How to Visit the Seychelles on a Budget

When I said I was planning on traveling to the Seychelles, many people said I wouldn’t be able to visit without staying in a fancy resort. That’s how a great proportion of people see the Seychelles – full of luxury resorts and restaurants. I honestly didn’t know that much about the group of islands but a simple search on Airbnb told me that you didn’t need to stay at a resort to visit.

Having now been to the Seychelles I can tell you that it is an expensive place to visit but it can be travelled to on a budget if you’re careful.

Flights to the Seychelles

Flights to the Seychelles are no more expensive than other faraway destinations. I flew via Emirates which cost £600 per person return, so £300 each way. Not too shabby! To get the best flight deals, always remember to clear your browser cache before booking your flight. Airlines are sneaky and if they see in your browser history that you are keen to visit a place, they will hike the price. I booked with Emirates but it’s worth checking out Air Seychelles as well.

Accommodation

Airbnb is good for looking for reasonably-priced accommodation. I was able to stay in a private 1-bedroom cabin with a dining-kitchen, balcony and en suite. This cost £70 per night. There were several similar options for a similar price. You’d be looking to spend around £70 per night for a place to stay in the Seychelles.

If you want to stay in a hotel or resort, you would be spending a lot more. I didn’t do much shopping around for hotel rooms but staying in the Four Seasons for a night would cost you at least £600. Eek!

Getting Around

The cheapest way to get around is by bus. I think it’s only a couple of pounds to take the bus and they’re pretty regular, if drive a bit crazily.

If you want more freedom to travel the island, I would recommend hiring a car. Hiring a car is great as you can stop wherever you like. The views are pretty spectacular so I stopped pretty regularly to take photos.

I booked a car just days before I was due to travel. This was a bad idea as there were virtually no cars available so I had to pay for a more expensive car. It cost £50 a day which is pretty steep. For a cheaper car, you can probably expect to pay more like £20 per day which isn’t too bad.

Food & Eating Out

Eating out in the Seychelles is expensive! Therefore, to save money I would recommend cooking for majority of your stay. The supermarkets are reasonably priced and there’s a variety of different foods you can purchase.

Be wary that many restaurants, even some that look cheap, are actually really expensive. By expensive I mean around 350 Rupees for a standard main course. That’s £20. I actually saw virtually no difference in prices between these and resort restaurants. I have heard that you can find restaurants which are cheaper but I didn’t find any. Restaurants in the Seychelles aren’t as easy to find as you’d think.

If you are visiting Maheé, You can find out more about the best places to get food in my Ultimate Guide to Mahé, Seychelles.

Activities & Things to Do

There is so much you can do in the Seychelles for free! Snorkelling and visiting beaches are free. Visiting the National Parks and hiking in them is also free. Visiting the capital city and market is free. You can also go kayaking in the Four Seasons Resort and use their beach for free.

You can book excursions which do cost money such as diving excursions, snorkelling and picnic excursions etc. These are nice to have but are not strictly necessary as there are plenty of decent snorkelling spots that are accessible to everyone and don’t cost anything.

I hope you enjoyed this article and have been given some useful advice. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment box below. Alternatively, do you have any tips on how to save money when travelling to the Seychelles?