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Cat Cocos ferry to Praslin

Thursday 25th September a Mason’s mini bus came to pick us up to drive us to the jetty in Victoria. We had the 10:30 ferry.  After arriving at the jetty I had to change my vouchers for 2 Cat Cocos return tickets from Mahé to Praslin.

There was just a short queue before the ticket desk, so within a few minutes I had our tickets. We still had 30 minutes before the ferry would take off, so we walked to the waiting room, which was housed in another (open) building.

Milano catwalk

Not much to do, but sip from a cold drink and watch our fellow passengers. One other italian couple really caught my (well, everybody’s) attention. He was a big, hairy guy with an enormous lens on his photo camera (would make many paparazzi jealous), and she was a beautiful and elegant model look-a-like complete with black mini dress, very thin high heels (the fashionable kind) and expensive Dolce&Gabbana sunglasses.  Not exactly the average ferry passenger, but these people definately make the world a more interesting place to live in!

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Beautiful sunset over Beau Vallon Bay, Mahé

Every night we enjoyed the fantastic sunset over the bay. The photo above is taken from our living room at Clef des Iles.

Italian food in Bel Ombre

After our round trip on Mahé we had just one night left before moving on to Praslin. We had heard good stories about La Scala, an italian restaurant in Bel Ombre, just 10 minutes driving from Beau Vallon.

I don’t remember when exactly, but I had made reservations for 2 over the phone. It’s not always necessary to do so, but if you don’t want to take any chances, it won’t hurt reserving a table.

La Scala is almost at the end of the Bel Ombre road. It’s completely covered in bright light during the night, so there’s absolutely no way you can miss it.
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Mission, Mahé island

At Port Launay we knew it would be dark soon. The sun sets pretty quickly in these parts of the world and there was still one sight we really wanted to see. So, we had to get moving.

On the narrow road we drove back to Port Glaud and missed the road to Mission, because there were no road signs to be seen, just a small road zig-zagging up the mountains. At the bus stop was an old lady and her daughter and we asked her for directions. The small road (called chemin fôret noire) turned out to be the road to Mission after all.

Higher and higher we drove through the green mountains until we saw a small exit saying Mission. About 0.5 km further there was a parking area, which was, except for one other car,  empty. The parking area was surrounded by some ruins of a school for freed slave children in the 19th century. A short walk led us to the actual viewing point.

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Port Launay, Mahé

The road from Port Glaud to Port Launay became narrower until it was only one car wide. I was only hoping we wouldn’t encounter any traffic going the other way.

After such a long day we couldn’t really decide where we were exactly. I knew I wanted to see Port Launay, but I wasn’t sure the beautiful bay on our left was in fact Port Launay. It looked amazing enough though.

At the end of the narrow road there was a closed gate with a guard. So we had to drive back. Half way, I parked our little rental car into some bushes and we climbed down to the rocky beach.

The water was incredibly turquoise blue and crystal clear. Obviously a great snorkeling area. Since Port Launay is also a marine national park I can only imagine how many colourful fishes there must be here.

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Port Glaud, Mahé

When we arrived at Port Glaud and stepped out of the car we heard children’s voices singing. The voices seemed to come out of the church where a choir was practising. After climbing the stairs to the church we took a peek inside. People in the Seychelles are still really religious, no empty churches here.

On the other side of the road the setting sun was casting  a warm yellow glow over the bay. The ocean was calm, and some fishing boats were floating peacefully on the water. A few people were enjoying the sun. It felt extremely laid back here. Truly a very nice place to be.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to snorkel here, since we had to finish our round trip. I heard Port Glaud is an excellent area for snorkeling, so we have to come back here and spend more time.

Barbarons to Port Glaud

After passing Boileau Bay we drove into an area of Mahé called Barbarons. All around us we saw green trees and long grass turning from green to yellow while the sun was starting to set. On our left side were glimpses of the glittering ocean, on our right steep rocky mountains covered with lush vegetation.

Le Meridien Barbarons

I had heard of Barbarons mainly because of the well-known hotel Le Meridien Barbarons. This resort is one of the lower priced resorts on Mahé, which probably explains why it is so well known.

While planning our honeymoon I had considered staying at the Meridien Barbarons until I read the many reviews. Some of them were really negative, which caused some doubt. But what really make me decide not to go there were the photos sent in by travelers who had actually stayed there.

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Anse Soleil, tropical beach

This beach and the café were recommended by Stephane, so during our island round trip we decided to visit Anse Soleil. You can reach the beach by taking a side road from the main road. The road became narrower every few metres we drove and eventually it wasn’t even paved anymore. Here we were driving in our 2-wheel drive Hyundai Atos, perfect for off road conditions

On our way we met a truck coming from the other direction. The road was so narrow it barely fitted our own tiny rental car, so you can imagine how we felt while crossing each other.

Eventually we arrived at a construction site where we could park our car. They seemed to be building some sort of resort just above Anse Soleil. Fortunately at the beach no signs or sounds of the construction were to be seen or heard.
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Anse Takamaka

Anse Takamaka: dream beach

The name alone gives you that tropical feeling: Anse Takamaka. The best name for a beach I’ve ever heard. With a name like that expectations are high, very high.

After we had parked our car somewhere half into the bushes, we walked towards the beach under some tall trees. When we entered the beach we were amazed. It was like walking into a Robinson Crusoe movie set. A beach like beaches are supposed to be. Golden sand, blue waves crashing on the fairly steep beach, warm white water around your feet. A romantic beach which is ideal for honeymooners.

We did see some signs warning about strong currents during a specific period of the year. I don’t remember that exact period, but September was in it. So, this might not be the best swimming and snorkeling beach of the Seychelles. But it’s perfect for tanning, relaxing and getting your feet wet.

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Driving along Mahé’s East coast

Part of the east coast from he capital city Victoria to the airport probably is the least attractive part of Mahé. Apart from the glimpses of the blue ocean and green mountains there isn’t much to see here.

Clear blue water

Around the corner at Ile du Suete, just after passing the airport, the landscape became much more attractive again. At Anse Royale we just had to stop and jump out of the car and run to the beach. It was incredibly beautiful. The water clear and turquoise blue. A bay with unspoiled yellow sandy beaches, granite rocks and green, lush vegetation with palm trees. Heaven!

Regrettably we had to leave this beautiful sight and continue our Mahé island trip. While driving we constantly got glimpses of small, secret and secluded beaches. Beaches with unknown names and just for the 2 of us if we had decided to stop.

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