SEYCHELLES BEACHES

Best Beaches in Seychelles

From famous stretches of sand to quieter coves, Seychelles is known for exceptional beaches across Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and the surrounding islands. The best one for you depends on what you want from the day, whether that’s easy swimming, dramatic scenery, snorkelling, privacy, family-friendly access or a quieter escape, so use the map below to find where to swim, snorkel and unwind.

Interactive beach map

Find your beach

Choose an island, then a beach, to see when it is at its best, how the water usually behaves and what to expect on the sand. Pins mark each beach’s area, not an exact spot.

Mahé 10 beachesPraslin 5 beachesLa Digue 4 beaches

Sea conditions change with season, tide and weather, and some beaches have no lifeguard. Follow local flags and signs, and check conditions before you swim.

Choosing the Right Beach

Mahé Beaches

Mahé has the widest range of beaches and is the easiest island for visitors who want to combine beach days with restaurants, Victoria, hiking and other activities. Explore Mahé →

Beau Vallon

Mahé’s longest beach, and the one most visitors end up based near — a wide curve of silvery sand backed by hotels, restaurants and a steady run of parasailing and paddleboard rentals. The water stays shallow and calm for a long way out, which makes it the easiest beach on the island for families and nervous swimmers, though it’s also the most developed, so don’t expect the solitude of somewhere like Anse Georgette. Beau Vallon faces northwest, so it’s at its best from November through March, when the monsoon keeps that side of the island sheltered, and again in the April and October shoulder months, when the sea tends to turn glassy-calm. Between June and August, the southeast trade winds push chop into the bay and bring in seagrass, so swimming is less pleasant then even though the beach itself stays busy. No car needed — it’s a short taxi ride or a bus (route 20) from Victoria, and there’s no shortage of places to eat right on the sand.

Anse Royale

On Mahé’s southeast coast, Anse Royale trades Beau Vallon’s polish for something more local — a reef-protected stretch with restaurants, dive shops and a village just across the road, so you’re never far from a proper lunch or a place to rent snorkel gear. Because it faces the opposite direction to Beau Vallon, its seasons run in reverse: calmest from November to March, picking up with the trade winds from May through October, and properly lively in July and August, when windsurfers take advantage of it. April–May and October–November are the steadiest windows if you just want to swim. A car isn’t essential — buses 5 and 6 run from the airport in about twenty minutes — but driving gives you free parking right by the beach and the flexibility to continue down the coast.

Anse Boileau

A long, curving bay on Mahé’s west coast that sees a fraction of Beau Vallon’s crowds, with villas and a couple of restaurants nearby rather than a strip of hotels. The sand is mostly firm underfoot, though parts of the bay turn muddy closer to the rocks, and it’s known locally as one of the better spots to watch the sunset. Like the rest of the west coast, it picks up seasonal seaweed between June and September when the trade winds are blowing, so the calmer months either side are the better bet for swimming. A car makes it easier to find — bus access exists, but it’s a quieter, less signposted stretch than Mahé’s more popular beaches.

Port Launay

On the west coast, inside Port Launay Marine National Park, split into a North and South beach either side of a small headland — both calm, shallow and about as sheltered as Mahé’s coastline gets, which is why it’s one of the easier places to bring children or anyone still finding their feet in open water. North Beach sits beside the Constance Ephelia Resort and comes with proper infrastructure — restaurants, shade, and one of the better equipment-rental setups on the island for kayaking, diving and windsurfing. South Beach, a short walk around the point, is quieter and more dramatic at low tide, when the water pulls back far enough to reveal a sandy path out to the small island just offshore. Like most of Mahé’s west coast, the calmest water runs from November through March and through the April and October shoulder months, with a chance of seasonal seaweed once the southeast trade winds build between June and September. A car isn’t essential — both beaches have bus stops and parking — but having one makes it easy to see both sides of the bay in the same afternoon.

Anse Intendance

Anse Intendance is the beach you come to for the scenery rather than for a swim: about 800 metres of pale sand on Mahé’s south coast, framed by granite boulders, with big rolling waves and very little else. There’s no café, no toilets, no changing rooms and no lifeguard, and the nearest shops and casual restaurants are a 10–15 minute drive away, so bring water and anything you’ll want for the day. Between May and September the south-east trade winds bring strong currents and heavy surf, and it isn’t a place for casual swimmers. The calmer windows are April–May and October–November, when a cautious paddle becomes possible, and the red flags are always worth respecting. A car or taxi makes the trip easy, around 30–40 minutes from the airport, with a small car park at the end. Buses connect Victoria with the south of the island, but the last stretch may mean a short walk or a taxi. It takes a little effort to reach, which is a big part of why it feels so unspoilt.

Anse Takamaka

Anse Takamaka, on Mahé’s south-west coast, is the easier cousin of Intendance: roughly 500 metres of white sand backed by the takamaka trees and palms it’s named after, so there’s welcome shade. A bus stop is only a short walk from the sand, there’s parking close by, and the Creole restaurant Chez Batista sits right beside the beach. The water is clear and shallow, but the waves are often tall and the currents can be strong, so keep a close eye on children and check conditions before you go in. From May to September the south-east trade winds make the sea rougher, and from June seaweed tends to collect along the shore. Snorkelling can be rewarding here, but there’s no equipment to rent, so bring your own. A giant tortoise pen nearby makes a nice short detour; please don’t use flash photography.

Praslin Beaches

Praslin is especially well known for beautiful beaches, alongside the island’s nature attractions and easy access to nearby islands. Explore Praslin →

Anse Lazio

Anse Lazio shows up on more than one list of the world’s best beaches, and it earns the spot — a long sweep of soft white sand framed by granite headlands, with water clear and calm enough for easy swimming and snorkelling most of the year. There’s no road straight to it, which keeps the crowds thinner than you’d expect somewhere this well-known — you either walk the last stretch from the car park or arrive by bus and climb a short hill from the main road. A beach restaurant or two takes care of lunch. The best months to visit run from October through May; once the southeast trade winds set in from June to September, a genuine rip current forms at the beach’s northern end, so it’s worth being a little more careful swimming out past the shallows then. If you’re driving, expect to pay around 100 SCR for parking, and to find the lot full by mid-morning in high season.

Anse Georgette

If Anse Lazio feels too popular, Anse Georgette is the quieter alternative just over the headland — the same turquoise water and granite backdrop, with far fewer people, simply because it’s harder to reach. The beach sits within the grounds of the Constance Lemuria resort, so non-guests need permission arranged in advance, usually through the resort or a tour operator. The alternative is on foot: a steep two-to-two-and-a-half-hour hike over from Anse Lazio that’s genuinely tiring in the heat, so start early and bring plenty of water. Whichever way you arrive, the sea here follows the same seasonal pattern as its neighbour — gentler from October to May, with stronger current and rougher water once the trade winds pick up between June and September.

Anse Volbert

Anse Volbert, often called Côte d’Or, is Praslin’s all-rounder: a long, gently curving beach of about 2.5 kilometres where the water stays calm and shallow well out from the shore, sheltered by offshore reefs and Chauve Souris island, with no strong currents. That makes it the easiest place on the island to swim with children, and because it’s so long it rarely feels crowded. Snorkelling is best between the beach and Chauve Souris island, a short way offshore, and two dive centres operate from the beach. Visibility is at its best in April–May and October–November, between the monsoons, and can reach 30 metres. From December to March the north-west monsoon can wash seaweed onto the shore. You don’t need a car: buses run along the coast road with regular daytime stops (service thins out in the late afternoon), and the ferry terminal at Baie Sainte Anne is around 4 kilometres, or 15 minutes, away by car. Restaurants, small supermarkets and a bank with an ATM line the road behind the beach, though prices along this strip run higher than elsewhere on Praslin.

La Digue Beaches

La Digue is famous for its distinctive granite landscapes, with bicycles making it easy to combine several beaches in one day. Explore La Digue →

Anse Source d’Argent

Ask anyone to picture a Seychelles beach and this is likely what comes to mind — pale sand winding between house-sized granite boulders, with a reef just offshore that keeps the water calm enough to feel like a lagoon. It’s often called the most photographed beach in the world, and on a clear afternoon it’s easy to see why. Come early morning or late in the day, both for the light and to stay ahead of the day-trip boats that fill the sand by mid-morning. You don’t need a car — most visitors cycle or walk the twenty minutes from La Digue’s ferry jetty to L’Union Estate, then continue on foot for ten more minutes to the beach itself, paying a small entry fee that also covers the estate’s giant tortoise pen. May and October tend to be the sweet spot, with lighter crowds than the July–August rush and calmer seas than the trade winds bring between June and September. One thing worth checking before you go: the tide. At low tide, much of the bay is barely ankle-deep, so this is more a beach for wandering among the boulders and taking photographs than for swimming — save the proper swim for high tide.

Grand Anse

Grand Anse is La Digue’s longest beach, and one to walk rather than swim. It’s a wide, wild sweep of sand with big surf, and with no reef to break the waves the water gets deep quickly and rip currents can be strong, especially when the south-east trade winds are blowing. There’s no lifeguard, so most people simply enjoy the walk and the view. Most visitors arrive by bicycle, though you can also come on foot through the island’s interior, a flat stretch followed by a climb. Facilities are limited and there’s little shade, so carry water and sun protection. Petite Anse and Anse Cocos continue the same wild coastline on foot, with the same warning about swimming, and they tend to be quieter. Think of it as a half-day of beach and walking rather than a swim stop.

Beach Safety and Conditions

Beach conditions in Seychelles change with weather, swell, wind and seasonal currents. Some beaches are not suitable for swimming at all times. Follow local warnings and signs, avoid swimming alone in unfamiliar conditions, and take extra care around rocks and strong currents.

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