The long awaited Wakaholic Adventure 2017 finally kicked off and we are happy to share our story. This is an annual group travel event where we select tourist friendly destinations and explore these destinations together.
Last year (Wakaholic Adventure 2016), we visited Inagbe Grand Resorts & Leisure in Lagos, Nigeria.
Read our story here.
This year we spent 2 nights in Nairobi, Kenya and 6 nights in the Seychelles Islands. Seychelles is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Africa. It is arguably one of the most beautiful holiday destinations in Africa and we are extremely delighted to have experienced the beauties of the islands.
Day 1 in Seychelles
We arrived Seychelles International Airport, Mahe Island from Nairobi, Kenya by 5pm. Seychelles Time (SCT) is 4 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) (which is 3 hours ahead of Nigeria). On arrival, we got stamped in for the duration of our stay, upon presentation of a valid hotel accommodation and return/onward ticket. Seychelles is a visa free destination; a visitor’s permit is issued free of charge for the first 3 months and can be extended at a fee.
Please note that visitors from some African countries (including Nigeria) are required to present a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate upon arrival.
For more information on Entry Permit extensions, visit here.
Day 2 in Seychelles
It was a beautiful morning in Seychelles. I woke up to this view at The Palm Seychelles, a beautiful hotel apartment on Mt. Simpson, Bel Ombre.
After breakfast, we hit the ground running. We took the bus from Bel Ombre to Victoria where we explored the city on foot, making stops at every exciting spot. We visited the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens, Victoria Market and even gambled at the Grand Kaz Casino in Victoria.
The bus service in Mahe is easy, cheap and convenient. Taxis are not easily available in Seychelles except at airports, taxi parks and hotel resorts. Most holidaymakers rent cars for their use; this can be achieved with 35-70euros a day, depending on the choice of vehicle.
Note that driving in Seychelles is on the left side of the road. Caution should be exercised especially when driving around Mahe Island as the roads are narrow and mountainous with sharp bends.
Read more on our Day 2 Experience here.
Day 3 in Seychelles
It was our hiking day and we set out for the Anse Major Hiking Trail by 1:00pm. We did a 2 hour hike through Morne Seychellois National park over granite rocks with great scenic views, made our way down to Anse Major beach to relax, then took a boat ride back to our hotel apartment.
See an amateur video below. 🙂
“Seychelles looks the way you’d imagine heaven must look.”
Day 4 in Seychelles
We did the helicopter Tour courtesy of Zil Air and experienced a bird-eye view of Mahe and its adjoining islands. This was such a beautiful experience.
In the evening, we watched the sunset at Beau Vallon Beach and attended the famous “Bazar Labrin“, a local food market that attracts locals and tourists which is held every Wednesday in Beau Vallon from 4pm to 9pm. Bazar Librin presents a great opportunity to meet and interact with locals, explore the local food market and buy some locally made arts, crafts, and souvenirs. You also enjoy music, drum beats and dance performances around a campfire by a group of locals.
Day 5 in Seychelles
It was time to turn up the heat, so we went island hopping.
Seychelles is comprised of 115 islands with only 3 of these islands inhabited- which are Mahe, Praslin and La Digue Island. Mahe (which is home to the capital- Victoria) is the largest of the inhabited islands and it accommodates 86% of the total population of Seychelles. Praslin is the second largest of the primary islands while La Digue is the third with a population of about 3,000 people.
We took the catamaran from Victoria, Mahe to Praslin. The journey took an hour.
Praslin Island:
In Praslin, we explored Valle de Mai, a UNESCO world heritage site where we learned about the famous coco de mer, one of the botanical wonders of the world. This beautiful site which is where the coco de mer grows in its original state, was once believed to be the original site of the Garden of Eden. 🙂
Now you see why you should visit Valle de Mai.
We visited the first museum in Praslin Island. The museum exhibits a garden of endemic and medical plants of Seychelles as well as the culture of the people of this island. We participated in some traditional activities (such as cracking a coconut with a stick), learned about the lifestyle of the fruits bats, turtles, the history of spices and a wide range of plants and their use in medicines.
La Digue Island:
In La Digue Island, we had lunch in the stunning Domaine De L’orangeraie Resort. La Digue is definitely my favorite of the Seychelles Islands. With a population of 3,000 people, you can count the number of cars on this island as most locals and tourists move around with bicycles which can be rented on arrival.
The beach here is the best i have seen.
Watch the video below. 🙂
Day 6 in Seychelles
We spent a greater part of Day 6 cooking and dining. Then we explored Victoria Market where we shopped for souvenirs and other locally made items.
Day 7 in Seychelles
It was our last day in Seychelles and we explored Eden Island. We had 4 hours to play around, so we checked in at the airport and took a taxi to Eden Island. Eden island is about 10-15mins away from Seychelles International Airport.
There, we shopped at Eden Plaza and enjoyed some sweet treats.
We left for the airport in good time to catch our flight back to Nairobi, Kenya.
So far, Seychelles is my best African Destination.
This is what participants had to say about Wakaholic Adventure 2017;
“We had great fun. Thanks, girls. We rock.”
There is nothing to describe the Fun. The cooking together, making decisions on where and what to do, taking pictures, contributing money to buy stuffs etc. Thank you ladies for making it all fun for me.Looking forward to Wakaholic Adventure 2018. Let’s do this again next year 😘👍 “
“Thanks Aunty Oto for making the last minute arrangement for me. I had a lot of fun, thanks to my amazing flat mates Princess and Jenny, you guys rocked😍.Thanks to Emma and Irene for always giving me goals as per keeping up on social media. It was nice meeting you all. Lets do this again next year. God bless y’all 😘😘😘”
Travel goals!!!! Great post!
Thank you Emma.
so easy to see this was such a fun/happy group.. the beautiful recap took us on the journey with you:)
Yes it was a really beautiful experience.
I am looking forward to your 2018 adventures…
Thank you. We have published our 2018 trips in time to enable people plan early.
Please send an email to thewakaholic@gmail.com if you wish to join us.
I had always wanted to visit the Seychelles Island and knocking it off my bucket list is magnificent. It is a beautiful place and it was a wonderful adventure/tour experience with the ladies. Good job Aunty Oto.
It was good to have you on this journey Irene. Thanks.
U guys had fun … hope to join next year
Will be great to have you.
Please I need someone who can help with Flight accommodation and a a nice experience in Seychelles For two I’m planning to go second week of October
Please send your instruction to thewakaholic@gmail.com and we will assist. Thanks.