The Seychelles Islands have a tropical climate that allows travelling in summer as well as winter. At the turn of the year, in January and February, warm, humid weather prevails, with a temperature around 30 degrees Celcius. This is the rainy season, which does not mean, however, that it rains all day long. Rather, it rains mostly at night and in local showers during the day and mainly in the mountains of Mahe. In June until August the conditions for actively exploring the Seychelles are virtually ideal: The southeast monsoon brings dry, windy and pleasantly cooler weather to the islands. For tropical conditions this weather is so inviting that we have chosen mainly this period for biking and hiking. The water temperature is around 26 degrees Celcius, the air between 25 and 30 degrees Celcius.

Embarkation begins at 10 am near Victoria on Mahe. At 3 pm there is a short transfer to the starting point of a one-hour walk along a good path leading to a 700-m-high look-out above the town; the altitude difference is 200 m. In the evening we enjoy the atmosphere of Victoria, one of the world’s smallest capitals. Overnight stay near Victoria.

We bicyle around the north of Mahe along a coastal road as far as Beau Vallon Beach, the most important watersports centre in the Seychelles. Here we enjoy the white beach and the sea before returning to the ship at noon. After lunch on board of the yacht we can relax, snorkel or dive. In the afternoon we land at Bel Ombre and go on a coastal hike to the bay of Anse Major, which is part of the Morne Seychelloise Nature Park. In the evening we return to the ship and anchor in the national park in the northwest of the island.

In the morning we bicycle from Port Launay to a remote waterfall that invites us to take a refreshing dip. Afterwards we bike along the west coast down to Petite Anse to visit the artist Antonio Filipinos, who prepares a barbeque for us and surprises us with a variety of curious artistic creations. Take your time looking around and let him show you the hidden nooks of his grounds. In the evening we return to the ship at Anse la Mouche, where the lovingly prepared evening dinner is already waiting for us. 

Today’s bicycle tour takes us to Mahe’s thinly populated south and later along the east coast back to Victoria. Make sure to make a stop along the way at the bathing beach of Anse Takamaka at Batista and to visit the Royal Garden of Anse Royale. Local handicrafts and a visit to a model-ship factory on the way to Victoria make this an eventful day. Overnight stay in the port near Victoria.

After a lengthy crossing we reach around noon the island of Curieuse, which is the home of the giant Seychelles tortoise. After a fascinating introduction by the rangers we walk to the Doctor’s House to observe these large tortoises up close but also to enjoy the peace and solitude of this unique island. There is enough time for snorkeling and diving and getting a good glimpse of the underwater world.

In the morning we cross over to Praslin and bicycle to the Vallee de Mai, one of the smallest and most amazing national parks located in the centre of the island. Here we walk through untouched virgin forest and see, among other things, the world’s largest coconut, the Coco de Mer. Afterwards, passing an ice-cream parlour, we continue for another 12 km as far as Anse Lazio Bay, reputedly one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

La Dique is the destination of this morning’s crossing. A bicycle island straight out of a picture-book. We spend the day bicycling, continuously amazed by bizarre rock formations and isolated sand beaches. Have a picnic at the rock beach of Anse Source d’Argent, admire the surf of Grand’Anse and enjoy a refreshing coco-cocktail at the beach bar. Wherever we go, we come across the locals travelling by ox-cart or, like you, by bicycle. In the evening we return to the ship and sail for the overnight to one of the small islands in the vicinity.

We begin this bicyle-free day after a ca. 2-hour-long crossing with an exploration of the bird islands Cousin or Aride, both in the vicinity of Praslin Island. Thanks to decades of conservation measures on Cousin, a remainder of 26 indigenous warblers has grown into a colony of more than 1000 specimens. There are altogether 300 000 birds living on the island. After lunch we sail back to the harbour on Mahe from where we started.

Return home or extend you holiday in one of the beautifully located hotels on Mahe.

Alterations
We reserve the right to make alterations to the planned route due to changing wind and weather conditions, and where required by organisational necessities.

Requirements (Level 1 - 2)
The longest day track on the islands is 45 km (28 mi) long. Most of the streets are relatively well asphalted and therefore well accessible. Road traffic on Mahé is not too busy and on Praslin and La Dique is sparse. Up to 70% of the tours are along the coast line on flat to light hilly roads. In between you will face steep, but short up hill climbs. When you are tempted you can always consider pushing your bike a little bit. Luckily the rental 7-speed trekking bicycles are equipped with a transmission that even slight hills can be carried out comfortably. In order to keep the bike simple and solid we provide 7-speed trekking bikes with clearly arranged gears that are switched in a hub nearly noiseless and easily.

Bringing children
We believe that only children in a good physical condition and of a minimum age of 10 and previous bicycle tour experience are able to master the bike-tours on their own strength. Please note that the minimum height for a rental bike is 1.50 m (4.6 ft.)

Catering
The cook on board is a member of the crew and prepares the breakfast and one or two warm meals a day. The full board starts with the dinner on the arrival day and ends with the breakfast on the departure day. On one longer bike tour you will have lunch in a restaurant.

Guided tour
The tour will generally be guided in German language. One of the guides will translate into English for non-German-speaking participants. (Except for pure English-speaking groups.)

Participants

• Minimal 6 partipants
• Maximal 16 participants