Safari & Seychelles – a perfect match
You have to admit it: the combination of an African safari and the Seychelles is pretty hard to beat. And because there are flights to the Seychelles from either East Africa or Southern Africa, the classic African experiences – whether the wildebeest migration, gorilla trekking or the Big Five – are all available to you, topped off with a beach holiday at one of the world’s top island destinations.
The Seychelles delivers the quintessential desert island experience.
So far so good. But I know your next question: aren’t the Seychelles really expensive? Isn’t this the kind of place that royal couples visit? Well, of course, the Seychelles has plenty of seriously high-end accommodation but here’s the thing: there are also lodges and resorts that don’t break the bank, accommodation that is affordable as well as wonderful.
This is what luxury accommodation looks like on a Seychelles’ remote island.
First, let’s start with the Seychelles … what are they? The Seychelles is an archipelago, a cluster of islands. They lie in the Indian Ocean but align themselves with Africa; they are only a 3-hour flight from Nairobi and a 5-hour one from Johannesburg. The granite, inner islands of the Seychelles are – incidentally – the world’s oldest ocean islands while the smaller outer islands are made of coral. Most accommodation is set on the larger islands – especially Mahé, the archipelago’s largest – but several small private islands specialise in five-star exclusivity.
What the Seychelles does best: luxurious accommodation in a private, walk-to-the-beach setting.
Why go? The Seychelles is usually thought of as a beach holiday destination – which it is par excellence – but this is also a destination which has – for example – banned all motorised water sports to further protect their marine environment. The scuba diving and snorkelling here is world-class – you can even swim with whale sharks and turtles – and there are also hiking trails, golf courses and tennis courts. If you are a birder, then you have several dozen endemics to find, and no holiday in the Seychelles would be complete without fine dining – most probably enjoyed with your feet in the warm Indian Ocean.
The underwater world can be experienced without scuba gear: grab a snorkel & fins from the hotel & go.
When to go? As it happens, the Seychelles are the only islands in the Indian Ocean to lie outside of the tropical cyclone belt so you can, in theory, go at any time of year. Lying a few degrees south of the equator, the Seychelles will always be warm and sunny but there are seasonal nuances. The mildest and driest weather is between May and September, with warmer and more humid conditions from October to April. Peak rainfall is from mid-December until February but don’t let put you off; the afternoon rain showers are often welcome after a hot and humid day, and the rain never lasts long.
A typical Seychelles day: sunny, warm, clouds on the horizon.
That’s the Seychelles; now what about the safari part? That’s easy; you have the whole of Africa at your fingertips. You may want to focus on East Africa: the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara and Serengeti, gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda, or explore Southern Africa where you’ll find Victoria Falls, the Kruger Park, Okavango Delta and of course Cape Town, rated recently by London’s Time Out magazine as the world’s second most desirable city to visit. Make sure, however, that your safari expectations coincide with the time of year; the wildebeest migration is a seasonal one, for instance, and there are times when Victoria Falls is almost dry.
Combine the wildebeest migration with the Seychelles but ask for advice on when best to match the two.
Our advice? Enjoy the safari first; it’ll be a regime of early morning wake-up calls, bumpy roads and off-road driving, and you’ll look forward to the Seychelles with added gusto. It’s also worth thinking about how many days you’ll want to spend there. Given the logistics, it’s not worth going there for a couple of nights, and besides, many Seychelles resorts and lodges offer incentives for longer stays – stay for five nights but pay for four, that kind of thing.
Families will enjoy the contrast between a safari & the Seychelles, plus parents can have a holiday too!
It’s so easy: no-one needs a visa to visit the Seychelles (you get one on arrival) and the archipelago is one of the few tropical places in the world that is malaria-free so you don’t need to worry about that. You’ll find accommodation made for romance and honeymooners as well as resorts that welcome families with children, and the whole experience is wrapped in the safe and stable environment that is the Seychelles, the smallest yet richest per capita country in Africa.
What’s not to like? Safari and the Seychelles – the perfect match.
