Full day Cruise of Mahe Islands’s southern coast

Cruise from Victoria along the east coast to the beautiful south and experience the route of the pirates 3 centuries ago. When we reach Anse Royale, the site of the Royal Spice Garden, the catamaran will ply along the reef to give you the best that the South coast has to offer, with views that have remained practically unchanged for centuries. Sail along the beach of Anse Forbans, frequented by pirates to careen their ship and to stock up on food and water. It is also believed that certain treasures are buried here.

The majestic boulder of Cap Mason is believed to have been the place where witch doctors used to perform their macabre rituals. The unspoilt coves of Anse Marie Louise, Capucin, Petit Boileau and Pointe Police are now considered to be the last nesting beaches of the hawksbill turtles, a species threatened with extinction. A snorkeling stop is also scheduled to view the underwater world in all its splendour. Before lunch, the guests are allowed to stretch their legs on the white sandy beach. A barbeque lunch is served on board. Our return cruise starts just after lunch, this time further from the coast for us to cast our lines for a bit of game fishing.


Full Day Trail & Sail
An opportunity to experience a thrilling adventure trekking and cruising back on our catamaran "Catalina". Starting from 'Danzilles', the palm-fringed trail along the deserted northwest coast is bordered with granite boulders. Our experienced guide points out the flora and fauna along the way. The 1.5 hour walk ends at 'Anse Major', where our catamaran "Catalina" is moored in the sheltered bay. After boarding from the pristine beach by dinghy, the day's excursion continues with a cruise to the Bay Ternay marine park, stopping at some beautiful snorkelling sites, where guests not wishing to swim can spend time feeding the fish or sunbathing on the spacious deck. A delicious Creole buffet lunch is served on board. Fullday Cruise: Instead of participating in the walk, tourists may choose to board "Catalina" from its mooring in Victoria, and enjoy the sights relaxing on a day-long cruise along the coast - a different perspective of Mahe island.

Full Day Reef Safari

Starting with a transfer to Victoria's marina to board our luxury catamaran , Catalina, for the trip to the middle of the harbour, where we stop to feed the fish and allow you to explore the facinating underwater world by snorkeling and swimming with the fishes. A delicious lunch is served on board, a mouth watering buffet prepared in traditional creole style. After lunch, there is ample time for marine enthusiasts to explore the reefs through the windows of our semi-submersible or for those more geared to relaxation, take a swim a simply take a snooze on the beach of Cerf Island. For a perfect ending of the day, a "petit rum punch de Iles" is served on board before heading back to the Marine Charter and to your hotel.

Full Day Discovery tour of Mahe Island

The tour begins with a transfer from the hotel for a stop in the colonial centre of "the world's smallest capital", Victoria. Highlights to visit are the court buildings, museum, post office, Little Ben clock-tower [twin of the one outside London's Victoria Station ]. A turn around the corner takes one to the only set of traffic lights on Mahe island, next to the 'Codevar' building where local crafts, including the renowned Kreol Or [Creole Gold] are on display for sale. A walk across Albert Street leads one to the focal point of the town, its colourful market where stalls of fresh fish, tropical fruits & vegetables, herbs & spices, are displayed in an abundance of fragances. This is followed by a drive across the Sans Soucis mountain pass, with a photo stop at the historical Mission Lodge, en-route to the quaint Creole restaurant for lunch. After lunch, the tour continues around the southern tip of the island to the restored colonial plantation of 'Jardin du Roi', which is steeped in the short history of the Creoles and the Georges family,whose family tree carries a supposed link to Louis XVII of France. A cold drink of home-grown fruit welcomes tourists, before they tour the surrounding plantation of vegetables, exotic fruits, herbs and spices. The rest of the afternoon is for relaxation, with a stop at the Craft Village on the way back to the hotel, at about 16h00

Full Day Praslin & La Digue Tour

Praslin, the second largest island in Seychelles, lies approximately 1.5 hours by boat or 15 minutes by air from Mahe. Tourers will be able to visit the Vallee-de-Mai, the only place on earth where the giant Coco-de-Mer nut grows in its natural state - a walk along the tended paths of this primeval forest, listening to the trill of the rare Black Parrot, transports one to the beginning of time; giving credence to the legends of this World Heritage Site being the original Garden of Eden. The tour includes a visit to the famous Anse Lazio beach, before the 30- minute crossing to La Digue, during which one has a good chance to spot dolphins. Visitors to La Digue island will marvel at the timeless atmosphere, with the comforts of the 21st century blending smoothly with the tranquility of yesteryear, where life is lived mainly at the pace of the oxen. Transfer from the jetty is by ox-cart to L'Union Estate for a tour of the copra sheds, the giant land tortoises and the recently refurbished colonial plantation house, location of the film “Goodbye Emmanuelle”. The tour of La Digue resumes by 'camion', an opensided truck with canopy, stopping at Anse Source d’Argent, one of the most spectacular beaches in the world, allowing you ample time to photograph the impressive granite rock formations. This 11-hour tour, which sometimes starts on La Digue, is an attractive opportunity to visit the highlights of both islands in one-day.

Half Day Vallee-de-Mai Guided Tour

Starting with a coach transfer from the hotel, this half-day excursion is dedicated exclusively to the renowned Vallee-de-Mai Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This extraordinary primeval forest, known as the Garden of Eden, is the unique habitat in the universe where the Coco-de-Mer palm grows in its natural state. The Vallee-de-Mai is also home to one of the world’s rarest birds, the Black Parrot.

Full Day Vallee-de-Mai / Anse Lazio Tour

Starting with a coach transfer from the hotel, this full-day excursion is dedicated to the renowned World Heritage Site, the Vallee-de-Mai Nature Reserve, and relaxation on one of the world's highest ranking beaches, Anse Lazio. This extraordinary primeval forest, known as the Garden of Eden, is the unique habitat in the universe where the Coco-de-Mer palm grows in its natural state. The Vallee-de-Mai is also home to one of the world’s rarest birds, the Black Parrot. Lunch is not included in the price, although a discount is offered to tourists presenting a copy of our excursion voucher to the Bon Bon Plume restaurant at Anse Lazio. The afternoon is at leisure at Anse Lazio, voted amongst the Top 10 in the world, ending with the transfer back to the hotel at 16h00.

Full Day Cousin, Curieuse & St Pierre Islands

This tour starts with a transfer to Baie Ste Anne jetty for the 2-km crossing at 09h00 to the Special Reserve of Cousin island. Our cruiser moors off-shore and tourists are taken to the island on a Reserve boat to prevent accidental introduction of pests to the island. It is highly recommended that tourists come prepared to wrap their belongings in water-proof bags, and that they respect the safety regulations of donning life jackets and remaining seated until the craft is beached. A warden leads the tour of the island with its abundance of species and habitats, from the coast with its protective mangroves, to the wetlands which attract dragonflies, moorhens, caecilans & Seychelles terrapins; on to the rejuvenated forest on the hill plateau which provides ideal nesting sites for large populations of shearwaters and bridled terns amongst its endemic trees - mapou, Indian mulberry and bwa sousouri. Endemic birds found on Cousin Island are the Magpie Robin, Sunbird , Fody, Blue Pigeon and the Warbler . The tour continues with a 30-minute boat ride to Curieuse Island, where a splendid BBQ lunch is served on the beach. Curieuse island has a large population of giant tortoises, some can be seen next to the natural pond on the coast, whilst the majority range across the island freely and can sometimes be tracked by their vociferate calls of intimate congress. The tour ends with an hour's snorkelling off the tiny island of St. Pierre. For the un-initiated, our crew is on hand with lightweight snorkelling vests to ensure that no-one misses the chance to view the abundant marine life.

Full Full Day Guided La Digue Tour

This tour starts from your hotel, with a transfer to Baie Ste Anne Jetty for the 30-minute crossing to La Digue Jetty, for onward transfer by ox-cart to l”Union Estate for a tour of the copra sheds, the giant land tortoises and the recently refurbished colonial plantation house, location of the film “Goodbye Emmanuel”. The tour of La Digue resumes by 'camion', an opensided truck with canopy, stopping at Anse Source d'Argent, one of the most spectacular beaches in the world, allowing you ample time to photograph the impressive granite rock formations which are unique to the Seychelles; to swim or simply to soak in the sun. A Creole lunch is arranged at a local restaurant at around 13h15, followed by a beach siesta before returning to Praslin island on the 16h30 schooner.

Full Day Boat & Bike Independent Tour of La Digue

This tour is ideal for the adventurous seeking to explore La Digue island on their own, and includes return coach transfers the hotel and Praslin Jetty, a ferry crossing at 09h00 to La Digue, where tourists are greeted by our island representative for a short briefing on the most popular sites, best routes and lunch venues, before she hands over a guide map and the bicycles for the day's adventure. The boat trip back to Praslin departs at 16h30, the end of a perfect day - most guests with another day to spare choose to return to the magic of La Digue island.

Full Day Guided Aride Tour

This tour also starts with a transfer to Baie Ste Anne jetty for the 9-km crossing at 09h00 to the Special Reserve of Aride island, home of over a million pairs of seabirds. Visitors are welcomed to the island by the Reserve Warden, who will guide them to the summit of this crescent-shaped island, which is only 134 metres above sea-level, for a better view of the soaring birds. Aride Island has 11 species of sea-birds and boasts the world's largest colonies of both the Lesser Noddy and Roseate Tern . It is the only place in granitic Seychelles where the red-tailed Tropic Bird is still breeding. Among the other seabirds to be seen are the Fairy Tern, Black Noddy, Bridled Tern, Sooty Tern, white-tailed Tropic Bird, wedge-tailed Shearwater, Audubon Shearwater, Lesser Frigate Bird and Greater Frigate Bird. Its marsh and plateau are the best sites for observing the endemic moorhen. A small number of hawksbill turtles nest on the beach. At least two species of skink occur on the island, in numbers large enough to threaten the sea birds' eggs and young chicks. Aride Island is a success story since its purchase by the Royal Society for Nature Conservation (UK) in 1973. Visitors interested in the environment, and bird-watchers in particular, will not want to miss.

this opportunity to view the abundant flora and fauna, although it should be noted that trips to Aride island are very much dependent on the weather and tide patterns - the best months for planning a visit are October to May. A delectable Creole BBQ lunch on the beach is included in our price.

Full Day Sister & Coco Islands

These tiny granitic ‘gems’ are located to the north of La Digue and are accessible by a 30-minute motorboat ride from Praslin. Sister Island boasts one of the finest beaches in Seychelles, and is un-inhabited, excepting for the warden and his wife. The reef on the western side is ideal for snorkelling, while the island's prolific coconut plantation lends itself well to exploration. A typical Creole barbeque is served under the shelter of an old ‘boat house’ by the beach. The tour's highlight is the afternoon's snorkelling off Coco Island, an experience second to none. Coco island is a small granitic outcrop sporting a few palm trees - its real treasure lies in the surrounding depths, which is often compared to a living aquarium. For the un-initiated, our crew is on hand with lightweight snorkelling vests to ensure that no-one misses this unique experience to view the underwater world.

Seychelles has an effective environmental protection programme, with over 40% of its land mass having been designated as national parks. These islands are also one of the few places on earth where tourist activities are not only closely linked to the environment, but contribute positively to the conservation projects, allowing the endemic flora and fauna to continue flourishing in their natural habitat.

There are approximately 250 indigenous species of plants in the Seychelles, of which 75 of them are unique to our islands. Many of these rare plants grow in remote areas, only accessible by walking. Over the years, Mason’s Travel has researched and developed a variety of walks and trails for both the un-initiated and experienced naturalist alike. We have detailed below our more popular Walks & Trails, each is conducted with a specialist guide.