Visiting Seychelles is dream for a lot of people but for Tife, this opportunity literally fell on her lap. She reluctantly entered an Instagram giveaway and won an all expense paid trip to Seychelles! Talk about fat luck. She explored this gorgeous island, captured beautiful images and had an amazing time. Though we already featured Seychelles on the blog, we thought to get a story from another perspective. Like we always say, you can never go wrong with Seychelles and you should bump it up your list. Whats more exciting for Nigerian travelers? Its absolutely visa free! You do not pay a dime at immigration.
FROM TIFE…
I’m Tife Soloye, a young vibrant creative who likes.…Hol’up. Aint nobody got time for dat!
laughs hysterically
I crack myself up way too much.
adjusts mic
Hey. I’m Tife Soloye and I’m to tell you all about my trip to the beautiful island of Seychelles.
So here goes.…
I came across Nigerian Abroad’s page and she was conducting a giveaway in partnership with a travel company for a trip to Seychelles. In my normal capacity, I scrolled because honestly, I’m not a big fan of giveaways. They are always so tedious and I cannot be arsed. But somehow this one was different. “It’s not gonna hurt to try” I said to myself. I submitted my visa struggle story in the comments section.
It didn’t post.
I rolled my eyes dramatically and scrolled past and honestly, I felt the urge to post it again….. and well, you know how that went.
THE JOURNEY TO SEYCHELLES
Everything was given to us for the trip – accommodation, ticket and even a spend allowance. They really went ham on this giveaway. I must warn you though, the wahala of wielding a Nigerian passport reared it’s ugly head this trip. Questions Questions Questions! UGH.
‘What are you going there for?’
‘Who are you going to see?’
‘What is it that you do?’
‘What is happening in Seychelles?’
(I don’t know. I have not gotten there, as we both can see.)
We were finally let in. Seychelles is a beautiful archipelago located in the Indian Ocean. It consists of 115 islands such as Mahe, Silhouette, Praslin, La Digue, etc. The local currency is the Seychelles Rupee which is about N27 to 1 Rupee. Euro and dollar are accepted but Euro is generally more accepted. I strongly advise changing your money to the local currency to avoid over paying for anything. Also, do not change money at the airport. The best rates are gotten in town.
WHERE I STAYED
I stayed at Julies Holiday, Point Au Sel on Mahe Island and it came to 90 Euro a night with breakfast. I also checked out Savoy Hotel located on one of the most popular beaches in Mahe, Beau Vallon Beach. The hotel costs 220 Euro for one night in the standard room.
LANGUAGE & WEATHER
The native language is Creole (closely related to French) so pace your English so you’re not misunderstood/misled. However, you’ll get by perfectly speaking English.
On the weather, it was pretty hot when I visited. Ensure you take your shades, sun hats and light clothing because sweat you will!
EATING AND DRINKING IN SEYCHELLES
The food is quite obvious, I mean what is an island without seafood? (read as fish). Oddly, I didn’t eat that much sea food cause I didn’t come across enough (read that as I am NOT trying out octopus!). There’s a good variety of cocktails and mock-tails to try in Seychelles.The most popular one is called Takamaka – tagged the ‘Spirit of Seychelles’.
Surprisingly, they have palm wine too. It is called Kalou and contrary to what I thought, it is concentrated so if you are a light weight, run!
SEYCHELLOIS PEOPLE
The locals (that I met anyway) were nice and willing to help as long as they understood exactly what we were saying. Haha. They’ll offer their seats and even help take your pictures. They will also want pictures with you so smile!
THINGS TO DO
There are tons of places to visit – the market, the Seychelles cinema, beaches, the Buddhist Temple – but your main port for moving around in Mahe (especially if you don’t rent a car) is the Victoria Bus Station. You have buses going everywhere from there and it’s cheaper to use the bus.
Victoria Bus Station
Buddhist temple in Mahe
Also, if you want, you can take the ferry from Mahe – Inter Island Quay – and go to other islands. I visited Praslin and La Digue but I could only explore La Digue properly because of time.
ISLAND HOPPING
La Digue is a much smaller and simpler island than Mahe, there are barely any cars and bicycles are the most popular means of transportation. I rode a bicycle throughout the day high five. It took me about an hour to cycle round most of the island; exploring beaches and eating at different spots. It costs about 100 Rupees to rent the bicycle.
I visited the National Park in La Digue. The Park holds a lot of history and vegetation closely related to the formation of Seychelles. I visited the former Presidents house, the vanilla plantations, the Giant turtle enclosures, the Yellow Colonial House, and about three pristine beaches!
The Yellow Colonial House, so pretty!
It’s safe to say my favorite thing about Seychelles really is that there’s always the smell of the sea in the air. The salty ocean is lovely to breathe in, always.The air is clear and pristine and constantly refreshing (when you are not squeezed in a seat beside someone who’s exuding body fumes).
I did amazing things in Seychelles, things I only feared to do, things I had seen people do on TV growing up. I fed cute little fish – different hues, sizes and patterns! I went snorkeling in the middle of the ocean with no life jacket, and spotted a baby shark. The coral line was magnificent – even though the weather sucked that day. I climbed up on Moyenne islands slippery rocks bare feet, I drove the big boat and mini boat on the high sea, I held little baby turtles, I did things I feared to and most of all, I LIVED.
Till we meet again, Seychelles.
Au revoire!
