Seychelles

The Republic of Seychelles is a state in Africa. Out of 115 volcanic and coral islands only 33 are inhabited. The capital city is Victoria on the island Mahe.

The climate in the island state is maritime sub-equatorial. There is a cool season, which lasts from June to November (the average temperature is +24°C) and a hot season from December to May (the normal temperature is +29°C). From December to April, northeast monsoon is blowing. We recommend travelling to Seychelles in April, May, September or October.

The majority of the people are the Catholics and the Anglicans. The officials languages are English, French, and Creole.

The lovers of beach holidays should visit the beaches on the islands Praslin and Mahe. These are the best places for surfing. Mahe is the destination for active tourists who prefer city entertainments and night clubs. Divers will appreciate the beauty of tropical fishes and underwater coral gardens on the islands Desroches and Mahe. On Seychelles, the tourists can take a sea trip, try underwater hunting, and go fishing. Here one can catch a tiger shark, a blue swordfish, and barracuda.

If you prefer out-of-town holidays you should go to Kuzin. This is an untouched unique natural reserve. The Saint Anne Marine National Park consists of 6 islands and the tourists can see here coral reefs and pirate graves.

If you are planning to spend more time in city resorts choose Mahe with its large shops and malls.

Get in

The most comfortable way to get to Seychelles is a flight.

By Plane

We recommend choosing Air Seychelles which offers direct charter flights from Moscow to Mahe. Emirates and Qatar Airways offer transit flights.

The European tourists can take a flight by Air France. Lufthansa offers a flight with a transfer in Frankfurt.

Air France, Lufthansa, and Emirates also fly from Belarus and Ukraine to Mahe with a stop in hub airports in Paris, Frankfurt, and Dubai.

By Ferry

large international cruise ships regularly arrive at the ports of Seychelles.

Visa

The European and CIS citizens can travel to Seychelles and stay there for a month visa-free.

The tourists must provide a valid international passport, a booking confirmation, return ticket, and confirmation of financial sufficiency.

If needed, the tourists can prolong their stay on Seychelles for three months more by applying to the Immigration Service.

There are no movement’s restrictions on Seychelles.

Customs

There are no restrictions concerning the import and export of foreign currency on Seychelles. The import and export of national currency is limited to 2.000 Seychellois rupees.

The tourists are allowed to bring in the following goods duty-free:

• cigarettes and alcohol;
• sports equipment (the sum should not exceed 500 rupees);
• precious metals goods (the sum should not exceed 500 rupees);
• personal belongings (the total sum should not exceed 3.000 rupees).

The following goods can be imported duty-free but with the deposit:

• filming equipment;
• sports equipment;
• electronic portable devices;
• musical instruments.

It is prohibited to import:

• equipment for underwater hunting;
• seeds, plants, and seedlings;
• fruits and vegetables;
• tea;
• meat products and non-canned meat.

It is not allowed to export from Seychelles:

• Coco de Mer (coconuts);
• live fish;
• corals and sea shells;
• goods made from the turtle shell.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the Seychelles is based on Creole cooking traditions. The staple food here is rice and seafood. The people on the island love spices such as cumin, anise, ginger, nutmeg, saffron.

The Seychelles are a true paradise for seafood lovers. Try shark chutney, Pwason ek Diri (fish with rice), tuna steaks, swordfish baked in dough, sea fox casserole, and roasted Bourgeois fish. You will like the unusual taste of fish and coconut curry, octopus salad, Pulao (rice, fish, meat and vegetables casserole), and Tek Teka (hot fish broth with mussels).

The locals eat fruits and vegetables every day. The local chefs add bananas to salads, they boil, stew and roast them, and serve as a side dish. The islanders are proud of eggplants roasted with anise and of a savoury soup with breadfruit.

Traditional meat is not common on the Seychelles but exotic meat dishes will impress the tourists. A bat stew will be a discovery. If you prefer something more traditional try pork served on banana leaves and chicken stew with lime juice.

Those who have a sweet tooth can treat themselves to a jam from bilimbi (cucumber tree) and coconut nougat.

Traditional drinks on the Seychelles are Seybrew (fermented cane sugar), Bakka (fermented coconut water), and Dite Zitronel (lemon balm-based liqueur). The locals also like Columbian and Ethiopian coffee and tea with vanilla and cinnamon.

Money

The national currency of the Seychelles is the Seychellois Rupee (SCR). In circulation are:

• the bank notes from 10 to 100 rupees;
• coins (cents).

We recommend exchanging the currency at banks, at the airport, in hotels and exchange offices. To exchange the rupees back to US dollars, previous currency exchange receipts are required.

Credit cards are accepted in large shops, hotels, and banks. In provinces and some regions, credit cards are not accepted.

The criminal situation on the Seychelles is quite favourable.

Details of interest

Very soon you will take your journey to the Seychelles. What places to visit? What gifts to bring to your family and friends?

Sightseeing on the Seychelles

• Mahe is the largest island in the Republic. Go to the capital city Victoria and have a walk along the Marquette Street with a legendary Cathedral of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception and the Clock Tower. Visit the Seychelles Natural History Museum and the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens.
• In Praslin, you can go to the unique natural park the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This reserve is a natural habitat of black parrots and 7.000 Coco de Mer palms. Enjoy the amazing landscapes of Anse Volbert, Cote d’Or, St. Anne’s Bay, and Anse Lazio Bay.
• The Aride Island Nature Reserve is the only place in the world where a lemon tree and wonderful Wright’s gardenia grow. You can watch the tropical birds and take a picture of the largest colony of roseate terns in the world.
• On the Silhouette Island, you will enjoy the beauty of the equatorial forest.
• If you take a trip to the Kuzin island, you can see how the sea turtles lay eggs. On the Bird Island lives the most famous turtle in the world, a huge sea turtle Esmeralda.
• The Saint Anne Marine National Park consists of 6 islands. Do not miss a chance to explore the Moyenne Island with pirate graves.
• La Digue is an island with beautiful rose beaches.

Souvenirs on the Seychelles

On the island Praslin, the tourists buy Coco de Mer, coconut liqueur, and vanilla from the plantation. Always buy coconuts and vanilla only at the sellers who give a certificate which allows exporting these goods from the Seychelles.

Pearl jewellery and paintings by the local artists are sold on Mahe.

Handmade models of sailing ships are sold all over the Seychelles.

In the village of craftsmen, the tourists buy jewellery boxes, folding screens, baskets, and coconut jewellery.

On Mahe, you will find black and white rum, souvenir coral jewellery (with official certificate confirming the purchase is legal).