciate for faster passages but which create surface chop that reduces snorkeling visibility at exposed sites. April and November are the transitional months with the calmest, lightest winds — ideal for flat water and minimal wind, though you’ll motor more than you’ll sail.

Before You Go: Seychelles Sailing

Do I need a sailing license to charter a boat in Seychelles?

For a bareboat charter, yes — you need a valid sailing license and a nautical CV that charter companies review before approving your booking. For a crewed charter, no license is required; the skipper holds all qualifications and handles the boat.

What’s the best time of year for a first-time sailor?

November to April offers the lightest winds and calmest seas, which makes the Inner Islands accessible to less-experienced crews. The water clarity is better during these months for snorkeling, too. April and November are especially calm, though you may motor more than you sail.

How long does it take to sail between islands?

Most passages in the Inner Islands take one to three hours. Praslin to Curieuse is about five miles. Praslin to La Digue is roughly nine miles. Grande Soeur from La Digue is around 11 miles. You’ll rarely spend a full day under way.

Can I sail to the Outer Islands on a standard charter?

Most charter operators recommend the Outer Islands only for experienced crews on extended charters of two weeks or more. The passages are longer, the facilities are minimal, and the planning is more involved. Stick to the Inner Islands for a first trip.

What should I pack for a sailing charter in Seychelles?

Soft canvas luggage is much more practical than hard-shell suitcases — storage on a catamaran is limited. Pack swimwear, light clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, high-SPF sunscreen, polarized sunglasses, and deck-friendly footwear. A lightweight sweater is useful for cooler evenings on the water. Leave the formal wear at home.

Paradise Under Sail

The real argument for seeing Seychelles by sailboat isn’t about the beaches — though the beaches are extraordinary — or the tortoises, or the coco de mer forests. It’s about the rhythm of the day: waking up in a quiet anchorage, raising the sails for a two-hour passage, and dropping anchor in a new cove by lunch. The Inner Islands are compact enough that you can cover real ground without ever feeling rushed, and the trade winds are reliable enough that you can plan a route and trust the weather will cooperate. That combination — short passages, dependable conditions, and an island at every horizon — is rare, and it’s what makes this corner of the Indian Ocean one of the best places on earth to learn what sailing is supposed to feel like.

References

Aqua Expeditions. “Seychelles & Tanzania Cruise.” Aqua Expeditions, 2026. ↗

If you’re still plotting your Seychelles route, the deep dive on Praslin’s Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio covers both in more detail than we had room for here. For the full story on La Digue’s most famous beach, Anse Source d’Argent decoded walks through the best angles and times of day. And if you’re curious about Mahé’s granite landscapes, Seychelles’ granite giants traces the geology behind those boulders that frame every beach photo.