La Digue
Ten square kilometres of boulder-strewn beaches and forest where people still get about by bicycle and ox-cart, reached only by ferry or helicopter.
- Arrival
- Seychelles International, Mahé · SEZ
- To the island
- About 1 h 10 by direct ferry from Mahé
- Private jets
- Into Mahé, then helicopter or ferry
- Best time
- June to July
The city
No runway, few cars.
La Digue has no airport, and most of its roughly 2,800 people live in or around La Passe, where the ferries tie up. Cars are few and mostly belong to the hotels; bicycles do the work, with the odd ox-cart, and the interior climbs through forest to Belle Vue at 333 metres.
Inland, the Veuve reserve shelters the black paradise flycatcher, a bird that numbers about a hundred. On the south-west shore, the old L’Union Estate opens onto Anse Source d’Argent, a beach strewn with enormous boulders. The calmest weather comes in June and July; from October to January the island takes over 200 mm of rain a month.
- Anse Source d’Argent Two kilometres of sand and massive boulders inside a former vanilla and coconut estate, reached through a small entrance gate.
- Veuve Nature Reserve Guided walks in the woods where the last hundred or so black paradise flycatchers nest.
- Belle Vue The island’s high point, also called Eagle’s Nest, 333 metres above the coast.
Arriving
The last leg by sea or by air.
Every journey starts at Seychelles International on Mahé. From there, La Digue is a ferry ride or a helicopter hop; there is nowhere on the island for a plane to land.
- Mauritius 2 h 40
- Nairobi 3 h 05
- Malé 3 h 10
- Singapore 7 h 15 long-range jet
- Lisbon 10 h 50 long-range jet
When to go
June to July.
Four degrees south of the equator, the days reach 27 to 30 °C in every month. June brings the least rain, 66 mm, followed by July; January is the wettest, at 381 mm. The sea ranges from 26 °C in the southern winter to 30 °C in April.
- 29° J 381 28°
- 29° F 279 29°
- 30° M 189 29°
- 30° A 178 30°
- 29° M 133 29°
- 28° J 66 27°
- 27° J 81 26°
- 27° A 117 26°
- 28° S 134 27°
- 29° O 206 28°
- 29° N 223 28°
- 29° D 271 28°
Where to stay
One graded resort, and the island next door.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
The best tables on and around La Digue.
No MICHELIN Guide covers the Seychelles. Le Combava is a Lonely Planet top choice; the two others are the most exclusive dining at Six Senses Zil Pasyon, as described on the resort’s own site.
- Le Combava Lonely Planet top choice Creole and international $$$ Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie, Anse Sévère
- KRI Signature restaurant, Six Senses Zil Pasyon Japanese omakase Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Félicité, the island east of La Digue
- Wine Vault Private fine dining, Six Senses Zil Pasyon Paired dinners Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Félicité
Elsewhere in Seychelles
More reasons to come.
Flying to La Digue?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.