We love to discover the most beautiful sights and photo spots of our destinations on our own. We spent a total of 3 days on the island of La Digue and therefore had enough time to explore some of the most famous sights. And La Digue really has a lot to offer: fantastic beaches, breathtaking hiking trails and L’Union Estate Farm, where you can learn about the colonial past.
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Things to know about La Digue Island
La Digue is the smallest of the three main islands of the Seychelleswith its size of just under 10 km2. It is located about 50 km northeast of Mahé and about 6 km east of Praslin. The 5 km long and 3 km wide island has a population of just 2,200. The majority of the inhabitants live in the west of the island, as here, with the port and the main town of La Passe, the largest settlement with infrastructure is located on the island. On the other hand, the south and east of the island are largely uninhabited.
The beach Anse Source d’Argent with its extraordinary granite formations is considered a dream beach and is regularly listed among the top 10 beaches worldwide. Therefore, La Digue is a very popular tourist destination overall, especially for day trippers from other islands and cruise guests. On the small island it can get quite crowded during the day.
Especially recommended are the many takeaways on La Digue, where you can get a delicious lunch and dinner quickly and cheaply. We have met our daily need for drinks and snacks in a nearby Indian supermarket. As a rule, these are slightly cheaper than the big supermarkets.
How to get to La Digue?
Between the three most visited islands Mahé, Praslin and La Digue there are two ferry companies that connect the three islands.
» The Cat Cocos ferry runs 3 times a day between Mahé and Praslin and 1-3 times a day between Mahé and La Digue.
» The Cat Rose Ferry (Inter Island Ferry) offers up to 8 connections a day between Praslin and La Digue and takes only 15 minutes for the short distance.
The ticket prices are uniformly at 14 EUR each way. We had also bought our ferry tickets for the journey from Praslin to La Digue via SeyFerry.com. After the purchase process, you will receive the vouchers for the journeys by e-mail, which you then have to exchange for “real” tickets at the ferry terminal. We had already received our tickets for the return journey from La Digue to Praslin on Praslin, as there are no tour operators at the port on La Digue. You leave your luggage at the ferry, which is then charged there by employees.
The 15 minutes drive from Praslin to La Digue passed super fast and the sea was very calm, so we arrived on time at the port of La Digue.
Getting around La Digue
The number 1 transport on La Digue are – besides your own feet – the countless bicycles that can be rented anywhere on the island for 7 to 10 euros per day. As soon as you arrive at the Ferry Terminal, the countless providers will talk to you if you want to rent a bike. With these you can easily and easily get from A to B on the island. Any hotel or accommodation can also help with the arrangement of bicycles. Cars are only registered on the island if they are taxis or transport vehicles. Therefore, you will find many electric club cars, which are preferably used as taxis.
Our hotels on the island
Unlike Mahé and Praslin, There are very few luxury resorts on La Digue. The big hotel chains such as Hilton, Constance, Le Meridien or Kempinski are not to be found here. The island is characterized by many small guest houses and self-catering apartments. Among the most expensive and best hotels on the island are Le Nautique, Patatran Village and Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie.
We stayed on La Digue in two different accommodations:
We spent the first two nights in the family-run guest house La Diguoise, located in the west of La Digue. The majority of the complex is a beautifully manicured tropical garden with many flowering plants, large palm trees, two ponds and a swimming pool. And there is even a very trusting, dear roommate: a giant tortoise that runs its rounds on the grounds 😊
Our last night on La Digue we spent at the beautiful Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa, located in the northwest of the island. Centrally located, this resort is considered one of the best hotels on La Digue, offering 63 stunning villas and an impressive spa set in an idyllic setting surrounded by lush tropical gardens. We really liked our 70 m2 Villa de Charme. We have rarely stayed in such a beautiful hotel room ❤
The most beautiful beaches on La Digue
The beaches of the Seychelles are certainly among the most beautiful beaches in the worldwith the turquoise blue water, powder-soft sand and the fascinating granite rocks. What we particularly liked about the Seychelles is the fact that all the beaches here are public, i.e. even if the beaches are located on the grounds of hotels, you can enter them (partly with prior permission). On the island of La Digue there are numerous beaches, some of which we have visited. The 10 most beautiful beaches of La Digue we introduce you here.
The excursion destination L’Union Estate
The National Monument L’Union Estate is a former coconut and vanilla plantation that offers a glimpse of La Digue’s colonial history. Here you can visit a historic settler house, a copra mill, vanilla plantations and a turtle enclosure.
Location, opening hours & admission
The destination is located in the west of La Digue and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance is located directly behind the helipad. At the cashier’s house you pay 115 SCR(about 8 EUR) per person as a day ticket and can then pass the gate by bike or on foot. By the way, you also have to cross the L’Union Estate and pay the entrance fee if you want to get to the most famous beach of La Digue: the Anse Source d’Argent. A free alternative is to walk along the water at the helipad along the shore – but this can only be done at low tide.
The cemetery of the first settlers
Directly behind the entrance there is a cemetery where the first French settlers of La Digue rest in peace.
The coconut and vanilla plantations
Coconut avenues on the right and left of the path, reminiscent of the former use as a coconut plantation, run through the entire park. A vanilla plantation is also on site. The products of these, i.e. dried vanilla or essences, can be purchased in a shop.
The traditional Kopra mill
The traditional Kopra mill is intended to provide a closer look at the steps required to extract copra. Copra is the dried seed meat of coconuts from which coconut oil is extracted. In the coconut plantations, the copra production takes place in several steps: from the peeling and cleavage of the coconut, to the heating of the split coconut halves, to the processing into coconut raspes or the extraction of coconut oil. In the latter case, the ox we have seen here in the Kopra mill plays an important role: with its power, the coconut meat is pressed in the mill and collected into oil. Interestingly, it takes about 35 kg of copra and a 2-hour grinding process to produce a bucket of coconut oil.
The enclosure of giant tortoises
On the grounds of the L’Union Estate there is also an enclosure with giant tortoises,which are about 30 to 100 years old. In front of the enclosure stood several tables with fresh leaves, which could be fed to the turtles. It is of course always nice to meet such animals, but we liked it better when we met the giant tortoises on Curieuse Island in the wild.
The Giant Union Rock
The highest elevation of the L’Union Estate is the 40-metre-high Giant Union Rock, which with a floor area of 4,000 m2 is said to be the largest contiguous granite rock on earth. The 700 million-year-old rock is majestically perched in the park, unmistakable for all visitors. Actually we wanted to climb the rock to enjoy the sunset from the top, but unfortunately we couldn’t find a way up that seemed safe enough to us.
A hike around the south coast of La Digue
As part of our hike with Gerard from CocoTrail Guide we were able to visit the Anse Marron and were just back and forth: The Anse Marron is a dream beach that is unparalleled – as from the picture book! It is located at the southernmost tip of La Digue, which can only be reached by boat or by several hours of hiking.
The Anse Marron consists of two beach sections, which are separated by several granite rocks: the first section is a white little beach, where the sea quickly becomes deep and the waves come in unprotected. At the second part of the beach, sheltered between granite rocks, there is a natural lagoon pool with crystal clear water and lots of small fish. At Anse Marron we were also lucky enough to see a sea turtle laying ❤
Crystal Water Kayaks – Exploring La Digue from the water
We use Instagram not only to post pictures of our travels, but also to be inspired for new destinations, photo motifs or even activities. Through various posts from the island of La Digue we saw the wonderful pictures of Crystal Water Kayaks and it was quickly clear to us: we want to experience this 🙂
The idea is as simple as it is ingenious. The usual kayaks – which are otherwise known – are not coloured here, but transparent. So you can be active in normal sport and experience the underwater world perfectly with a view down through the kayak floor. In addition, a transparent kayak looks great and offers a unique photo motif.
You can read all about what we experienced on our Robinson Crusoe tour with Crystal Water Kayaks here.
A map with all the sights on the island of La Digue
On the following Google MyMaps map we have mapped the most famous beaches & sights on the island of La Digue.
Our travelogues from the Seychelles
White dream beaches, crystal clear water, sun and palm trees: the Seychelles are the epitome of an island paradise. For 2 weeks we explored the main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue and saw the most beautiful sights: From gorgeous beaches, fascinating nature parks to hidden photo spots, animal islanders and beautiful viewpoints.
» Seychelles: Things to know & Travel Tips (Mahé, Praslin & La Digue)» Seychelles: Travel Planning, Flight & Rental Car
» Mahé: Things to know & places of interest
» Mahé: Tropical Hideaway Apartement & Beau Vallon Beach
» Mahé: Victoria – Things to do & beautiful photo spots
» Mahé: The Rock Pool (Ros Sodyer) at Anse Takamaka
» Mahé: Top 10 most beautiful beaches on the island
» Cerf Island: Snorkeling in Sainte Anne Marine Park
» Praslin: Things to know & places of interest on Praslin
» Praslin: Acajou Beach Resort on the Cote d’Or Beach
» Praslin: Fond Ferdinand – Coco de Mer Nature Reserve on Praslin
» Praslin: Vallée de Mai – UNESCO National Park on Praslin
» Praslin: Top 5 most beautiful beaches on the island of Praslin
» Curieuse Island: A trip to the giant tortoises
» Félicité: The luxury resort Six Senses Zil Pasyon
» La Digue: Things to know & Travel Tips from the island of La Digue
» La Digue: Cat Cocos Ferry & La Diguoise Guesthouse
» La Digue: Crystal Water Kayaks – Transparent kayak tours on La Digue
» La Digue: Anse Marron – Hike around the south coast of La Digue
» La Digue: Top 10 – The most beautiful beaches on La Digue
» La Digue: The resort Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie