Why Choose Seychelles

Seychelles Packages from India

A Seychelles holiday with Bayard costs from ₹79,000 to ₹1,45,000 per person, and it is the most dramatic of the three Indian Ocean islands — granite boulders the size of houses on beaches that genuinely look like the photographs, a UNESCO palm forest that has barely changed in millions of years, giant tortoises, and three islands close enough to move between in a morning.

No visa, but one thing you must do before you fly. Indian passport holders do not need a visa for Seychelles. You do need a Seychelles Travel Authorisation, applied for online before departure — it carries a small fee, and airlines will not board you without it. We handle the paperwork you need for it.

Below: what the trip actually costs including the nightly levy your resort collects at checkout, how to choose between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and why the month you travel decides which beach you should be on.

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Seychelles trip at a glance

Entry: no visa, but one thing you must do first

Seychelles is visa-free for Indian passport holders. You are issued a Visitor's Permit on arrival for tourism, with no visa application and no embassy visit. It is one of the more welcoming entry systems anywhere.

The Seychelles Travel Authorisation

• Every traveller, including children, must obtain a Seychelles Travel Authorisation online before departure. This is not a visa, but it is compulsory.

• It carries a processing fee — currently in the region of €10–15 per person — so unlike some destinations, "visa-free" here does not mean free.

• Apply within 30 days of travel. Approval usually comes back within 12 to 24 hours, but do not leave it to the last day.

• Your airline will check it at boarding. Without an approved authorisation you will not be allowed to fly, regardless of your booking.

• Save it to your phone and print a copy for arrival.

What the application needs

A passport valid at least six months beyond arrival, confirmed return or onward tickets, confirmed accommodation for your whole stay, and evidence of sufficient funds. If you are travelling on a Bayard package we provide the ticket and accommodation confirmations your application needs, which removes most of the work.

Entry requirements and the authorisation fee can change. Confirm current details before booking, and see the review cadence in Step 4.

What a Seychelles holiday really costs

Bayard's Seychelles packages run from ₹79,000 per person for a three-night Mahé stay to ₹1,45,000 per person for a six-night multi-island trip. Seychelles is the most expensive of the three Indian Ocean islands almost everything on the islands is imported and we would rather explain that than pretend otherwise.

Two costs your package price does not include

• The Travel Authorisation fee, roughly €10–15 per person, paid online before you travel.

• The Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy, charged per person per night and collected by your accommodation at checkout — not by us, and not in advance. From 2026 the rates are SCR 100 per person per night at large properties of more than 50 rooms and at island resorts, SCR 75 at medium properties of 25 to 50 rooms, and nothing at small properties under 25 rooms. Children under 12 are exempt. For a couple on six nights at a large resort that is around SCR 1,200, roughly ₹7,500.

A saving worth knowing about

Since January 2026, accommodation with fewer than 25 rooms pays no environmental levy at all. Seychelles has an unusually good supply of guesthouses, self-catering apartments and small boutique hotels, and many of them sit on the same beaches as the resorts. If budget matters more than room service, this is a genuinely good way to do Seychelles well for less — ask us and we will show you the options.

What else moves the number

• How many islands. Each additional island means a ferry or a short flight plus transfers at both ends.

• Resort category, which spans comfortable three-star to some of the most exclusive properties in the world.

• Season. April–May and October–November are the most sought-after months and priced accordingly.

• Whether international flights are bundled.

 These are the six real live packages. Confirm against Bayard's package sheet before publishing. Note that none currently includes La Digue — do not publish La Digue itineraries or highlights against these products until that changes. See Defect 3 in Step 1.

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Mahé, Praslin or La Digue — how to choose

Seychelles has 115 islands but three that matter for a first visit. They are genuinely different, and how many you include is the main decision.

• Mahé - the largest island, home to the airport, the capital at Victoria and about 80% of the population. Mountainous, green, with the best road network and the widest choice of hotels, restaurants and beaches. Beau Vallon in the north is the busy, sociable beach; Anse Intendance in the south is the wild, dramatic one. Best as a base for a short trip, and the easiest place to do Seychelles affordably.

• Praslin - an hour by ferry, and a gear change downwards in pace. Home to the Vallée de Mai UNESCO palm forest and the coco de mer, and to Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, which are among the finest beaches anywhere. Best for nature and for travellers who want quiet without being cut off.

• La Digue - fifteen minutes on from Praslin, with almost no cars; you get around by bicycle. Anse Source d'Argent, with its granite boulders and shallow turquoise water, is the most photographed beach in the world and the image most people have of Seychelles. Best for honeymooners and photographers.

• Our rule of thumb: three or four nights, stay on Mahé. Five nights, add Praslin. Six or more, and La Digue earns its place — but give it two nights rather than a day trip, because the ferry timings eat a rushed visit alive.

Choose your Seychelles itinerary

Mahé Island Break - 4 to 5 Days / 3 to 4 Nights

Best for a first visit and a shorter trip

• Day 1: Arrive at Mahé, transfer, evening at Beau Vallon.

• Day 2: Victoria — the market, the clock tower and the Botanical Gardens — then the mountain viewpoints and Anse Intendance in the south.

• Day 3: Beach and snorkelling day, or a boat trip to Ste Anne Marine National Park.

• Day 4: Morning at leisure, then the airport.

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Mahé & Praslin - 5 to 7 Days / 4 to 6 Nights

Best for couples who want two islands without rushing

Two or three nights on Mahé for the sightseeing and the practicalities, then the ferry to Praslin for the Vallée de Mai, Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette. Curieuse Island, with its free-roaming Aldabra giant tortoises, is a straightforward boat trip from Praslin and is one of the best days out in Seychelles. This is the shape of most of our packages.

Mahé, Praslin & La Digue - 7 Days / 6 Nights

Best for a full first Seychelles trip

The classic three-island circuit: Mahé, then Praslin for the palm forest and the beaches, then La Digue for Anse Source d'Argent, L'Union Estate and a day on a bicycle. Ferries link all three, and two nights on La Digue is the difference between seeing it and experiencing it.

This itinerary must not be published as bookable until a La Digue package exists. See Defect 3 in Step 1.

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When to go, and which beach that means

Seychelles is warm all year and unlike Mauritius sits outside the cyclone belt, so there is no month that is simply off-limits. What changes is the wind, and the wind decides which beaches are at their best.

 The seaweed question, answered honestly

The most common complaint about Seychelles is arriving at a beach covered in seaweed. It is predictable rather than random: the south-east trades from around May to September push it onto south- and east-facing beaches, and the north-west monsoon does the same to the opposite exposures from November to March. Resorts clear their own beaches, but public beaches vary.

This is entirely manageable if someone plans around it, which is exactly what we do we match your beach and resort orientation to your travel month rather than to the brochure photograph. If you have seen a beach you love, tell us when you want to go and we will tell you honestly whether that month suits it.

What to see

Vallée de Mai, Praslin

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and a genuine prehistoric palm forest, home to more than a thousand coco de mer palms the species that produces the largest seed in the world, at up to 25kg and to the rare Seychelles black parrot. It takes a couple of hours and is unlike anywhere else on earth.

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue

The granite boulders, the shallow turquoise water and the palms behind the most photographed beach in the world, and one of the few that genuinely looks like its pictures. Reached through L'Union Estate, an old vanilla and coconut plantation, and best in the late afternoon when the light comes round.

Curieuse and Ste Anne

Curieuse, off Praslin, has free-roaming Aldabra giant tortoises and a mangrove boardwalk. Ste Anne Marine National Park, minutes off Mahé, is the easiest snorkelling in Seychelles and a good half-day from Victoria.

Mahé's beaches and Victoria

Beau Vallon for swimming, sunsets and life; Anse Intendance and Anse Takamaka in the south for drama and space. Victoria is one of the world's smallest capitals — the market, the clock tower and the Botanical Gardens make an easy morning.

Practical notes for Indian travellers

Getting between the islands

The Cat Cocos ferry links Mahé, Praslin and La Digue; short domestic flights connect Mahé and Praslin. Both need booking ahead in season, and internal flights carry a small per-person boarding fee. Ferry timings shape a multi-island itinerary more than people expect, which is why we build them around the schedule rather than the other way round.

Money

The Seychellois Rupee (SCR). Cards are widely accepted at hotels and restaurants; carry some cash for markets, taxis and the smaller islands. Costs are high by Indian Ocean standards because almost everything is imported budget more for meals and drinks than you would in Mauritius or Sri Lanka.

Language and food

Seychellois Creole is the everyday language, with English and French both widely used you will have no difficulty in English. On food, one honest difference from Mauritius: Seychelles has no large Indian community and Indian restaurants are limited outside a few hotels. Creole cooking is heavily fish- and rice-based and vegetarians can eat well, but tell us your requirements at booking so we can brief the property rather than leaving you to negotiate it on arrival.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming visa-free means nothing to arrange. The Travel Authorisation is compulsory, carries a fee, and airlines check it at boarding.

• Budgeting only the package price and forgetting the nightly environmental levy your resort collects at checkout.

• Booking a beach you saw in a photograph without checking whether your travel month suits its orientation.

• Expecting overwater villas. Seychelles does not have them — that is a Maldives feature. What it has instead is beachfront and hillside villas with better views.

• Trying to do La Digue as a day trip from Mahé. The ferry connections make it a long, rushed day.

• Leaving inter-island ferries and domestic flights to be booked on arrival in high season.

What's included in a Bayard Seychelles package

Why book Seychelles with Bayard Vacations

• We match your beach to your travel month. The seaweed and wind question is predictable, and planning around it is the difference between the beach you booked and the beach you saw online.

• We tell you the full cost package, authorisation fee and nightly levy before you book, not at checkout.

• We provide the confirmations your Travel Authorisation application needs, and remind you to do it in time.

• Multi-island itineraries built around real ferry and flight timings rather than around a map.

• Honest comparison. We sell Seychelles, the Maldives and Mauritius, so we have no reason to push you toward one — ask us which suits your trip and you will get a straight answer.

• Guidance on where the levy exemption and the smaller properties make Seychelles affordable without making it worse.

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Seychelles package FAQs

Do Indians need a visa for Seychelles?

No. Seychelles is visa-free for Indian passport holders and a Visitor's Permit is issued on arrival for tourism. But you do need a Seychelles Travel Authorisation, obtained online before you travel, and it is compulsory.

What is the Seychelles Travel Authorisation?

A mandatory online pre-travel clearance for every visitor, including children. It carries a processing fee of roughly €10–15 per person, is usually approved within 12 to 24 hours, and should be applied for within 30 days of travel. Your airline checks it at boarding without an approved authorisation you will not fly.

So Seychelles is not completely free to enter?

Correct, and this is where a lot of published advice stops short. There is no visa fee, but the Travel Authorisation is paid, and there is a separate environmental levy charged per night at your accommodation. Both are modest; neither is zero.

What is the environmental levy and how much is it?

The Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy, charged per person per night and collected by your hotel at checkout rather than included in your package. From 2026: SCR 100 at large properties over 50 rooms and at island resorts, SCR 75 at medium properties of 25 to 50 rooms, and nothing at small properties under 25 rooms. Children under 12 are exempt.

How can I reduce the levy?

Stay somewhere with fewer than 25 rooms. Since January 2026 small establishments are exempt entirely, and Seychelles has excellent guesthouses, self-catering apartments and small boutique hotels often on the same beaches as the large resorts. Ask us and we will show you what is available.

How much does a Seychelles trip cost from India?

Our packages run from ₹79,000 per person for a three-night Mahé stay to ₹1,45,000 for a six-night multi-island trip. Add the Travel Authorisation fee and the nightly levy. Seychelles is the most expensive of the three Indian Ocean islands because nearly everything is imported.

How many islands should I visit?

Three or four nights, stay on Mahé. Five nights, add Praslin. Six or more and La Digue is worth including, but give it two nights the ferry timings make a day trip a long day.

What is the best time to visit Seychelles?

April and October are the calmest months, sitting between the two wind systems, and give the best all-round conditions. May to September is breezier and drier; November to March is hotter and wetter. There is no bad month, but the month decides which beaches are best.

Will there be seaweed on the beach?

Possibly, and it is predictable rather than random. The south-east trades from about May to September push seaweed onto south and east-facing beaches; the north-west monsoon does the same to the opposite side from November to March. We match your beach and resort orientation to your travel dates so this does not surprise you.

Does Seychelles have cyclones?

No. Seychelles sits outside the cyclone belt, which is a genuine advantage over Mauritius for January and February travel. You can get heavy rain in the north-west monsoon, but not cyclone disruption.

Does Seychelles have overwater villas?

No. Overwater bungalows are a Maldives feature. Seychelles resorts are built on beaches and granite hillsides, often with better views and more space than an overwater villa gives you — but if an overwater villa is what you want, the Maldives is the destination and we can plan that instead.

Seychelles, Maldives or Mauritius?

The Maldives is one island, one resort and doing very little, with overwater villas. Mauritius is a real country with mountains, markets and towns, culturally the most familiar for Indian travellers, and the cheapest of the three. Seychelles has the most dramatic scenery, the best nature and three genuinely different islands and is the most expensive. We sell all three, so ask us and we will tell you honestly which fits your trip.

How do I get between the islands?

The Cat Cocos ferry links Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and short domestic flights connect Mahé and Praslin. Both need booking ahead in season, and internal flights carry a small boarding fee. We build multi-island itineraries around the actual timings.

Is Seychelles good for vegetarians?

Manageable, but plan for it. Creole cooking is heavily fish-based and, unlike Mauritius, Seychelles has no large Indian community or widespread Indian food scene. Hotels cater well when told in advance let us know at booking so we can brief the property.

What is included in a Bayard Seychelles package?

Accommodation, daily breakfast, airport and sightseeing transfers, inter-island ferry or flight transfers as listed, specified sightseeing and entrance fees, and on-trip support. International airfare, the Travel Authorisation fee, the environmental levy, additional excursions, insurance and personal expenses are separate.

Planning a Seychelles holiday? 
Tell us your city, your dates and who's travelling. We'll send back a costed itinerary with the right beach for your month, the full cost including the levy, and a reminder to sort your Travel Authorisation in good time.

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