Seychelles Island hopping

Your tropical cruise begins in Mahé island, where you’ll be transferred to your Emerald Cruises luxury yacht and embark on your discovery of the Seychelles.

Please book your flight to arrive into Mahé, Seychelles prior to 01:00 PM.

Late in the morning cruise to Sainte Anne Channel. It is encircled by a Marine National Park, home to incredible marine life including more than 150 species of fish. Sainte Anne is now a significant nesting site for Hawksbill turtles.

We sail to Thérèse Island in the morning. This jewel of the Seychelles is a tiny, uninhabited island with rugged rock formations, long white-sand beaches and lush vegetation. The island has two imposing rocky peaks, which are thought to resemble a giant’s staircase.

Early in the morning we cruise to Cousin Island, a small island renowned as a haven for seabirds. The granitic islet was a private property until 1968 when it was purchased by the International Council for Bird Preservation to transform it into a nature reserve. It’s the most protected island in the archipelago, providing a breeding ground for eleven sea bird species annually and a habitat for five birds native to the Seychelles. We stay overnight in Praslin.

Forty kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Mahé, Praslin is just a 15-minute flight or 45-minute ferry ride away. Praslin, at 11 km (7 miles) long and 4 km (2.5 miles) wide, is the second-largest island in the Seychelles. First settled as a hideaway by pirates and Arab merchants, the island's original name, Isle de Palmes, bears testament to its reputation as home of the Vallée de Mai UNESCO World Heritage Site: the only place in the world where the famous Coco de Mer, the world's heaviest nut, grows abundantly in the wild. Praslin's endemic palm forests shelter many rare species, and the island is a major bird-watching destination. Surrounded by a coral reef, majestic bays, and gorgeous beaches, Praslin is much quieter and less developed than Mahé. With few real "sights," the pleasures of Praslin largely involve relaxing in or exploring its stunning beaches and fantastical forests.

Praslin, the second largest island in the Seychelles, is visually stunning with tropical jungle-fringed beaches, emerald waters and powdery sand. Anse Lazio beach has been voted one of the world’s best several times and there’s a dazzling reef just offshore brimming with coral and marine life. On land, coconut palms and granite boulders create a picture-postcard landscape. In the centre of the island, discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve.

We cruise to La Digue Island later in the afternoon.

La Digue Island is an island like no other. It is the smallest of the three populated islands in the Seychelles, but the tranquillity will make it feel like you’re the only one there.

The stunning surroundings should be soaked up from cycling through the vanilla plantations to lying on the white-sandy beaches, your time on La Digue should be cherished.

There is a little more to do on La Digue compared to the smaller, uninhabited islands where you can enjoy full moon tours, surfing and snorkelling with a local.

La Digue Island, the smallest of the three populated islands in the Seychelles, has exquisite natural wonders and incredible wildlife, such as the Giant Aldabra Tortoises. Like Praslin Island, it possesses world-famous beaches, with one of the most recognisable being Anse Source d'Argent. It has pink-hued sands contrasting with rock formations and aquamarine waters.

We will navigate to Curieuse later in the evening.

Situated off the coast of Praslin, Curieuse has a distinguishing feature: its red earth. Discovered in 1768 by the French explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, it was ravaged by a fire in 1771 and then home to a leper colony of which a few vestiges still remain. Declared a national marine park in 1979, it is home to many underwater species, which can be discovered while scuba diving or snorkelling in the idyllic waters of the Indian Ocean. But above all, Curieuse is renowned for the hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises that live there. It is highly likely that you will get the chance to meet these fascinating reptiles. Along with Praslin, it is also the only island on which the sea coconut grows wild.

Curieuse is a rugged island swathed in unspoilt wilderness and home to hundreds of resident Aldabra giant tortoises. Apart from its obvious natural beauty, it has a fascinating history. It was once a quarantine station, and the original French colonial doctor’s house has a museum and visitor’s centre.

Early in the morning, we sail to Aride, a nature reserve in the Indian Ocean. Nature enthusiasts and wildlife photographers flock to this island, where more than thirty rare bird species nest in the verdant vegetation. The landscape is enticing with fine-sand beaches, coconut palms and soaring cliffs.

Mahé is the main island of the scenic Seychelles and the largest of the archipelago. It’s home to the capital Victoria, which was founded in the French settler period in 1778 and named later by the British, after Queen Victoria. The island of Mahé has pristine beaches dotted with huge rocks and tranquil nature trails threaded through the Morne Seychellois National Park.

Your time aboard your Emerald Cruises luxury yacht comes to an end in Mahè island. From the yacht, you will be transferred to the airport for your journey home or to continue your holiday.

Please book your flight to depart out of Mahé, Seychelles after 11:00 AM.

The itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons. As such Emerald Cruises cannot guarantee the cruise will operated unaltered from the itinerary states above. Please refer to our terms and conditions for further information.