Boat and yacht charter Seychelles

The yachting°com Sailing Guide to Seychelles

Why sail in the Seychelles?

Seychelles is not only the pearl of the Indian Ocean, but also one of the most beautiful exotic places in the world. It will captivate you with its unspoilt beauty and unspoilt nature. On many of the islands and in most of the bays there is almost no civilisation - just you and deserted sandy beaches with coconut palms. Unlike other destinations where the season is limited to the winter in Europe, this area is suitable for holidays throughout the year. The Seychelles is also ideal for sailing, thanks to the mostly moderate winds and low waves.

View the range of boats

ostrov St. Pierre na Seychelách

The Seychelles are beautiful bays and national parks, both on land and at sea. The Republic of Seychelles lies about 1,000 km north of Madagascar, east of Africa, and is divided into two parts. The inner islands, where the majority of visitors go, and the outer islands, which are inhabited by only about 2% of the population. The main island of the Seychelles is Mahé, with the capital city of Victoria, which is one of the smallest capitals in the world. Uninhabited virgin islands, a sea full of fish of many sizes and colours, sandy beaches, coconut palms and giant tortoises!

Why sail to the Seychelles?

lots of beautiful romantic bays
national parks where you can go on excursions or pet the giant tortoise, an endangered species.
Moderate winds and low waves, a clear
blue and warm sea
All boats in the Seychelles have a grill on which you can prepare for dinner caught fish, which can only be caught with a rod. The local waters are full of tasty fish
Uninhabited virgin islands, a sea full of fish of different sizes and colours, sandy beaches, coconut palms and giant tortoises!

Yachting areas in the Seychelles

The most populated and most visited area for holidays and sailing is the area around the islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. Most tourists plan their holidays in this exotic area for 14 days, during which time it is possible to see the most beautiful and interesting places and return to the starting point. In the Seychelles, one can also take advantage of one way cruises.

Weather and climate

The Seychelles lies outside the normal range of tropical storms. Hurricanes that rush through the Pacific and then the Indian Ocean avoid them. So when you're planning a holiday in the Seychelles, you don't have to worry about hitting the tropical storm season. The only thing that changes here are the monsoons, or air currents.

From about the end of November to the end of April, the northwest monsoon prevails and the rest of the year the southeast monsoon prevails. The islands can adapt to them thanks to the large number of leeward and windward bays. The disadvantage of the Seychelles is the small number of good anchorages during the stronger winds.

WindsFrom

May to September a stronger south-easterly trade wind of 3-5 Bf (9-19 kn) blows, with minimal rainfall and air temperatures between 27-29 °C and water temperatures of 26-27 °C. April and October is a calm period usually without wind, ideal for diving and motor yachting. From November to March, the northwest trade winds blow 2-4 Bf (7-12 kn), with air temperatures between 28-30 °C and water temperatures between 27-28 °C.

IslandsMahé

The main island of the Seychelles archipelago with the newly built Eden marina and international airport. The marina, 5 km away, is easily reached by taxi in a few minutes. Anse Royale, where it is possible to anchor from the east side of Mahé, is a cliff-lined lagoon with a sandy beach and coconut palms. On the southwest side is the bay of Baie Lazare (Anse Lazare).

Also worth mentioning is the small national park on the northwest side of Mahé, Port Launay. If the southeast monsoon blows in summer, it is possible to anchor in some places on the north side of Mahé. Unfortunately, this is not possible during the northwest monsoon.

View of the

Praslin

part of

MahéAbout

20 NM to the northeast is one of the two charming islands - Praslin. Praslin is home to Dream Yacht Charter's main base in Baie Sainte Anne bay. You can pick up or return your boat here or at the aforementioned Eden marina on Mahé. In the marina, you can change your bed linen, replenish your supplies, take on water or take a tour of the island. By cheap local transport (unlimited bus trip for 5 rupees / approx. 8 CZK) you can easily make countless trips around the island and visit, among others, the famous Vallée de Mai National Park. The entire southern coast is inhospitable for sailors. There is no place for a comfortable and safe anchorage, except perhaps in Grand Anse Bay, but even here the local yachting guide does not recommend it.

Sunset on Praslin Island

Praslin Island has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sandy beach with granite stones will captivate anyone at first sight. Unlike other beaches, Anze Lazio does not have protected coral reefs. Another attraction on Praslin is the Vallée de Mai, an UNESCO-protected forest where unique palm trees grow.

CurieuseBelow

Praslin Island is one of the most beautiful national parks to see in the Seychelles, Curieuse. It is an island where you can find land giant tortoises, a beautiful rainforest, sandy beaches, just a perfect place for a nice walk. The giant tortoises are one of the two most famous attractions that Seychelles is famous for. This species is only found in the Galapagos and here in the Seychelles, so there are not many opportunities to see these turtles in the wild anymore.

Giant Tortoise

The second most famous attraction is the huge ground-up granite stones, which are found nowhere else in the world in such an abstract form. They will amaze you with their impressive beauty and make a positive impression on you. The Curieuse area is a good anchorage and an excellent base for taking trips to nearby islands such as Aride or Cousin. Curieuse Island is a quiet and pleasant place where you will always like to return and where the anchor holds well.

The

granite rocks on CurieuseAride

, Cousin and Sainte AnneAnother

national park on Aride, located just off the island of Aride,

is the

NW about 6 NM from Praslin, is good for day trips or visiting the national park around Cousin. Other renowned parks include Sainte Anne, which is quite expensive. Its advantage is that you can stay here on your last day at anchor or on your first day leaving port. It is located in front of Eden marina, not far from the capital city of Victoria.

La DigueThe most beautiful

island of the Seychelles is La Digue. The island is located just 2 NM east of Praslin. The anchorages on La Digue are truly breathtaking. There are 3 beautiful bays on the eastern side of the island which are romantic, uninhabited and very suitable for anchoring. The most beautiful of these is Coco Bay, the most northerly of them all. It is 200-300 m wide and the only possible access is from the sea, so you will not meet a single tourist here. This area is not mapped, it is not on chart plotters and navigators. You can only get here by pilot and you will have to watch the bottom below you with caution when entering the bay.

La Digue - a little lost paradise and the most beautiful island of the Seychelles

On the west side of La Digue is the small harbour of La Passe, which is used for transporting people and cargo from Praslin. There is room for about 6 catamarans and with your anchor dropped you will be moored stern to shore around a tree or boulder. There is excellent service from the locals. They will pump water for you with long hoses, provide bikes for you to ride around the island and all for a reasonable price. A bike trip is a nice change from the days spent on the boat and the atmosphere on La Digue will literally suck you in. We recommend buying home-pressed coconut oil on the street, which is also sold in souvenir shops everywhere. Here, however, it comes out cheaper and is truly homemade. Definitely don't forget to visit this island.

Coco IslandNorth

of La Digue there are several small islands that are national parks. The two main ones are Coco Island, where you will experience the most beautiful snorkeling in the Seychelles. It's a small island, quite restless to anchor on, so not suitable for overnight. The underwater fauna here is wonderful, with large sharks around the rocks and a plethora of colourful fish to be seen.

To the north of Coco Island lies the private island of Grande Soeur, where you can anchor and enjoy swimming on the beautiful beaches, unfortunately without the possibility of a tour of the island.

SilhouetteWe also

recommend a trip to Silhouette Island, a large, mountainous and very distinctive island northwest of Mahé. The nature on the island, completely different from the other islands, is definitely worth seeing. However, it is complicated to get here. It is the only place for which you have to get permission from the charter company you are travelling with, as they have to book your visit with the island's administration.

The entire Seychelles has perhaps one single drawback - it will completely blow you away and you will be hard pressed to find a similarly beautiful place to go boating for an exotic holiday.