The beaches of the Seychelles are certainly among the most beautiful beaches in the world, with the turquoise blue water, powdery 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 Mahé there are numerous beaches, some of which we have visited.
Table of contents
A map of the most famous beaches on Mahé
On the following Google MyMaps map we have drawn you the most famous beaches, which we looked at on our round trip over the island of Mahé. Another very good and detailed overview of the beaches can be found on the page of SeyVillas.
Anse Major
The Anse Majorproves that you can combine a beach visit with a great hike. During the hike on the Anse Major Nature Trail you walk partly through forest, but most of the route overlooks the breathtaking turquoise coast.
From a vantage point you already have a view of the Anse Major, which is somewhat hidden in a beautiful bay. And since the beach visit is connected with some effort by the hike, you won’t find so many other people here 🙂 The perfect place for a little cooling in between!
The hike takes about 1 hour (one-way) and is moderate. We recommend putting on sneakers, as you often have to walk over stones. By the way, if you have a rental car, you can drive almost to the beginning of the trail. Shortly before, there are a few wild parking spaces on the side of the road, where you can park yourself by car.
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beachis about a 10-minute walk from our Tropical Hideaway property. With its length of almost 1.8 kilometers, it is one of the longest beaches in the Seychelles – and thus certainly the most famous and lively. The beach is flat sloping and basically has a nice width. At high tide, however, there is actually not much left of the beach, because the water rises so high. On our first evening we could watch a beautiful sunset here, to which many people – locals and tourists – came to the beach.
What you should not miss at Beau Vallon Beach is the Beau Vallon Food Market, which always takes place on Wednesdays from the late afternoon directly on the promenade of Beau Vallon Beach. Here you will find about 20 different stalls with a wide range of food & drinks at reasonable prices. For a main course you pay here between 4 to 7 euros. Compared to the restaurants that are located around the promenade and where a main course can cost 20 to 30 euros, a real bargain and very tasty. Individual food stalls can also be found here on the other days.
Carana Beach
Carana Beach is located in a beautiful, quiet bay on the north coast of Mahé. The beach is only about 300 meters long, but often deserted. Just the right place for a relaxing beach visit.
Carana Beach in the north of Mahé
Anse Royale
The Anse Royale is a two-part beach: on one side there is a long bay with powder-white sand. And on the other side there is a slightly smaller beach section, with the granite rock formations typicalof the Seychelles, which are partly in the water and give a great photo motif. The beach is very suitable for bathing, as the entrance to the water is very shallow. In addition, the beach is said to be one of the best snorkeling spots on the island, as there are supposed to be countless fish around the rocks and the small offshore island.
Police Bay
The southernmost beach of Mahé, Police Bay, was one of the best for us. To get here, you have to park your rental car already at the bend of the Chemin Grande Police – where the way to Petite Police Beach starts(map in Google Maps). We have also seen cars that have continued to drive, but we would advise against this, because the road is full of potholes and we have also seen a couple who have completely ripped open their rental car in front. So: prefer to walk a few meters more and enjoy the beautiful view – first to Petite Police Beach – before arriving at Police Bay after about 10 minutes on foot.
When we entered the beach, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Far and wide not a single person! The beach is certainly one of the poachers of Mahé, as high waves sometimes arrive here. But for this it is deserted and offers a panorama that is unparalleled. A icing sugar beach as seen in the picture book ❤
Anse Intendance
The approximately 1 km long Anse Intendance is a beautiful, snow-white and soft sandy beach, which lies between densely overgrown, lush green mountain slopes. A true dream beach! The beach is also a very important place for turtles,as they lay their eggs here. We couldn’t see any turtles, but we heard that some are spotted here from time to time.
Anse Takamaka
With our rental car we first drove to the Chez Batista Villas, which can be reached within a few minutes when you leave the South Coast Road in the Takamaka region to the west. The restaurant and guest house are located at the southern end of Anse Takamaka. After we had parked our car directly in front of the restaurant, we first welcomed the inhabitants of Anse Takamaka: a group of giant tortoises, which are housed here in an enclosure.
When we were at noon at the low tide at Anse Takamaka, the beach was well visited, but not crowded. The beach is about 20 meters wide and about 500 meters long. Since we were here at low tide, you could also see the full splendor of the beach. However, when there is a flood, this can change drastically. At the other end of the Anse Takamaka, the road leads directly along and we have seen that the road there already needs to be supported and repaired, because the erosion caused by the flood – which partly comes to the road – is very strong.
Baie Lazare Beach
Baie Lazare Beach is located in a crescent-shaped bay named after the Seychelles explorer Lazare Picault. When we visited the beach in the late afternoon, not a single person was here. On the almost 1 km long beach you actually feel a bit lost 😉 But it also offered the perfect opportunity to get our drone up again to take a few snapshots from a bird’s eye view.
Petite Anse
The Petite Anse is actually the beach of the Four Seasons Resort, but since all beaches in the Seychelles are public, non-hotel guests can also use it. So we just parked our rental car at the gates of the resort, entered us in a list at the gatekeeper and could then walk straight down to the beach. What was a really great service: On the way back, a member of staff in the Club Car drove us up to the gate again. Since the road is already very long and also steep, we were incredibly grateful for it.
We really liked the beach Petite Anse. The powder-soft beach is surrounded by granite rocks and green mountain slopes and, together with the turquoise blue waters, provides a beautiful backdrop. A special highlight on the beach is a swing, which gives a great photo motif. We spent a whole afternoon in and around the water and enjoyed the sun and the panorama. Simply fantastic!
Baie Ternay Beach
Baie Ternay Beach is located in the northwest of Mahé in the deserted area of Cap Ternay. At a closed barrier we left our rental car and walked the rest of the way to the beach. On the way there you will find tons of red crabs on the side of the road, which – as soon as you approach them – quickly disappear into their holes. There is also a research station for the protection of the sea along the way, as well as many abandoned houses, which are now ruins. The beach itself is only about 400 meters long and very natural and wild. When we were there, the water was also very high, so that you could hardly see a beach.
For us personally, the most beautiful beaches on the island of Mahé are the Anse Major (also because of the beautiful hike), the Police Bay (huge and deserted) and the Petite Anse ❤
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