It all started back in December 2014 when I proposed to my girlfriend, Kate.

I really didn’t think this through – apparently the groom has to sort out the Honeymoon! Is that a thing? Or is she just having me on?

In a relationship where I have all the organisational skills of an Australian bush fire and she effortlessly coordinates multi-person-multi-destination-multi-budget jaunts, this kind of thing has always naturally fallen to her. Now, as she casually cooks dinner downstairs, I’m sat here mildly panicking as I flick between Pinterest, Google Drive and Spotify as I get my Taylor Swift on (jokes, of course I don’t listen to Tay Tay…)

This is going to prove tricky. But if it’s good enough for Price William and Kate Middleton, I guess it’s good enough for us 😜

As part of my planning I figured I’d document all of the cool ideas, activities and “must dos” here as I find them to help me plan the best trip possible. The good news of course is, you – the reader – gets to benefit from all the hours I sit at my screen clicking my way deeper into the internet.

So without further ramblings, here’s all the things I have found…

1) Cycle the Paths Less Trodden

Where: La Digue Island | When: All year | Cost: 10 Euros / 145 Seychellois Rupee

For 10 Euros you can rent a bike for the day and cover a lot of ground. If, like me you are keen to get away from the classic tourist traps and discover the island for yourself, this sounds like a grand idea.

2) Make Friends with the Giant Tortoises

Where: Curieuse Island | When: All year between 0800-1700hrs Cost: 14 Euros / 200 Seychellois Rupee

On Curieuse Island (rather fittingly pronounced “curious” with emphasis on the ‘s’) you can get up close and personal with some of the biggest tortoises on the planet. On top of this shell-arific safari, your entry fee allows you to explore the natural jungle national park in which these 500+ Aldabra tortoises call home where you should see crabs and the famous Coco de Mer palm trees.

Fun fact: Up until 1965 the island was a leper colony, and in 1771 the whole island was set on fire as sailors thought it would be easier for harvesting Coco de Mer nuts, wiping out all the giant tortoises in the process!

More information on Curieuse Island [opens in new window]

3) Sip Champagne at Sunset

Where: Anse Source d’Argent (or many others) | When: All damn year! Cost: Free

Given that the beaches get busy during the day, your best time to go is early morning or evening – but with the latter you’ll not be given funny looks when cracking open a bottle of champers! Take a picnic and absorb the warmth, colours and sounds around you.

Other beaches of note include Anse Lazio on Praslin, Beau Vallon on Mahe & the award winning Anse Victorin on Fregate Island. Read more about Seychelle’s beaches here.

4) Cool Down with a Coconut

Where: Hotel bars | When: Whenever | Cost: Cheap

I can’t say I love coconut water but they can always fill mine up with a cocktail! Still, you can’t go somewhere like the Seychelles without taking the customary “selfie with a coconut” for Instagram…

The ultra-rare Coco De Mer palm tree, which only grows on Praslin Island in the Seychelles, was discovered in 1743. Now nearly extinct, they require a special licence to be removed from the island. The nuts are the world’s heaviest, weighing up to 30kg (66lb) and can grow up to 20 inches (51cm) in diameter so that’s quite a snack!

Only joking. Not surprisingly, the rare coco-de-mer nuts sell for high prices and you need an export permit to take them out of the Seychelles. Standard coconuts are available at a dime a dozen.

5) Make for the Hills

Where: Morne Seychellois | When: All year | Cost: Free

Whether Nid d’Aigle (Eagle’s Nest) on La Digue, Morne Blanc (the highest peak in the Seychelles at 905 metres that starts at the already pretty high Morne Seychellois) or the mountainous terrain of Silhouette island (where you can see the remains of the flora and fauna that coexisted with the dinosaurs and traces of an ex-volcano), you’ll get the best views of not only the island you’re on, but also the other islands that make up some of the archipelago. Remember to take lots of water and comfy shoes though!

Want more? There is a good guide to Seychelles hiking here.

6) Discover Mahe

Where: Mahe | Cost: 580 Seychellois Rupee / 40 Euro

Rent a car for 40 Euro (or mopeds, which for me is definitely the more fun option!) and drive around Mahe (the biggest island of the Seychelles archipelago) but not before going to the market in Victoria a classic British colonial city (which also happens to be the smallest capital city in the world). Remember to drive on the left…

7) Learn How Tea is Made

Where: Morne Blanc, Mahe | Cost: 25 Seychellois Rupee (about £1.20)

There is a tea factory on Mahe which offers tours around their plantation. 20mins south of Victoria, up in the hills you can enjoy a freshly brewed cup of ‘Seyte’ overlooking the panoramic view from the western side of Morne Blanc. If you want to know more about your brew, informative tours run from 7am to 4pm on weekdays for a bargain price.

Just below the tea factory under a shaded gazebo at Mission Lodge is where Queen Elizabeth II once sat for tea so you’re in good company!

8) Shower in a Waterfall

Where: Sauzier waterfall, Port Glaud | When: Any | Cost: 1.70 Euros / 25 Seychellois Rupee

Ah, the setting of many a romantic movie scene but oh so impractical if you do actually want prepare for a big night out. Still, there are plenty of (small) waterfalls to choose from including Sauzier waterfall & the waterfall at Morne Seychellois National Park near Port Launay.

9) Dive with Whale Sharks

Where: Between Mahe & Silhouette Islands | When: Oct-Nov | Cost: Varies

So it turns out, the Seychelles is one of the best places in the world to dive with whale sharks so who am I to pass up this opportunity? Not sure how the new Mrs will adapt to swimming alongside 19,000kg of nonmammalian vertebrate (yeah, I’m not sure what that means either but it sounds impressive!) so there’s only one way to find out…

10) Take the Bus & Mingle

Where: Victoria | When: Anytime | Cost: 0.33 Euros / 5 Seychellois Rupee (10SCR for air-conditioned buses)

I love the idea of just blending into the daily life of those living in strange lands and just seeing how they live their lives. Buses out of Victoria are a great way to people watch and if brave enough, engage in conversations.

Luckily buses are common (41 routes with 1100 trips daily across Mahe and Praslin) and cost just a few rupees. Taking the ribbon of concrete as far as you dare a great way to see more of the island while asking for tips from some of the friendliest people in the world. Who knows what you’ll discover?

11) Become a Conversationalist For A Day

Where: Curieuse Island | When: All year (activities vary) | Cost: Not available

Sign up to ‘The Ranger Programme‘ – a pretty new and novel idea to help encourage the protection of the wildlife and maintenance of the land. While donating a day’s worth of your time you’ll plant trees, clear marine litter, monitor hawksbill turtles and Lemon sharks in exchange for food, knowledge, good conversation, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the feeling of giving something back.

12) Snorkel the Impossibly Clear Waters

Where: Anse Lazio, Praslin | When: Anytime | Cost: Free!

Snorkeling is possible almost everywhere and you can see some amazing things just under the surface including green sea turtles, giant sting rays, moray eels, scorpion fish, parrot fish and lion fish! Temperatures are a barmy 25-29 degrees centigrade and visibility is up to 30m, happy days!

Top snorkeling beaches include Curieuse Island, Anse Lazio (Praslin), Coco Island and Vista Bay Rocks (Mahe) – the latter of which is great for coral. If the daredevil in you is itching to swim through dramatic granite rock formations, the Channel Rocks off Praslin is the place to go.

13) See Big Ben

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Yup, really. There is a clock tower in the city center of Victoria known as “Little Big Ben”. Situated on the main crossroad in the middle of town its easy to spot but not worth making a special journey for.

14) Get a Round of Golf In

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

With two courses on two different islands, golf fanatics will be happy.

More: Golf In The Seychelles [opens in new window]

15) Go Clubbing

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Probably not the first thing on your itinerary but once those coconut cocktails start flowing, who knows where the night will take you? La Faya Bar & Tequilla Boom on Mahe Island open on Wednesdays and Weekends from 10pm – 5am.

16) Find Treasure

Where: Who knows? | When: Never? | Cost: -£80,000

Talcum powdered beach wrapping topaz waters fringed by lush green hills and big sandstone boulders. All this is just a regular scene in Seychelles, and somewhere within is a rumoured stash of 100,000 euros of treasure!

Pirates used to seek the islands of Seychelles as a hideout. It is believed that Olivier Le Vasseur, an infamous pirate, had a treasure worth 100,000 euros that remains hidden in the land up to the present.

17) Visit the National History Museum

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Get your culture on! Home to an impressive collection of shells, corals and coco de mer, one extraordinary display being the Giant clam shell from Aldabra. The museum is housed in the Carnegie building which dates back to the 1920s.

18) Helicopter Flight Over The Islands

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Aside from just a quick way to island-hop, helicopter flights are a great way to see the Seychelles footprint spanning out across 450+ sq km of the Indian Ocean – although it may cost you a bag full of Seychellois rupee! Still, what a way to top off a couple of weeks…

Boarding a helicopter is as easy as getting to the International Airport on Mahe and most islands have helipads if you are keen to touch down and explore.

As you’ve probably guessed, getting around the archipelago is a little tricky if you don’t have a boat license or fins for feet. Sure, you could always take the ferry but what fun is that when you could glide over them at 600ft in a whirlybird?

19) Catch & Cook Fish

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

There are many places on the islands to book fishing tours, either close to the shores just beyond the breakers or into deeper waters.

Come back and cook your fish, yellow Fin Tuna Superb Barracuda and Good Mackerel, for our meals.

20) Find (Even More) Peace

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Meditation is one of those things I’ve always been curious about and where better to find inner peace than on a deserted beach with just the soothing lapping waves to distract you?

It’s true that the Seychelles – with its lack of cars, vast uninhabited sections of island and lucky-to-get-signal reception and WIFI – is one the the least stressful places on earth so how yoga and meditation teachers make a living out here is beyond me. Still, when in Rome…

———– Break Time: Want to see what the Seychelles are truly about? ———–

———————– 21-40 Continues below… ———————–

21) Horse Riding on the Beach

Where: Barbarons District, Mahe Island | When: Anytime | Cost: 70 Euro pp/per hour

I can’t help but think back to the scene in Scrubs where JD takes Kim on their first date – and as hilariously hopeless that was, I’d hope any excursion you or I would take would be slightly more classy.

Exploring the Seychelles on horseback is all well and good but Turquoise Horse Trails take romance to a whole ‘nother level with their champagne picnic packages for couples. Check out their Facebook page for more inspiration.

22) Take a Photography Course

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

In the Seychelles rocks and dirt don’t look like typical rocks and dirt. Even when it is cloudy it is not bleak and grey – such is the beauty of the islands so why not use this time to learn a new (and useful) skill?

Taking a few snaps on my iPhone around London is about as as far as I’ve gotten with perfecting my snapping skills but with the beauty surrounding every moment in the Seychelles, it seems like this would be a perfect opportunity to take things up a gear or two.

With many local photographers willing to show you the ropes and take you to the right spots – or if you’re super keen you could try underwater photography – there are ample opportunities while on the islands to ensure your holiday snaps are the best yet.

23) Explore Shipwrecks

Where: 8 Miles northeast of Victoria | When: All year | Cost: 50-100 Euros (DOE)/ 750-1500SCR

While no diver is likely to get bored here, there are several shipwrecks such as the famous wreck of the Ennerdale, an enormous British Fleet Auxiliary tanker of 47,000 tonnes which carried drums of oil to the Seychelles in the seventies and foundered on uncharted rocks. Trips to this wreck 8 miles off the coast and to other wrecks such as the Twin Barges just off Bel Ombre at depths of 15 and 22 meters respectively and the Dredger wreck at Danzil (26m depth).

24) Get Hitched

Where: Many hotels | When: Anytime | Cost: Expensive

As I write this, I am 4 months away from tying the knot and while everything has pretty much gone smoothly *touch wood* the costs are spiraling. £200 for invites and save-the-date cards, £1300 for a band, £1700 for a couple of photographers, £700 for suits for best men and ushers – the list doesn’t end!

If I were to have the foresight (or a crystal ball) I would have given serious thought to just shipping our nearest and dearest to one of the Seychelles islands to watch us say our vows with sand between our toes. No bands, no formal invites, no table decorations. Lush simplicity.

#justsaying

25) Try Paddle-boarding

Where: Anse Intendance | When: July-November | Cost: ?

Even though Kate and I have done some surfing, paddle-boarding is new to both of us (since when did it become a thing?) and I’d love to try it. It seems like it will be quite a nice relaxing way to get from beach to beach while keeping an eye on the sea life beneath you.

Even with a session of paddle-boarding ticked off, I think I’ll still have a hankering for a spot of surfing on some of the most uncrowded waves I’m likely to find anywhere if the conditions are right so I might have to leave the missus to go get a relaxing massage somewhere while I feed the need.

26) Get A Massage

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Many of the hotels on the islands have spas and getting a massage seems as simple as getting a pint of milk from the shops.

When I used to get massages at work they’d always put on some soothing sounds in the background – you know, pan pipes, soft piano and sometime when you’re really lucky… “the sound of the ocean”. Well now you can have the live version!

27) Discover Secluded Spots

Where: It’s a secret | When: Anytime | Cost: Free

I love the idea of being an explorer and stumbling across something never before seen by civilisation. No chance of that in the Seychelles I’m sure but at least you can discover things *not many* people have ever seen! Silhouette Island for example is only inhabited by 130 locals and one hotel resort so if privacy and discovering untouched lands is on your list, this is a good place to start as the rest of the island is a nature reserve, untouched and pristine.

If you are based on the more populated Mahé island, rent a car and drive from Anse to Anse. – Baie Lazare, Anse Intendance and Grand Anse are worth exploring. If you want to go further, take a ferry or hop on one of those small planes from Mahé airport and whisk yourself even deeper into the land of smiling locals, roadside fruit stands and endless beaches you’ll never forget.

28) Sleep Under The Stars

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

For those at one with nature and keen to experience catching 40 winks the way god intended with the night as your curtains and moon as your nightlight, consider camping on the beach or if the bugs creep you out, what about one of these bio-domes?

29) Netflix Good Book & Chill

Where: – | When: – | Cost: –

Grab your favourite book, a fruity cocktail and lounge in one of the hammocks readily available in hotel grounds and along the beaches – big enough for two! This takes relaxation to another level…

30) Check Out the Live Music

Where: Throughout Mahe | When: Evenings | Cost: Free

While nightlife is limited, there is a live band to be found somewhere almost every evening. Enquire at reception for an entertainment itinerary or head over to other nearby hotels.

31) Swim with Dolphins

Where: x | When: X | Cost: ?

Not many people can say they’ve had direct contact with these animals within their natural environs so ticking this one off the ol’ bucketlist is a must. After a half hour stint in the water with these bottle-nosed dolphins, it’s off to try a very different bottle…

32) Try the Locally-brewed Seybreu Beer

Where: Most hotels & restaurants | When: – | Cost: 30-50 Seychellois Rupee (£1.50-£2.50)

I’ll never pass up the chance to try a brand new beer, and chances are it’s one none of my friends have tried (bragging rights). Since 1972 this lager has been famous across the islands (as the sole brewery) and available almost everywhere in draught and can format so I can’t wait to try an ice cold one on a sun-drenched beach.

33) Learn a little French

Where: x | When: X | Cost:

The primary languages spoken on the Seychelles is French and English. If like me, you’re keen to pick up some french (or even polish what you already know), picking up a phrase book and talking with the locals in their native tongue is one way to feel like you’re achieving something …if only the rest of the day you lounge by the sea! You’ll also be able to barter with market sellers and negotiate with the cabbies etc.

34) Jump from a Plane

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

It’s one thing to lie on the beach; it’s another to hurtle towards it from 14,000 feet at speeds of up to 120mph whilst gaining the best possible view of these picturesque islands. Skydiving opportunities are readily available in The Seychelles and tandem dives are in place for first timers who wish to experience this adrenaline filled activity.

35) Afternoon Tea (a lá Creole)

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

36) Feed The Sharks

Where: x | When: X | Cost: x Euros / x Seychellois Rupee

Shark feeding is both serene and exhilarating at the same time. Watch in awe as your experienced guide feeds sharks while you sit just feet away, far from the thrashing feeding frenzy the movies will have you believe; the sharks will circle calmly around you as they enjoy an easy lunch… the only heart stopping moments coming when the sharks bump into you as they circle.

37) Open Air Cinema

Where: Hilton Northolme | When: After Dusk | Cost: Free

You’ve probably seen them before – those inflatable screens you point a big-ass projector at and voila! you have a cinema pretty much anywhere! Last summer we watched ‘Back to the Future’ on a chilly summer’s evening in the small UK town of Hertford. I’d love to experience it again in the warm air of the Seychelles surrounded by palm trees bearing lanterns and lights. The Hilton Northholme is among a number of hotels offering international movies on an outdoor screen.

The Seychelles also have 3 indoor cinemas if you want to get out of the sun or have a night out; The Deepam Cinema on Albert Street (Mahe), the Deepam Cinema at Docklands (also Mahe) and the Deepam Cinema Pradiso at Pension Complex on Praslin Island. Admission Rates a very reasonable SCR35.

38) Experience a Creole Cooking Class

Where: Various Hotels | When: Day time | Cost: Usually free

The Four Seasons Resort in Seychelles offer daytime classes with their top chefs so you can learn to cook local dishes – as do many other hotels including Banyan Tree & Hilton Northholm which offers a complimentary cookie baking class too! Not a bad way to perfect a skill while avoiding the burning afternoon sun.

39) Shopping at Victoria

Where: Market Street, Victoria | When: Anytime | Cost: Depends what you buy…

Bohemian dresses, candles, beach cover ups and everything related to islands – the market in Victoria is worth a visit for a great bargains on mementos or gifts to take back to loved ones. On top of that, there is tonnes of different (and quirky) fruits on sale as fresh as it gets, and if you’re anything like me you’ll be fascinated by the fish market which looks like a lazy aquarium with the sheer variety of sea creatures.

The market is ranked #3 of 24 things to do in Victoria on Tripadvisor and as some people note, you can easily lose a couple of hours there.

40) Get Ice-cream at Eden Plaza

Where: Eden Island | When: Anytime | Cost: Expensive

Prefer splashing out for keepsakes? Eden Plaza & Marina is the Rodeo Drive of the Seychelles, a man-made oasis of high-end shops, cafes, and holiday homes of the rich and famous. On top of that, it’d be a shame not to sample the ice cream parlour while there – although it’s not cheap! Still, a good place to drool over the luxury yachts moored there…

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So there it is. A list of activities and things to keep you (and me) out of trouble. I don’t know about you but I’m getting super excited, including the prospect of getting a Coco de Mer nut stamped into my passport…

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