Matt of Canada

After two great days we said goodbye to La Digue, and took the 9:30 am ferry to Praslin. We were met at the jetty by our car rental company, UR rental cars. The rental was 105 euros for 3 days, plus 3 eur/day for using a credit card. We drove to our rental home, Mountain Lodge, located high up a hill above Cote D’Or. We booked it on booking.com for 1500 scr/night for two nights. We booked it when booking.com had a promotion for $40 back on a $80 booking (both nights separately), so after the rebates our total cost was 1,912 scr ($141 USD) for two nights – a great deal for a big house all to ourselves!

The home was great. It was a whole house with a nice kitchen, a washing machine, and a large balcony with an incredible view overlooking the ocean. We would also see many bats around the tree outside the house. 

We spent most of our first afternoon at Cote D’Or beach. We got great takeaway from the truck outside the mini market (75scr/$5 for veg curry) and gelato (20scr/$1.50) from the restaurant next door. I am a big fan of this beach. I was expecting it to be the “touristy” beach of Praslin, since there are many hotels nearby, but luckily Praslin (and the rest of the Seychelles) are not so touristy. The beach is huge, beautiful (many shades of blue), and virtually empty. 

Later we drove to Anse Lazio for a quick look before sunset. As expected, it’s a beautiful beach, and we loved the drive there.

The following morning, we drove to Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve for their 11:00 am tour. We’d heard that Fond Ferdinand is bigger, better, and cheaper than the more famous Vallee de Mai, and that was correct. All walks in FF are guided, which we aren’t usually a fan of, but our guide was great. We hiked through the forest and he showed and told us interesting facts about all the plants, including the very weird and interesting Coco de Mer. The views from the top were incredible. Although it’s the only “touristy” activity in Praslin it’s definitely a must-do and well worth the reasonable 125scr/$9 fee. 

After the walk we got lunch at Coco Rouge (highly recommended) then drove up the western coast to look at the beaches, but we didn’t see anything better than Cote d’Or so we spent the rest of the day there. 

Our last day in Praslin was very tiring, but probably our favourite! We woke up early and drove to Anse Lazio to take on the hike to Anse Georgette, a relatively off the beaten path route between the northeast and northwest of Praslin.

We arrived at Anse Lazio at 9:00 am and hit the trail. There was only one other couple on the beach when we arrived and we didn’t see a soul on the hiking trail. There’s a lot of confusion online about this trail so I’ll do my best to explain the hike here. 

When you reach Anse Lazio, keep hiking along the shore until you reach the final (westernmost) beach. From there, you’ll see a trail heading west (not the one up towards the honesty bar). The trail is pretty well maintained and a good width. Follow this trail. Don’t take any of the very-narrow offshoots – the trail is obvious. After 5-10 minutes you’ll pass a green house, and after 10-20 minutes you’ll reach a second green house and a red dirt road wide enough for a car. Follow this road up the mountain. You’ll be on this road for around 30 minutes, passing the “Terraces Sur Lazio” hotel. You’ll reach a bunch of (poorly-maintained) houses and then some vats of water on your left. To your right, there will be a sign saying “Mont-Plaisir/Anse Georgette.” Take the trail next to that sign. The next 40 minutes is a real hiking trail up Mont Plaisir and down the other side. The beginning of the trail is a little overgrown but the rest is a well maintained red dirt trail. There are constant white arrows painted on the rocks so you can’t get lost. This part is the most fun – you’ll get amazing views of Anse Georgette and the golf course (which looks much better from above), as well as the surrounding islands. Just before the end of the trail you’ll reach a very photogenic swing set with views of the beach. Finally, you’ll arrive at the beach! The whole hike took us almost two hours with stops, or around 90 minutes at a medium pace without stops. 

If you’re in good shape you can return back the way you came, but we were tired so we decided to take the bus. While you may have reached the end of the hike, your legs can’t rest just yet – it’s a 20-30 minute hilly walk through the golf course to the bus stop outside the gates of the Constance Lamuria hotel. From there you can catch a bus to Anse Lazio (only 5 scr each for the long bus ride all the way counter-clockwise around the island), and from that bus stop it will be a steep 10-15 minute walk up and down the hill to your car by the beach. 

In summary, this was an amazing hike that felt very adventurous, crossing from one side of the island to the other. If you’re in good shape I highly recommend it, and it’s much simpler then people make it seem. Very easy to follow. 

We actually broke up the long bus ride with a stop at Coco Rouge for lunch, where we each had a feast consisting of a large vegetable curry, smoothie, and a cookie, plus a bottle of water to share, for 345 scr. At Anse Lazio we rewarded ourselves by cooling down in the water before driving back to our house, packing up, and heading to the airport for our 6:00 pm flight to Mahe.