L'Heure du Voyage
🇸🇨 Itinerary · Seychelles · 30 days

1-month Seychelles itinerary 2026: the grand island tour

Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, Bird Island and the outer islands in 30 days. Day-by-day itinerary with costed budget, ferries and inter-island flights.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

30 days

Islands

7 islands

Average budget

€6,500-9,500

Total distance

~500 km

Profile

Beach, nature, diving

Season

Apr-Oct

Mahé 4d · Silhouette 3d · Bird Island 3d · Praslin 5d · Curieuse 1d · La Digue 5d · Denis 4d · Mahé 4d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Map of the 1-month Seychelles itinerary: Mahé, Silhouette, Bird Island, Praslin, Curieuse, La Digue, Denis

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

8 days, day by day

1

Stop · 4 days

Mahé · Arrival and capital

  • Plan Victoria, Sir Selwyn market, botanical garden. Southern beaches (Intendance, Takamaka), Anse Major trail, Morne Seychellois park, Takamaka distillery. Warm-up on the main island.
🛌 🛌 Beau Vallon · e.g. Hotel La Roussette (4 nights)·🚗 Rental car·Seychelles guide →
5

Stop · 3 days

Mahé → Silhouette · Road-free island

  • Plan Boat shuttle (45 min). Primary forest, Mont Dauban, deserted beaches, diving on preserved reefs. The 3rd largest island, with no roads at all.
🛌 🛌 Silhouette · e.g. Hilton Labriz (3 nights)·🛥️ Hotel boat shuttle
8

Stop · 3 days

Mahé → Bird Island · Tern colony

  • Plan Inter-island flight (30 min). Northern coral island, hundreds of thousands of sooty terns from April to October, giant tortoises, Esmeralda the oldest tortoise in the world. Pure castaway living.
🛌 🛌 Bird Island · e.g. Bird Island Lodge (3 nights)·✈️ Inter-island flight from Mahé
11

Stop · 5 days

Bird Island → Praslin · Vallée de Mai

  • Plan Back to Mahé then Cat Cocos to Praslin. Vallée de Mai (UNESCO), Anse Lazio, Anse Georgette, Anse Kerlan. A base to roam the neighbouring islands.
🛌 🛌 Côte d'Or · e.g. Acajou Beach Resort (5 nights)·✈️ Flight then ⛴️ Cat Cocos
16

Stop · 1 day

Praslin → Curieuse and Cousin

  • Plan Boat trip to Curieuse (free-roaming giant tortoises, St José beach) and Cousin island, a protected seabird reserve. Fish barbecue on the beach.
🛌 🛌 Côte d'Or · Praslin (back in the evening)·🛥️ Full-day boat trip
17

Stop · 5 days

Praslin → La Digue · The island by bike

  • Plan Cat Rose (15 min). Anse Source d'Argent, Grand Anse, Petite Anse, Anse Cocos, Nid d'Aigle. Union estate and giant tortoises. Five days to live at the island's slow pace, car-free.
🛌 🛌 La Passe · e.g. Le Repaire Boutique Hotel (5 nights)·⛴️ Cat Rose then 🚲 bike
22

Stop · 4 days

La Digue → Denis · Coral island

  • Plan Back to Praslin then inter-island flight to Denis (30 min). Flat coral atoll, big-game fishing, wall diving, turtle nesting from November to February. Isolated lodge, end-of-the-world feel.
🛌 🛌 Denis · e.g. Denis Private Island (4 nights)·✈️ Inter-island flight from Praslin
26

Stop · 4 days

Denis → Mahé · Return and diving

  • Plan Flight back to Mahé. Diving around Sainte-Anne and the marine park, whale sharks from August to October. Last shopping in Victoria, rest before the international flight on day 30.
🛌 🛌 Mahé · e.g. Eden Bleu Hotel (4 nights)·✈️ Inter-island then ✈️ international

How much

Budget for this itinerary (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€6,500

per person

  • ✈️ International return: €850
  • ✈️ Inter-island flights (3): €450
  • 🏨 Guesthouse and eco lodge: €110/night
  • ⛴️ Ferries and shuttles: €400
  • 🎫 Excursions, diving, parks: €600
Recommended

Comfort

€8,200

per person

  • ✈️ International return: €900
  • ✈️ Inter-island flights (3): €500
  • 🏨 3-4★ hotel and island lodge: €220/night
  • ⛴️ Ferries, car, boats: €600
  • 🎫 Excursions and diving: €800

Premium

€16,000

per person

  • ✈️ Comfort flight: €1,400
  • ✈️ Flights and inter-island helicopter: €900
  • 🏨 5★ private islands: €700/night
  • 🛥️ Private catamaran
  • 🎫 Private diving, dedicated trips: €1,500

Shorter, longer

Other durations

1 week

1 week

Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. The heart of the three islands.

2 weeks

2 weeks

Deeper island-hopping, beaches and secondary islands.

You're here

1 month

1 month

All the inner islands and a hop to the outer islands.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

A month combines the Cat Cocos ferry between the main islands, boat shuttles and 3 inter-island flights to reach the remote coral islands (Bird, Denis). Budget ~€1,000 of transport over 30 days.

⛴️

Cat Cocos Mahé ↔ Praslin

~€56 · 1h15 · up to 3 crossings/day, 365 days a year

✈️

Inter-island flights (IDC)

~€150 each · 30 min · Bird, Denis, quick returns

🛥️

Silhouette boat shuttle

~45 min · hotel transfer

🚲

Bike on La Digue

~€8/day · the car-free island is explored by bike

Adapt by season

Follow the birds and turtles by season

A month lets you build the trip around nature. Sooty terns nest on Bird Island from April to October, in their hundreds of thousands. Sea turtles lay on the beaches from November to February on the outer islands. The south-east monsoon (May to September) is dry and breezy, perfect for walking and the western beaches; the north-west monsoon (November to March) is warm and wet, with a flat sea ideal for diving. April and October, between the two, are the steadiest.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In May 2025 I kept Bird Island for the middle of the trip, in full nesting season: at 6am the tern colony was deafening, hundreds of thousands of birds, and there were three of us on the island. Go between April and October.
  • • Five days on La Digue rather than three: living the island slowly, car-free, changes everything.
  • • Book the inter-island flights early: the planes to Bird and Denis are small and fill fast.
  • • Keep Mahé and its diving for the end: whale sharks from August to October.
  • • A buffer night on Mahé before the international flight, never the same day from a remote island.

⚠️ Would change

  • • The private islands (Bird, Denis) are pricey: keep just one if your budget is tight.
  • • Skip Curieuse if you have seen it, in favour of an extra day on Praslin.
  • • Time the month to the tern nesting (April-October) or turtle laying (November-February) depending on your interests.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is a month justified in the Seychelles? +
If you want the inner islands AND the remote coral islands (Bird, Denis), yes. It is also time to dive, watch the terns or turtles, and live each island's slow pace without rushing.
How do I reach the outer islands? +
By small inter-island planes (Islands Development Company) from Mahé or Praslin: a 30-minute flight to Bird and Denis. Seats are limited, book well in advance.
Do I need a visa? +
No, but an online Seychelles Travel Authorisation is required before departure, with a return ticket and booked accommodation. Apply on the official portal.
When is the best time? +
April to October, dry and breezy, for walking and the terns of Bird Island. November to March, warm and wet, with a flat sea for diving and turtle laying. April and October are the steadiest.
What budget for a month? +
Allow €6,500 to €9,500 per person including flights at comfort level, inter-island flights and private islands included. It is the most expensive Indian Ocean destination, but a month spreads the transfers.
Can you dive year-round? +
Yes. Best visibility from April to May and October to November, between the monsoons. Whale sharks often pass around Mahé from August to October.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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