10 Tips For A Budget Trip To Seychelles 

Last Updated on January 16, 2024 by Roslin Dwivedi

Travelling on a tight budget is a constant concern whenever visiting an island destination.

Your spending while on vacation in Seychelles will fluctuate depending on where you are travelling from.

Seychelles’ local currency is the SCR, whereas the nation’s official currency is the EURO. I won’t mislead you by claiming that your trip to Seychelles will be inexpensive.

But, I am offering some advice that could help you spend less on your Seychelles vacation.

1. Book flight tickets in advance:

Well, it’s a no-brainer to always book your flight tickets well in advance while planning your vacation. Being expats living in Seychelles, we noticed that booking our tickets way before the travelling dates saved us a lot. Also, keep an eye on booking sites like Aviasales and Cheap-O-Flight, which provide cheap flight tickets.  

2. Travel around by Buses, Rent a car/Bicycle so you can give yourself a free city tour: 

Buses in Seychelles:

To save a tremendous amount of money, travel by bus. Though buses are one of the cheapest ways to travel around the island, I wouldn’t suggest taking buses.

Buses in Seychelles are not frequent, especially from stops other than Victoria bus terminal, the main bus terminal in Mahe island. Hence, it will be time-consuming. 

But if you still want to experience the local ride, then take my advice, get on the bus from the Victoria terminal after your Victoria tour. And get down at your Hotel stop. 

Also, early mornings, afternoons and late evenings are OK to travel in the buses because it will be less crowded.

Renting a car in Seychelles is absolute freedom:

Especially in Mahe and Praslin islands. I mentioned this in my blog, Things you need to know before moving to Seychelles, that shopping and other commercial places are far from each other in the islands. Renting a car will ease your movements. Also if it rains or something, you don’t have to wait for a taxi. 

Rent a bike: 

In La Digue, it’s better to rent a bike and tour the island. Read all about the La Digue trip here.

3. Stay in a Self-Catering, guest house or Airbnb:

Self-caterings in Seychelles are much cheaper than many hotels.

Except for the morning struggle of cooking or looking for breakfast outside, Self-Catering is the best choice to stay affordably in Seychelles.

To my knowledge, you can look for some Self-Caterings or apartments that provide breakfast. 

The same goes for Airbnb. Do your research, and speak to the owner about the stay and food everything before booking. Do your research before booking Self-Caterings and Airbnb that offer good services.

4. Eat out from takeaways or order pizzas in the restaurants or cook your meal: 

If you go to any restaurant, the minimum expenditure would be 1000 to 1500 SCR for two people for ordering drinks, two main courses, one starter and one dessert.

But if you don’t want to spend much, eat from takeaways; this is one of the ways we save on eating out in Seychelles. 

In Seychelles, you will find takeaways in most places. Don’t shy away from going in there and buying yourself a meal. Take your takeaway box and enjoy it with a view of a beautiful beach in Seychelles. 

Or 

Order Pizza! Most of the restaurants in Seychelles offer Pizza on their menu. And trust me, you won’t go back unsatisfied.

You will find some delicious vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian and seafood Pizzas in most restaurants.

One Pizza is filling for two people. Some of the takeaways in Victoria sell Pizzas in pieces, so that is even more savings. Just buy how much you can eat. 

Or

Cook yourself a meal. In your Airbnb or Self-Catering, you can cook yourself a meal. By buying some ingredients from a nearby supermarket.  

5. Do not drink alcohol at restaurants or call for In-room dining:

Buy from a local shop and have a party at your self-catering or homestay.

The best way to have a party in Self-Catering is to buy some alcohol from nearby supermarkets.

That way, you don’t have to spend on hotels’ high-priced alcohol, and you will make some budget resort parties yourself.

6. Save money in Seychelles by not doing expensive excursions:

If you are not doing any expensive excursions, then you will save tons on your budget trip to Seychelles.

Excursions like parasailing, transparent glass boat rides, submarines, marine parks and city tours from agents would surely cost you more. 

      7) Spend in local currency:

As I mentioned above, the country works in Euros officially. But the local currency is SCR(Seychellois Rupees).

Carry Euros or Dollars from your home and get them exchanged to SCR to spend locally. That way, you will save much on exchange rates in every shop.

Also, not all shops accept foreign currency. 

For your convenience, I am naming a few points where you will get satisfactory exchange rates: Cash Plus (Victoria, Anse la Mouche,) GCC exchange victoria branch, Vision money transfer (Victoria)

8) Don’t hire a tour guide:

Google maps and things to do are the best lists to visit anywhere in Seychelles. You will find English, French and Creole speakers in Seychelles.

9) Save money on island hopping by only travelling via ferry:

Traveling via ferry is the best option for island hop. Domestic flights or helicopters, or private boats would cost more. 

You can have island hopping via ferry. If you want to visit other islands – it’s better to travel by ferry to the other islands in Seychelles to save money. 

10) Save by not staying on other islands:

You will save much on your Seychelles trip by only staying on Mahe island and not on any nearby islands. 

The hotel prices in Seychelles are very high. So keep that in mind before making your plans and booking.

For more smooth and budget trip to Seychelles: 

• Do bring your toiletries and medicines if staying in small hotels or self-catering.
• Buy a mineral water bottle. Because it’s not justified that Seychelles tap water is drinkable. We lived there for several years, and we bought our water. But check if your Self-Catering can provide filter water. Do not save by cutting on buying water. Seychelles is hot, and walking under the sun would be very exhausting. So for sure, keep water with you at all times.
• Bring plenty of sunscreens because Seychelles is a tropical place. It’s scorching and sunny. Applying sunscreen is mandatory from my side in these exotic islands.

Money-saving trips in Seychelles include:  

1. Driving around the island in your rental car
2. Beach-hopping on the same island is free of cost on any island. But visiting Anse Source D’Argent beach, one of the best beaches in the world, would have an entry fee. This beach is located in L’union Farm in La Digue Island in Seychelles.
3. Explore the tourist attractions via your rental car, not a taxi. Show your resident card if you live in Seychelles as an expat. That will ease your ticket price.
4. Don’t stay on all the islands. Stay in Mahe and make a day trip to the nearby islands.
5. Free hiking: In Seychelles, hiking is free of cost. Every island has multiple trails that will pay off your hard work with an impeccable view. 
6. Bring your snorkelling kit and snorkel to the beach of your choice.
7. Stroll in Victoria market: A stroll in Victoria will show you the daily routine of locals, how the market work and shopping here would give an idea of currency and tons of cultural enlightenment. 

So there you go, guys! Keep this article saved or printed with you, so you can use these tips to have a fantastic vacation in Seychelles.

Even though you have a budget trip to Seychelles, you will enjoy it to the fullest, I assure you. Rest, let me know what you think about these tips or if they are helpful in the comments.

Happy Budget Tripping in Seychelles!