Praslin — Seychelles
Praslin is the second island of the Seychelles, a low granite ridge with a single loop road around it and a palm forest in its middle. Its two north-western beaches are the ones that end up on posters, and its ferry pier is the hub from which the smaller islands are reached.
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Why go
The reason to come is a valley of endemic palms in the island's centre, a surviving fragment of the forest that covered these granite islands before anyone arrived. Walking it takes an hour or two on flat paths: thick fronds close overhead, the light turns green, and the enormous double nut that made the island famous hangs in plain sight. Nothing else in the archipelago feels like it, and the protected status means the birds that depend on the palms are still there.
Around that centre, the island is a string of beaches with very different personalities. The north-west holds the wide, sheltered arc that fills the brochures and a smaller cove behind a headland that you walk to. The east coast is a long, shallow bay with hotels, watersports and the ferry village. The south faces seagrass flats where swimming is only good at high water. Praslin is smaller and slower than the main island, with fewer shops and less traffic, and it works best when you accept that rhythm rather than trying to fill each day.
Month-by-month climate
Temperatures barely move here across a year: 31.5 °C in March and 31 °C in May at the warm end, 28.8 °C in August at the cool one, and nights that sit between 24.7 °C and 26.2 °C whatever the month. The variable that matters is rain, and it swings hard. The turn of the year is soaked, 343.2 mm in December across 18 wet days and more again in January, which is also when the sea is warmest and stillest. February relents to 216.3 mm on 11 days, and the early months hold that level, 202.6 mm in March and 202.4 mm in April. Once the south-east trades set in, the pattern breaks: 101.4 mm in June, 80.9 mm in July, and 64.3 mm in August on 9 days, the thinnest rainfall of the calendar, accompanied by a steady breeze that flattens the humidity but roughens the crossings. October is a good middle term at 141.7 mm over 11 days, before 296.7 mm in November announces the return of the wet monsoon. The yearly figure, 2426.5 mm on 154 days, hides how often a downpour lasts twenty minutes and is gone.
| Month | Avg. high (°C) | Avg. low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Days ≥ 1 mm | Days ≥ 5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.2 | 25.0 | 355 | 17 | 13 |
| Feb | 30.8 | 25.7 | 216 | 11 | 8 |
| Mar | 31.5 | 26.0 | 203 | 11 | 8 |
| Apr | 31.9 | 26.1 | 202 | 12 | 7 |
| May | 31.0 | 26.2 | 192 | 13 | 8 |
| Jun | 29.8 | 25.5 | 101 | 13 | 6 |
| Jul | 28.7 | 24.7 | 81 | 11 | 5 |
| Aug | 28.8 | 24.7 | 64 | 9 | 4 |
| Sept | 29.4 | 25.1 | 229 | 14 | 7 |
| Oct | 30.1 | 25.3 | 142 | 11 | 6 |
| Nov | 30.6 | 25.1 | 297 | 14 | 9 |
| Dec | 30.5 | 25.1 | 343 | 18 | 12 |
Source: Meteostat — Parc marin de Sainte-Anne (Seychelles) station, 48.8 km away, 10 sample years. Monthly totals rebuilt from daily averages.
When to go
The window from late April through to early June, and again in October, gives the best combination: light winds, water clear enough to see the bottom from a boat, and rain that comes in short bursts. July and August are drier still, with 80.9 mm and 64.3 mm, but the trades blow hard enough to make the sea choppy and to pile weed on the exposed shore. The wettest weeks run from November to January.
The most favourable months, on these records
- August
What to see in 2, 4 and 7 days
In 2 days
- Be at the palm forest for opening, when the birds are active and the paths are empty, and take the longer circuit.
- Swim in the afternoon at the wide north-western bay, where the shelter holds until the light goes.
- Second morning walking the headland path to the hidden cove beyond the point, going early for shade.
- Finish on the eastern bay at low tide, when the sand flats stretch out and the granite offshore stands clear.
In 4 days
- Day one on the north-west coast: the big bay, a long swim, and dinner facing the sunset side of the island.
- Day two in the palm valley at opening, then the craft and vanilla smallholdings on the road across the ridge.
- Day three by boat to the neighbouring island reserve, with its giant tortoises and a mangrove boardwalk.
- Day four on the eastern bay for kayaking or a diving trip out to the granite pinnacles offshore.
- Leave one evening for the ferry village, which is where the island's everyday life happens.
In 7 days
- Two days based on the north-western shore, alternating the wide bay with the walk-in cove behind the headland.
- One day in the palm forest, with the small nature trail above it in the afternoon for the ridge view.
- One day on the tortoise island offshore, combining the guided walk with snorkelling on the way back.
- One full day on the flat granite island to the south, cycling from the pier to the boulder beaches and back.
- One day diving or snorkelling the offshore rocks, which hold the archipelago's best-known drop-offs.
- One day exploring the south and east coasts by bus, with a long lunch and a swim timed to the high tide.
- Keep the final day light: a last morning swim, the market stalls by the pier, and the short hop to the airport.
Getting there and around
Praslin's own airport (PRI) is 5 km from the middle of the island, and the flight from the main island takes a matter of minutes on a small turboprop. The alternative is the fast ferry, which docks at the eastern village; the international gateway, Seychelles International (SEZ), lies 46 km away across the water. Both fill up in season: book them with your international ticket. Once here, a single road loops the island. Buses run it at low fares but infrequently, taxis are limited in number, and many visitors hire a small car or a scooter. Keep left, and expect steep gradients on the road across the ridge.
Nearest airports
- PRIPraslin Island Airport5 km from the centre
- SEZSeychelles International Airport46 km from the centre
Budget
Country price level compared with France : −21 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
Prices sit a little under French levels for restaurants and somewhat above for rooms, because almost everything is shipped in. Small guesthouses and self-catering studios go for roughly 90 to 200 € a night, while the beachfront hotels move into another bracket entirely. Eating out lands between 20 and 45 € a head for a creole dinner with fish, less if you buy from a takeaway counter near the pier. Boat excursions, the entry fee for the palm valley and car hire are the other significant lines.
Common mistakes
- Reaching the palm valley at midday. The boat excursions from the main island converge then, and the narrow paths lose all their quiet.
- Swimming at the southern bay without checking the tide. The flats there are seagrass and shallow, and at low water there is nothing to swim in.
- Assuming taxis appear on demand. Vehicle numbers are limited, evenings are quiet, and getting back from a distant beach can take a while.
- Packing the week with island-hopping. Each crossing eats a morning, and Praslin's own beaches deserve more than the gaps between boats.
- Arriving with only a card. Small shops, buses and stalls take cash, and the machines are concentrated in the two main villages.
Frequently asked questions
Fast ferry or inter-island flight from the main island?
The plane is quick, scenic and strict about baggage; the boat is cheaper, takes longer and is unpleasant in a big southerly swell, particularly from June to August when the trades are established. If you are prone to seasickness, take the flight in that season and the ferry in the calmer months. Either way, avoid scheduling the return leg on the day your long-haul flight leaves the archipelago.
Is the palm forest worth it if you are not interested in botany?
Yes, because the experience is spatial rather than technical. You are walking through a closed canopy of very large palms, on the floor of a valley, in light nothing else reproduces. The visit is short, flat and shaded, and the rarest bird on the island is regularly seen from the path. An hour is enough to understand why the place is protected, even without naming a single species.
How much time does the flat island to the south need?
A full day rather than an afternoon. The crossing is short, but you then need to hire a bicycle, ride to the famous boulder beach, allow time there, and return for a boat back before the last departures. Adding lunch and a second cove fills the day comfortably. Staying a night is better still if you want that coast without other day visitors on it.
Updated on 21 September 2026